(Minghui.org) Whenever I read sharing articles on Minghui.org about staying alert and keeping the palm upright while sending forth righteous thoughts, I’d immediately think, “So and so, you should read this. You have the exact same problem.” Or, “So and so, you should read this too. You haven’t had your palm upright or your hands have been closed while sending righteous thoughts for such a long time. Even after repeated sharing and reminders, perhaps you’ve improved a little, but there still hasn’t been much change.”

I was genuinely anxious for them and felt they were not trying hard enough, thinking it had nothing to do with me. Ever since the day Master asked Dafa disciples to send righteous thoughts, I had strictly required myself to do so, and my palm is always in an upright position. Thus, I considered myself better than them at sending righteous thoughts. Subconsciously, I even felt somewhat pleased with myself and unconsciously thought that I was cultivating better than they were.

However, I previously didn’t pay much attention to the lotus hand position when sending righteous thoughts. Once, when sending righteous thoughts with the lotus hand position at our group Fa-study site for just a few minutes, I saw three small birds. One was a small crow, about the size of a hummingbird; the other two I can’t remember. Then more and more tiny birds followed them and fell densely into my lotus hand position. When I tried to look closely, they disappeared.

I was startled, since my celestial eye isn’t open. Could this be Master giving me a hint that I needed to pay attention to my hand positions? I thought, “If my lotus hand position is not held correctly, wouldn’t those bad things easily escape?” From then on, I took sending righteous thoughts more seriously and never treated it as a mere formality.

A practitioner in our Fa-study group has not been able to stay alert while sending righteous thoughts for several years. She seemed drowsy, almost as if her head were about to fall onto the floor. If someone made a noise or jolted her, she would become more alert, but half a minute later she would doze off again. She said that during the fifth exercise she’d be asleep half the time, and she felt sleepy during Fa-study as well. We actually thought that her main consciousness was not clear. She was very troubled and suffered because she could not figure out where she was going wrong.

Other practitioners all helped her look inward and try to understand the issue. I was the one who talked about it the most. We made an agreement: whenever we saw that the other was not in accordance with the Fa, we would point it out promptly so that we could improve and elevate together. I told her, “You should study the Fa more. The Fa can rectify every incorrect state.”

But despite our reminders and sending righteous thoughts for her, she still didn’t improve. When I reminded her again, she said, “I feel that my righteous thoughts are actually working pretty well. When you say it like that, it actually interferes with me.” Another time she said, “Whenever you come, I become nervous when I send righteous thoughts.”

I felt quite awkward and sorry that I had placed such a great burden on her. Every practitioner has his or her own state and understanding of the Fa principles, yet I kept talking, paying no attention to her feelings, and feeling good about myself while doing so.

Helping a fellow practitioner is supposed to be normal. Why, then, would she not accept my help? Where was the problem? I really needed to look inward myself.

Through extensive Fa study, looking within, and reading sharing articles on Minghui.org, I identified two shortcomings in myself.

First, my reminders to fellow practitioners were well-intentioned. But as time went on, I was no longer helping them with a compassionate and pure heart. Instead, I had begun to complain, wondering why they couldn’t do better.

In fact, the practitioner in question did an excellent job of clarifying the truth, and dealing with harassment from the government officials and police who came to her home. When we went to other villages to distribute truth-clarification materials, she took great responsibility. She gave the easier places to other practitioners and she went to the places that were more difficult to reach. At critical moments, she always had strong righteous thoughts and helped resolve other practitioners’ problems. This is the realm she has attained through cultivating in Dafa.

Regarding her situation when sending righteous thoughts, I said to other practitioners who were worried about her, “Let’s quietly send righteous thoughts to help her. Over the past few days I’ve realized that we have been too attached to her. When we tried to help her, we were actually criticizing her. Isn’t that like throwing garbage into her dimension? When I changed my mindset and looked at her again, she was so lovely. Everything about her seemed so good. Let’s stop being attached. Don’t forget that every Dafa disciple is under Master’s care. If we are not careful, we may actually make things worse. When we let go of our attachments, our fellow practitioner will have no pressure and can study the Fa, send righteous thoughts, and look within. With Master’s strengthening, she will naturally improve.”

Here, I sincerely and deeply apologize to her, and to other practitioners whom I have hurt in the past because of my harsh tone.

Second, whenever we sent righteous thoughts together in a group, I’d often open my eyes to see whether other practitioners were staying alert or their hand positions were correct, and I’d sigh inwardly if they weren’t. It was as though nobody’s hand positions were as correct as mine. With such a strong feeling of disdain and self-righteousness, even if my own hands were in the right position, could the righteous thoughts I sent really have an effect? Could I truly send righteous thoughts well?

The more attached I became to my fellow practitioners, the more I could not let go, and the more serious their manifestations seemed to become. Could it be that the problem was actually with me?

When I truly looked within, I realized that I was far too attached to myself and too forceful. I had to let go of my attachments. Master is taking care of everything.

Once I let go of my attachments, her condition improved noticeably.

In fact, when helping a fellow practitioner through a tribulation, a single righteous sentence can give that practitioner righteous thoughts. I remember that many years ago, when two practitioners visited me, I complained that my husband was treating me unfairly. One of them said, “Sis, are you still practicing qi (qi is the same word as anger)?” I was enlightened by her words. I should not have anger. I need to cultivate to divinity.

The purpose of writing this article is that I’ve realized that when we see an incorrect state in a fellow practitioner, we should also look within ourselves. In doing so, I have discovered many of my own shortcomings and attachments. I then need to disintegrate and eliminate them.