PureInsight | April 20, 2009
[PureInsight.org] I was recently discussing with practitioners in a nearby area. I found that some of them were attached to the shortcomings of certain fellow practitioners, especially the shortcomings of husband and wife practitioners who had fundamental conflicts between them. They even wanted to expose those practitioners’ shortcomings on the Internet.
Here, I want to share some personal understandings. In fact, the behaviors of fellow practitioners might be acting as a mirror that reflects our own shortcomings. When we carefully look within and judge the situation based on Dafa, we can find our own omissions. More importantly, when we see shortcomings in fellow practitioners, what angle do we use in handling it? When we see it from the angle of our personal notions, it is easy to have complaints and feelings of hatred. When we see it from the angle of being considerate to our fellow practitioners or of being responsible to Dafa, however, it is easy to communicate with other practitioners kindly. In such a compassionate field, fellow practitioners are able to quickly correct their shortcomings and quickly pass through levels.
It reminds me of something that happened several years ago. Some practitioners developed human notions and made inappropriate suggestions about sending forth righteous thoughts. It made me very upset. Although we exchanged understandings, I had a strong attachment to my personal notions. I thought, “Why do things this way and why do things that way?” Not only did our discussions not improve, the old forces took advantage of the situation and made even bigger gaps. I thought my thinking was based on the Fa and that I was being responsible to Dafa and Master. So when I saw that the discussions did not work, I exposed this on the Internet. This stirred up deeper gaps between those practitioners. In the end, two practitioners stopped sharing their understandings with each other because they feared they would be published on the Internet again.
Teacher said, “One’s gong level is as high as one’s xinxing level,” (Zhuan Falun). No matter what happens between practitioners, it is always a good opportunity to cultivate and improve oneself. The larger our heart is, the greater conflicts it could resolve. Only by letting go of personal things can one obtain something divine. When we argue with fellow practitioners or “expose” practitioners on the Internet, it is looking outwards. In fact, this is an act of pressuring fellow practitioners and forcing them to change. This is the typical behavior of people who are influenced by the culture of the Chinese Communist Party. Teacher said, “Gods are merciful and have the greatest capacity to forgive, and they are truly responsible to beings, instead of focusing on a person's actions at a given time. That's because gods awaken a being at a fundamental level, and enliven a being's Buddha-nature at a fundamental level,” (Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference). Many years later, when discussing with the practitioner who I exposed (both of us had improved significantly at that point and there was no longer any barrier between us), I suddenly felt there were many good things about him. He understood the Fa very well. When he did not do well back then, I did not help him sincerely, but instead pushed him way. There are many ways to help fellow practitioners. We should not “expose” practitioners’ shortcomings to hurt them.
Teacher has told us many times how we should get along with other practitioners and how we should handle the shortcomings we see in others. As I studied the Fa further, I found that the place where we see the shortcomings in others is exactly where we should cultivate ourselves. When we complain about others, it is because we have attachments of our own. From the Fa we know that the universe is composed of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Among them, water and fire are opposed to each other. But can you remove one of the two just because there is a tension between them? In fact, they can co-exist harmoniously. When studying the Fa recently, I felt more and more that we need to look within. It is fundamental to improve ourselves and resolve all conflicts.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2009/3/31/58639.html
