(Minghui.org) As practitioners, we often say that we should be kind to others and not argue. However, in real life, we are more often too embarrassed and seldom admit that we are wrong. Most times, we use jargon we learned from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) such as, “I haven’t done well enough,” “I still have shortcomings,” or “I haven’t spoken kindly enough,” to excuse ourselves.
For example, my child recently confronted me while I was explaining something and I felt very upset. Although I didn’t argue with him or use my parental status to pressure him, I thought perhaps the way I spoke to him wasn’t kind, or my tone was too harsh. But I didn’t seriously think about whether I had any attachments, or if I did something wrong.
I think the logic behind not admitting our mistakes is that we think we are doing the right thing at the level of ordinary people, but we are communicating the matter in a manner that is not very kind. So why should we admit our mistakes? Because we didn’t handle the situation well.
“Not good enough,” “not perfect,” “still insufficient” are all typical words the CCP uses. When CCP members write a self-criticism article, they fill it with terms like “not doing well enough,” “not learning deeply enough,” and “not setting a high enough standard.”
Master taught us,
“Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong
As a cultivatorOne always looks for one’s own faults’Tis the Way to get rid of attachments most effectivelyThere’s no way to skip ordeals, big or small[During a conflict, if you can remember:]“He’s right,And I’m wrong,”What’s to dispute?”(Hong Yin III)
As a practitioner I believe that having the courage to admit mistakes means taking the initiative to expose these human notions. If you have the desire to argue and correct other people’s mistakes, you are only protecting your own interests at the human level and are not improving yourself through cultivation.
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Category: Perspectives
