(Minghui.org) I recently attended some sharing meetings held by fellow practitioners in Hebei Province. I'd like to share my thoughts on some pertinent issues that I've observed.
Issue of Cooperation
I've realized that we are facing the problem of insisting on one's own ideas, validating oneself, and failing to cooperate well.
Inadequate cooperation has caused separation between practitioners. In some serious cases, it has led to the intentional undermining of each others' efforts. This poor cooperation has even led to the evil persecution. This happened in many places nationwide.
It is imperative that we look within. Master said, "...looking within is a magical tool." ("Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference") This is the key to dissolving the persecution, upgrading ourselves, and saving people.
But the ability to look within is based on arduous solid cultivation. So how should we cultivate solidly in the overall cooperation?
Emphasizing Xinxing Cultivation
Master said, "But true improvements come from letting go, not from gaining." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.")
I've observed that being unable to let go of the human mindset is the fundamental reason for the attachment to oneself. In many cases, we place too much emphasis on our own ideas and methods, or the Fa principles that we've enlightened to. But in actuality, this is exactly a reflection of inferior enlightenment quality.
There is an example published on Minghui: When a practitioner saw an evil propaganda sign, he thought hard about how to remove it and pushed back the heavy fear. Finally his righteous thoughts prevailed and he prepared to do it. But when he got there he found the sign was already gone.
I've had similar experiences, and when I rectified my xinxing, the situation changed immediately, without my needing to physically do anything.
Therefore, we must put effort into cultivating our xinxing. We must be able to tolerate; meaning, we should be free of being influenced by anyone's negative actions, including those of fellow practitioners. Instead, we should always look at others' positive sides and be able to eliminate our own negative thoughts as soon as they emerge. To look within is to reach divinity through solid cultivation.
Solid Cultivation
Some of the capabilities Dafa disciples have during the Fa-rectification period are unprecedented. For example, practitioners can save a person in a few minutes with the simplest words. Some practitioners can immobilize bad people with one thought. These are all exceptional cultivation capabilities in this special historical period.
However, the cultivation of one's xinxing and the capability to look within, is invisible and intangible, therefore they are often neglected. Nevertheless, the real greatness in cultivation lies in this "invisible and intangible" capability: to look at one's own heart, to put great effort into cultivating each thought. Can we discern our good thoughts, bad thoughts, human thoughts or god's thoughts...as soon as they arise? Can we remember to always look at the positive side? Can we thank those who hurt us? Can we love our enemies? These are all "capabilities" which we need to work on.
We all know we must pay attention and concentrate when we study the Fa and meditate, and when we clarify the truth and save people. But please do not neglect cultivating xinxing and looking within. This is the path to divinity. Please think about it: doesn't it mean we haven't paid enough attention to this when we plunge into conflicts between practitioners?
Let's encourage ourselves by studying the following passage of the Fa:
"When a Dafa disciple has a hard time with something and needs to think things over, he should look for things starting with himself and do things in line with the environment needed by Dafa disciples and the Fa-rectification. When a problem occurs, it is because that person is stubbornly going against the Fa principles. Go and find where the problem lies, let go of that stubbornness, and sort things out. When you encounter something, the best approach is not to charge forward and contend with others, push your way to the front, and rush forward to chase down the solution. Let go of your attachment, take a step back, and then resolve it. (Applause) If whenever something happens you instantly jump into who's right, whose problem it is, and how you have done, then while on the surface it looks like you are resolving the conflict or tension, in reality that's not the case at all. On the surface it looks plenty rational, but in reality that's not rational at all. You haven't taken a step back and fully cast off your attachment, and then thought the issue over. Only after a person calmly and peacefully withdraws from a conflict and then looks at it can he truly resolve it.
"If you can conduct yourself in that manner with whatever you encounter, at a minimum you will find a way to resolve the problem. Otherwise how could you resolve it? When a person charges forward and is contentious, the more he wants to resolve it, the less he is able to. In that scenario you still haven't in fact let go of that attachment and you are pushing your way to the front, and you insist on figuring out who's right and who's wrong; even though you've made mistakes, you insist on figuring out others' mistakes. When that's the approach, you won't be able to resolve the problem." ("Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital", 2006)
Category: Improving Oneself
