PureInsight | July 13, 2023
[PureInsight.org] I have read many articles about resentment shared by fellow practitioners. Upon searching online, I found that resentment means strong dissatisfaction or hatred. In cultivation, we know that resentment is something we should not have, just like jealousy. It is unkind and intolerant, and goes against the requirements of cultivation. It is an embodiment of evil.
At the same time, resentment is also a product of the culture of the evil CCP (Chinese communist party). People who grew up and lived in the culture of the evil CCP have been indoctrinated with the "hate" gene. Clearing resentment is also about removing the toxins of the evil CCP culture from one's own field.
I am also someone who has a lot of resentment. I have been like this since I was young. I remember that there was always a sense of grievance, and I always carried a heavy heart. As I grew up, due to my reluctance to take responsibility and my desire to take advantage and avoid losses, I always shifted blame onto others and thought that I had lightened my own load. I seemed smart, but the universal law is fair. While I thought I had shifted responsibility to others and benefited myself, the resentment that had gradually accumulated had become a part of my personality, seriously harming me and leaving me frequently feeling dissatisfied, irritable, anxious, uneasy, and angry.
Sometimes this kind of anger arises from various concerns that are not expressed, but the fire of anger caused by intense dissatisfaction also cannot be at peace. The anger born of resentment, as seen by a fellow practitioner in another dimension, "When I see a fellow practitioner who is not focused on the Fa and is extremely resentful, her body in another dimension suddenly ignites a several-meter-high dark fire, constantly burning and roasting everything in the microscopic world that corresponds to the material substances and life of the world of the Fa that she has not assimilated; houses, temples, and buildings are burned and collapsed; large areas of green fields and forests are also burned to the ground, creating a vast expanse of desolation and causing countless deaths and injuries. In the human realm, the person's entire body feels cold, weak, and has a headache. In severe cases, this kind of negative substance field can attract negative life forms with energy—alien evil spirits—to enter her field, causing serious illness and karma." (From a fellow practitioner's article, "The Sky of History: Eradicating the Jealous Heart and Removing Obstacles"). I remember once, because my husband was extremely stubborn and unreasonable, and I had concerns and did not dare to argue with him, I felt extreme resentment and anger in my heart. Although I could not see with my heavenly eye, I clearly felt that this kind of hateful emotion must have been a manifestation of fire in another dimension, because at that time my physical body was tortured by this hateful heart and could not bear it. Waves of pain and burning sensation swept through my body, even more painful than actual burning. In extreme discomfort, I shouted, "Master, Master," not knowing how much pain the life forms in my own dimensional field were bearing because I hadn't cultivated well, and not knowing how much Master had borne for us because we hadn't cultivated well.
Once I understood the harm of a resentful heart, and saw that it arises from the self-centeredness that sees oneself as more important. The more self-centeredness one has, the stronger the resentment. Why do we resent others? It is because they have offended our "fame, material interest, and emotion" or caused us to lose face or suffer losses, or damaged our interests, or caused us emotional pain, or acted against our beliefs or values. In short, they have harmed our interests in some way, making us dissatisfied with their actions, which then evolve into resentment.
Realizing that the resentment comes from an attachment to oneself, seeing oneself as too important and measuring any problem from a self-centered perspective, always thinking about oneself and whether there is any loss. If there is, then there is dissatisfaction and resentment. I told myself, why can't I "forget myself"? Without oneself, the eyes are full of others, seeing everything and measuring everything from others' perspective, helping others, being considerate and understanding from others' point of view. Suddenly, I feel that my world is very spacious, bright, and my mindset is peaceful and comfortable. Before, when I saw something in the world that did not follow my heart, I thought it should not be like that, so I was angry and resentful. Now, by "forgetting myself" and looking at the world like a reflection in a mirror or the moon on the water, there is no desire. Before, I was always dissatisfied with the words and actions of others. Now, by "forgetting myself", I no longer measure others with my own ideas and there is no more disgust or dissatisfaction, only sympathy and consideration.
I used to think that selfish people who only care about themselves lived the best life because they do everything for themselves, protect themselves, love themselves, and care for themselves, so of course, they are the happiest. In fact, the opposite is true. Those who "forget themselves" are the happiest and most joyful. If they can take one step further and become completely selfless, dedicating themselves entirely to others without any selfish motives, completely letting go of the self, then they may approach immortality.
Finally, let us revisit what Master Li said in Fa Teaching Given at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Practitioners, "A Dafa disciple’s responsibility is to validate the Fa. Validating the Fa is cultivation, and what you remove in the cultivation process is none other than the attachment to self; you can’t, instead, go and exacerbate the problem of validating oneself, even if you do it unwittingly. When you’re validating the Fa and cultivating, that is a process of removing self, and only when you do that are you really validating yourself. That’s because ultimately you have to let go of all your human things, and only after you’ve let go of all your human attachments can you step out from the throngs of everyday people.”
Chinese version: https://big5.zhengjian.org/node/111793
