(Clearwisdom.net) Master said, "For a cultivator, looking within is a magical tool." ("Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference", 2009) As Dafa disciples, we must learn how to use this tool. Only by looking within can we discover the attachments that should be removed and solidly improve ourselves.

Although we all know to look within, yet when problems arise, hindered by our own attachments, we often fail to think of this magical tool. Some practitioners feel unfairly treated when being criticized. If you tell them to look within, they have a sense of being wronged. Other fellow practitioners would then echo his thoughts, "Right, it should be the person who criticized me that looks within first." They view things at a superficial level and fail to use this magical tool that Master equips us with. I'd like to hereby share some of my personal experiences. Please kindly point out anything improper.

The above example happened within our Fa study group. To improve as a group, we discussed the issue and asked each other how to handle it correctly if this happened to us. Only a few people were willing to look within. Most practitioners either discussed the issue itself by judging who was right or wrong, or were reluctant to provide constructive feedback because of fear of offending others.

Let's study the Fa to see what Master says. Master has emphasized the importance of looking within many times. Master said,

"Nothing happens in cultivation without a reason. When incorrect states and bad human conduct surface among us, those things have come to target human attachments. We don't acknowledge the old forces' arrangements, but, when we fail to do well they will exploit our gaps. So, perhaps it was that a particular place needed to be targeted in that manner, and that was why an incident happened. When something of this sort occurs, everyone gets anxious, and thinks, "Why did this happen and make Dafa disciples look bad, and why are there people like that around?" But have you asked yourself, "Did we perhaps do something wrong?" The truth is, when your understanding of it is right and you handle things correctly, those people and occurrences will disappear, for things cannot happen among Dafa disciples without a reason--that is not allowed, and no one dares to violate this." ("Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference", 2009)

We are the Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples. This is not a title anyone can easily have. We must live up to the standards of a cultivator. First and foremost, we must follow Master's words to look within. When a problem surfaces, we may point our fingers at others or analyze the issue itself to determine who's right or wrong. Is this what Master expects us to do? Certainly not. It's just a manifestation of our own attachments, which should be cultivated away. In my view, it proves that we haven't studied the Fa well enough, that we fail to measure each and every thing against the Fa, and that we fail to be strict with ourselves.

When a problem occurs, we must stay calm and ask ourselves, "Why did it happen to me? Does it have anything to do with me? What attachments is it trying to attack? Nevertheless, it must be to help improve my xinxing. I must look within as Master also said in Zhuan Falun, "This is because when a conflict occurs, it will take place unexpectedly. But that is not a coincidence--it is for improving your xinxing. As long as you treat yourself as a practitioner, you can handle it properly."

With such righteous thoughts and righteous actions, we for sure will be able to handle things well, find the attachments and solidly improve our xinxing. In addition, when we look within, we must examine the environment around us. Isn't it a process of self-cleansing? Doesn't it improve our endurance? Does it not manifest our compassion? For it is our hearts that Master truly cares about. It is our attitude those great enlightened beings focus on.

From the group perspective, whenever something of this sort occurs, it in fact is attacking our entire group. Every one of us must look within, for nothing happens in cultivation without a reason. We should neither care less nor judge what's right or wrong based on the superficial analysis of the problem itself. It might just be those particular attachments that need to be targeted. Therefore, we should all look within. Individual improvement leads to group improvement.

There's not much time left. Let's remove all our attachments, do well in what Dafa disciples should do, and follow Master back to our true, original home.

Written on December 22, 2009