(Clearwisdom.net)

Ever since I started to do Dafa work, I have treated Fa-study and the cultivation of xinxing as the top priorities in my life. I quiet my mind and study the Fa when there are no problems. I study the Fa even more when there are problems. Even though my workload is very heavy, I still have enough time to study the Fa. The reason is that when one has a very strong desire to study the Fa, Master Li will arrange the time for doing so. Saying there is no time to study the Fa is just an excuse. I continuously remind myself of Master Li's words from Essentials For Further Advancement, "It is not a Job, but Cultivation Practice." What is cultivation? Isn't it cultivating the mind? In working for Dafa, every incident is a good opportunity to improve xinxing. I have repeatedly experienced this.

For example, do you look within when confronted with difficulties? Is it because your way of handling things is incorrect? Do you realize that you need to cultivate when other practitioners criticize you? Do you feel wronged when you are blamed when it is not your fault? Do you endure it? Are you conceited when you have a bit of success? Are you delighted when others praise you? Are you a bit upset when others criticize you? There are so many areas to cultivate. There are so many ways to improve. Nothing is accidental. Some things are hard to let go and make one uncomfortable. When this happens, I often say to myself, "Look within. It is not the fault of others. This is one notion that a true practitioner needs to correct first. There must be things you have not done right. You definitely need to cultivate better."

For hundreds and thousands of years, ordinary human beings have formed a habit that has become second nature to them: When confronted with a problem, they always look for the fault in others and then try to change others. Or they may create conflicts to resolve problems. For practitioners, these attempts are all examples of looking externally for causes and mistaking the conflicts set up by Master for their improvement in cultivation as something bad. Thus, they treat themselves as everyday people.. This habit has become a strong notion, one which often prevents a practitioner from improving his xinxing. One must break through this notion in order to cultivate. The process of breaking through this notion exists throughout cultivation from beginning to end and can be painful, as blaming external factors is often easier than looking within. However, one needs to discipline oneself to look within, because the conflicts that happen to and around a practitioner are not accidental.

Once a practitioner and I had an argument over some Dafa work. We could not come to an agreement, and I then became a bit angry. I felt anxious and then blamed her. Each of us had our own opinions, and parted unhappily. After she left, I suddenly realized that something was wrong. What had happened to me? I remembered what I had said to myself, "When confronting a problem, don't look for the fault in others. You are the source of the problem." When I realized that, I decided not to see anyone else that day. I locked myself up to examine myself thoroughly to see what my problem really was. I looked within from morning until night, and finally I understood. My mind suddenly cleared, like a window brightened by the sun. The next day I met that practitioner and said, "I am sorry; it was my problem." She smiled. I felt Master Li's Fa deeply imprinted in my heart. The standard that I have adopted is, "I will not miss any opportunity to improve myself no matter who is involved."

Following the July 20 persecution, some people misinterpreted the profound meaning of Dafa. For example, while being detained in a forced labor camp, a practitioner said we needed to look within. Finally, he found his "mistake"-- that he shouldn't oppose the government and should cooperate with the police. This is a deviated understanding of "looking within." Therefore, during cultivation, there are many aspects of ourselves that we need to improve. Any attachment that prevents us from understanding the Fa well can cause problems in cultivation. We need to righteously understand the Fa. Because many people did not understand the Fa clearly, they ended up opposing the Fa. I think we need to draw upon these lessons.

(Excerpt from personal cultivation experience.)