June 29, 2002

(Clearwisdom.net)

Recently, we often hear U.S. practitioners mentioning how Canadian practitioners are acting as one and are able to let go of the notion of self. Because of this, they are doing well in many respects. In fact, during the past three years Canadian practitioners, especially those in Toronto, have been taking Fa-study very seriously, and they actively initiate effective group discussions based on Fa. When they come up with good ideas, they immediately think of how to have all of the Canadian practitioners elevate together and benefit people all over Canada to the fullest extent possible. Because Canadian practitioners as a whole are able to put aside their personal opinions and concentrate on working diligently with others, they have stood out as a whole in the Fa-rectification.

On the other hand, we U.S. practitioners are generally seen as being very talented on an individual basis. Many U.S. practitioners feel that they have great skills and are very capable. Given this, why has it been difficult to achieve good coordination as a whole among U.S. practitioners? How come when we feel that we have a good understanding of the Fa and are doing well on a certain issue, others always seem to have different opinions and understandings? Why do we often feel we must complain about others' faults, misunderstandings, or unwillingness to cooperate? Studying the Fa well is the foundation of everything we do as practitioners, but how clearly do we understand the differences between a practitioner studying the Fa and an everyday person's cleverness in attaining knowledge? And how often is this lack of understanding reflected in our words and actions?

After our trips to Germany and Iceland, I have often heard two types of opinions in our group discussions. One type always seeks to find one's own shortcomings based on Fa so as to quickly adjust and catch up with pace of Fa-rectification. Practitioners with this kind of mentality are usually very clear-headed and active when doing Fa-rectification work. The other type tends to emphasize the shortcomings and misunderstandings of others. They usually feel that what they do is firmly grounded in the Fa and should be given approval by others. They often feel other practitioners are to blame when things do not go well, and others should be responsible for coordinating and adjusting things overall. Practitioners with this kind of mentality are often relatively indifferent about the overall progress of Fa-rectification and tend to put emphasis on their individual goals. I feel that through studying the Fa, every practitioner's xinxing (mind-nature) is very high and we are all able to understand the Fa principles. When encountering interference, however, many times we have failed to realize its seriousness and have not used righteous thoughts to eliminate it.

In "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston," Master Li said, "There are a lot of things you still aren't able to do well as Dafa disciples, though, and I can tell you that this is in fact because you've neglected Fa-study. The reason is, your surface, which is still assimilating to the Fa, needs to be constantly improved, and as you constantly improve, the things that you need to cultivate away have to be arranged for. Every realm has its own state of being. If you remain stagnant, you definitely won't be able to keep up with the Fa-rectification." Although the above cases are only my personal observations and might not be entirely accurate, perhaps they might be worthwhile for practitioners outside China (especially U.S. practitioners) to think about.

When talking about the difference between an everyday person's cleverness and skills and a cultivator's understanding of the Fa, I think of the ancient Chinese story about the Foolish Man Moving the Mountain. The story goes roughly like this: The Foolish Man was an old man in his nineties. There was a huge mountain in front of his house that made traveling difficult. One day he decided to chip away at the mountain using primitive tools and with help from his family. His clever neighbor laughed at him, saying that it would be impossible to accomplish this task. The Foolish Man's response was that if he couldn't accomplish it, his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren would one day accomplish it. Eventually, his hard work and diligence touched the Gods in the heavens. The Gods came down and moved the mountain. The cleverness of the Foolish Man's neighbor made him think really hard in doing everything and unwilling to be diligent, especially when it benefited others instead of himself. However, because he was limited by the thoughts of everyday people, he could not achieve anything.