PureInsight | August 8, 2005
[PureInsight.org] Lately the most popular subject among local practitioners is how to improve holistically, or how to help every Falun Gong practitioner to upgrade on his cultivation practice and meet the Fa's requirements at different levels. In general, the discussions resulted in good outcomes, but sometimes they seemed to make the matter worse. We can attribute the negative outcomes to a number of objective factors. For example, there may be large differences among practitioners in terms of cultivation levels, which makes it difficult to reach consensus with a few discussions. However, if we search inward, it is easy to identify that it is our own respective attachments that contribute to the negative outcomes of the discussions.
First of all, sometimes we use the excuse of helping practitioners to improve holistically as one body to point out fellow practitioners' inadequacies and cover up our own inadequacies. We often point our finger at others and become strict with other practitioners but generous with ourselves. How can we keep demanding other practitioners to improve while we constantly turn a blind eye to our own attachments and neglect our own cultivation practice? When our speech and actions are in compliance with the Fa, we will naturally motivate our fellow practitioners to overcome their own flaws. If we are generous with ourselves and fail to attain what we ask of fellow practitioners, fellow practitioners will find our comments or feedback repulsive even if they are correct and precise by themselves. No one likes to listen to those philosophers who talk eloquently about their understandings of the Buddha, but never truly cultivate themselves. Seeking outwardly will only result in negative outcomes.
Second, if we are strongly attached to changing fellow practitioners, they will be less likely to accept our suggestions even if they are correct.
Teacher said, "My disciples! Master is very worried, but this cannot help!" (From "Further Elimination of Attachments" in Essentials for Further Advancement.)Teacher said, "Cultivation is your own affair, and nobody else can do it for you. The teacher can only tell you the laws and principles on the surface. It is your own responsibility to cultivate your heart and mind, let go of your desires, attain wisdom, and eliminate confusion." (From "Determination" in Essentials for Further Advancement.)
Cultivation is every practitioner's own matter. We could only try to promote kindness in our fellow practitioners. If a practitioner doesn't want to change, no one else can make him or her change. The only way to facilitate improvement in practitioners as one body is to study the Fa together and exchange our cultivation insights. Only the Buddha Fa has the power to change a practitioner while our own words and opinions carry only a superficial effect. Perhaps we shouldn't spend so much time and effort to discuss how to improve holistically. As we continue to study the Fa more as a group, we might naturally improve holistically in the process.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2002/6/25/16562.html
