PureInsight | September 11, 2012
[PureInsight.org] I recently spoke with a practitioner who had just returned from another city. She shared her experience of truth-clarification as well as her understanding of the Fa. It seemed she had been very diligent in her cultivation. However, during the discussion she often said, “I have done poorly and other practitioners are much better than me.” She mentioned this many times. Furthermore, I have also noticed some other practitioners have this habit of saying they have cultivated very poorly compared with others.
On the surface, this is a habit that makes one look modest. In fact, when a practitioner keeps saying this again and again, it becomes a human notion that we need to let go of.
In Zhuan Falun, Master said, “Chinese people in the past were heavily influenced by Confucianism, and they have developed an introverted character. When they are angry or happy, they do not express it. They believe in self-restraint and tolerance. Because they are accustomed to this way, our nationality as a whole has developed a very introverted character. Certainly, it has its advantages, such as not showing off one’s inner strengths. But it also has its disadvantages, and it can bring about negative side effects. Particularly in this Dharma-ending Period, its negative aspects have become more notable and can encourage the deepening of one’s jealousy. If someone’s good news is made public, others will right away become very jealous. Some people are afraid of mentioning their awards or some benefits from their workplaces or elsewhere, lest others feel uneasy upon learning the news. Westerners call it ‘Oriental jealousy’ or ‘Asian jealousy.’ The entire Asian region is more or less this way, owing to the influence of Chinese Confucianism. Particularly in China, it is displayed very strongly.”
I’ve found that, even for practitioners who have cultivated well and done the three things well, they often seem to hide the areas where they had been doing well, as if people would be jealous if they did not behave in that way.
I think this is wrong. As practitioners, we should be truthful and sincere. It is inappropriate to praise others with no reason, or suppress oneself to avoid jealousy from others. In fact, this is related to the influence from the CCP party culture—people have to live that way to avoid being alienated by others. We practitioners should not act like that and need to let go of all those attachments.
We have been very fortunate to become practitioners and Master has spent a lot of effort purifying our minds and bodies. Then why do we always consider ourselves “bad” at this or that to no end? In addition, elements of the old forces may also take advantage of this and force more negative substances on us. Therefore, we should focus on making improvements instead of continually blaming ourselves.
I once spoke with a practitioner whose celestial eye was open. She saw that when one practitioner believed they had done poorly and could not move forward; the negative elements dragged that practitioner down even further. Moreover, all beings in the microscopic worlds also had similar thoughts and ended up in similar situations. In contrast, when that practitioner was able to strengthen their righteous thoughts, beings in the microscopic worlds were happy and rapidly assimilated to the Fa.
Since we existed in the old cosmos, we tend to get stuck in selfishness and various human notions. Now, if we want to be rectified by the Fa and step towards the future, we have to make a change and remain diligent.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/node/111088
