PureInsight | October 22, 2001
I would like to share some thoughts with fellow practitioners
When I first started reading Zhuan Falun, I would come across the Section on “Jealousy” and think to myself, “isn't it great that I'm a westerner and don't have to worry about 'Asian Jealousy’''. After taking a closer look at Australia, the country's history and the behaviour of its people, I realised that, in many ways, we could be considered an “Asian” nation and that when Master refers to “Asian Jealousy”, Australia could be considered a prime example of this.
The first Westerners to settle in Australia where mostly convicted criminals, people with significant karmic debts in this life. From the beginning, the environment was one of harsh competition for survival. During the gold rush, the pioneering years, and during the world wars, the idea of “mateship” was developed. Mateship pretends to be about being kind to each other, however, I would say that mateship is a thinly veiled disguise for bullying and “pack thinking”. It is a deviated form of friendship.
Australia's national identity is centered around excessive alcoholism and sporting prowess. These factors have caused a strong notion to form in the minds of many
Australians: this notion is centered around jealously and fear of losing one’s position
amongst the group. This notion is hindering everyday people from attaining the Fa and is
also deeply hidden amongst practitioners, causing damage to Fa-rectification activities.
This is my understanding of the situation in Australia. It makes this a very difficult country in which to successfully achieve Fa-rectification. However, what a great honour it is to be here working for Fa-rectification! Master Li must have considered us worthy of this task if our inter-connected relationships have brought us here at this time.
Some of the ways that I have seen this “Australian Asian jealousy” exhibit itself are:
- Fear of the media and government: Australian practitioners seem deathly afraid of
speaking to the media and government. This fear exhibits itself as a false confusion of the issues: having lots of meetings, lots of training sessions, and making things more complicated than they need to be. We must battle this human notion, and eliminate the excuses and “old ways” that prevent this section of our community of cultivators from being rectified. This is the Great Law! This is the truth of the universe revealed to save sentient beings! How can we let this notion hinder us from our Fa-rectification responsibilities?
- Fear of mistakes and fear of inadequacy: Some practitioners in Australia often seem afraid to admit their own mistakes. We are all cultivating, why does this fear exist? In a pack-mentality, individual errors can immediately lead to group harassment or even violence. Could it be that Australian practitioners have not given up these notions of “group thinking”? Practitioners also seem afraid to admit when a job is too big for them, because they fear retribution or expulsion from the group. This attitude must be eliminated, we are all particles of the Fa and we each do what we can.
- Tally poppy syndrome (jealousy of other’s success): This is a most evil situation and something that exists in Australian society but should never be allowed amongst true
practitioners. I have seen assistants and coordinators removed because of problems with their methods &and attitudes. Some tried to hinder the attempts of the new assistants in order to make them fail. People do this so that it will not appear that someone else can do a better job than they were doing. How can this be the behaviour of practitioners?
- Clinging to positions: Jealousy and fear can also lead to what is known as “empire building”, in which people try to make themselves indispensable by concealing the nature
of their work and complicating what is not complicated. This is extremely evil behaviour
and has no place amongst practitioners. No person is indispensable in Fa-rectification.
These are just a few situations that I have noticed, and they are by no means present amongst all practice locations or amongst all practitioners. I think that this notion of jealousy is very real and very prevalent in Australia, and that it is our difficult but
achievable job to eliminate this whenever we see it. We may also need to consider this
when looking for ways to spread the Fa and offer salvation in Australia. We must get past this notion to touch people’s hearts. This is a unique environment that we all must find ways to overcome.
This is only my understanding and experience of the situation at my level. I share it in the
hope that we can all look inside ourselves to find the root cause of the problems in Australia. As I have found these mentalities and notions within myself, I wanted to share it with other practitioners in the hope that it will help them.
