PureInsight | June 10, 2009
[PureInsight.org] Without compassion, words cannot touch a person's heart, in spite of strong reasoning. Even with solid logic and a commanding tone, it is hard to convince others. In contrast, words spoken out of compassion, together with a considerate tone, bring warmth and peace to people. When words are upright and gentle, it is easier for them to touch others. It took me a long time to realize this.
Before becoming a practitioner, I often felt I had a different attitude towards friends compared to towards my family. I was very polite when speaking to friends, while being rude to my own family. I noticed that when I spoke with a tone of criticism or complaint, the discussions often ended up in long and stressful arguments, though what I said was very reasonable.
After starting to practice Falun Dafa, I gradually realized that people have different levels of tolerance, that is, the capacity of their hearts, due to differences in their thinking. Still, I did not realize the importance of compassion and an appropriate tone. For example, I often appeared patient and forgiving when speaking with everyday people, while becoming agitated and demanding when speaking with fellow practitioners. Because of this, barriers were formed between practitioners and it was hard for us to do things as one body.
Compassionate words are as enjoyable as a spring breeze and bad words are despicable. Speech is one way of communicating, and only compassionate words can change someone towards good. In general, praise brings warmth, encouragement gives hope, and greetings bridge a relationship. In contrast, when one speaks vulgar, slandering, or satirical words, he is harming both others and himself. A practitioner who does not cultivate his speech can never attain right fruit.
It is easy for one to change himself compared to changing others. Criticizing and demanding words cannot change others, since only compassionate words spoken with a considerate tone could touch people's hearts and lead them to a better future.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2009/5/5/59352.html
