(Minghui.org) Last year, one practitioner said, “Other practitioners are like mirrors.” I didn’t understand what he meant then, but it finally became clear to me this year.
I met with my relative who is also a practitioner, and we talked about our experiences and understandings of the Fa. She was articulate but, as she went on, I noticed she veered into ordinary, everyday topics. How could a practitioner chat about such mundane matters? I knew it wasn’t right, and I began to feel uneasy. I reminded her to focus on cultivation and the principles of the Fa.
She began talking about how we could improve our character in accordance with the Fa. However, she gradually drifted back to ordinary affairs, and I was drawn in. Afterward, I felt deeply regretful, and I wondered how practitioners still fail to transcend human thinking and slip to the level of ordinary people. My relative didn’t notice anything was wrong and kept chatting, while I found the conversation increasingly irritating. I stopped talking, yet she continued speaking with enthusiasm. The more she talked, the more distressed I felt. I feelings of annoyance and agitation rose uncontrollably, and I finally told her to stop talking about ordinary matters. She was upset and angry with me, which made the situation feel awkward.
The relative and I met again this year. During our conversation, she talked about specific incidents and criticized others. When I reminded her not to talk that way, she became angry again and accused me of criticizing others. As her relative and a fellow practitioner, I thought it would be great if we could share our understandings of the Fa, learn from each other’s strengths, and help one another. Yet, things turned out differently. Every time we parted ways, my heart felt heavy.
Cultivation requires looking inward and cultivating oneself. Why did this relative’s behavior as an ordinary person manifest when I was with her? It showed me that I still have elements of an ordinary person. I criticized her for discussing mundane topics but I did not see my own faults. I failed to eliminate old attachments and instead added new ones.
Practitioners are like mirrors—their behavior sometimes reflects ours. If this hadn’t happened I might not have realized I still had many ordinary person’s attachments. I felt distressed and agitated because I thought I cultivated well and I felt superior. Additionally, I paid more attention to others’ shortcomings than to my own. Master separated our cultivated side to a safe place and allowed the uncultivated side to manifest so that we can continue cultivating, which is a process of breaking through layer by layer. There is no such thing as instantly becoming a Buddha.
My relative truly served as a mirror, and showed me that I still harbor a desire to show off, a competitive mentality, and an attachment to family affection.
Once I identified the root of my problems, the heavy feeling in my heart vanished leaving me wonderfully open and clear.
Category: Cultivation Insights
