(Minghui.org) Fellow practitioners in our region have for years had differences of opinion about certain issues in our cultivation, due to various levels of understanding the Fa.
Practitioners in the neighboring county used to frequently organize “special sessions,” where certain individuals would give speeches. Some coordinators in our area even encouraged local practitioners to attend those sessions, so that we could copy what they were doing. However, they soon started complaining about the coordinators and practitioners in our area. This situation had a deep, negative impact on our local cultivation environment, and as a result, practitioners in both areas suffered various kinds of persecution. Many practitioners were arrested. A large, divisive gap also formed between the coordinators of the two areas.
Through Fa study, I realized that the fundamental problem was that fellow practitioners and I insisted on our own views. We kept pointing fingers at each other, and had little tolerance or cooperation. Although I looked within, I failed to see the problem's root cause. Master said,
“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”)
I calmed down and started to think deeply. Some practitioners are keen to attend those sessions because we really don't have much sharing in our area, and they just wanted to hear how things were done in other places. There's nothing wrong with that. What's most important is our states of mind. I shouldn't have a negative attitude. As a coordinator, I can see that I have an attachment to self-protection. I tend to look down on others and have many negative thoughts.
I believe that a coordinator should be broad-minded and be able to consider things from a higher perspective. This would enable us to coordinate well, and help fellow practitioners advance together. But I failed to look within and was caught up in arguments over who was right and who was wrong. Whenever problems surfaced, I didn't even know where the gaps were in my own cultivation. This not only interfered with the improvement of other practitioners, but also enlarged my own attachments.
My husband, who had been practicing for four years, passed away in 2009. My child divorced and I was arrested for distributing truth-clarification materials. I don't acknowledge any arrangements by the old forces, but my loopholes were taken advantage of because I didn't do well in my cultivation.
I spent a lot of time studying the Fa, sending forth righteous thoughts, and digging deep to root out my attachments. I found that I liked to show off and validate myself. Fellow practitioners also pointed out that I took doing things as cultivation, and ignored cultivating my xinxing and looking inward.
When I realized where I fell short, I knelt down in front of Master's picture and said, “Master, I haven't done well in the past. I will rectify myself and do well from now on.” Fellow practitioners also offered their help. Even though there are still times when I fail to do well, there has been a fundamental change in my cultivation and I have truly experienced the wonderfulness of looking within. I have also gained a deeper understanding of Master's words:
“...one’s own factors can in fact change one’s surroundings.”
“...the appearance stems from the mind.”(“Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting”)
A coordinator in the neighboring county invited a practitioner from out of town to give a speech during a group sharing in April 2013. I was a bit concerned when I heard about this, but I didn't complain. My first thought was that I must be responsible to the Fa and to fellow practitioners, and at the same time I need to cultivate myself well. I thought that what they were doing deviated from the Fa, but I didn't realize it was in fact disrupting the Fa.
That evening, I organized a sharing with practitioners who attended the session, and we studied some of Master's lectures and Minghui editorials. A local coordinator and I drove to the neighboring county the next day, to see the main coordinator there. In a humble manner, I shared my understandings on the basis of the Fa.
The coordinator and some local practitioners had already realized that what they had been doing over the years deviated from the Fa. They were thinking of writing an article about the recent incident and submitting it to the Minghui website, so that it would serve as a warning to others who might be doing the same thing.
We decided to hold a sharing with coordinators and practitioners from both areas, and find the practitioner from out of town, so that we could help him stop carrying on with such disruption of the Fa. At the sharing, we studied relevant teachings from Master and the Minghui editorial, “Put an End to Plagiarizing and Undermining the Fa,” published on August 11, 2012.
Another article was later published on Minghui entitled, “Giving Speeches Amounts to Disrupting the Fa.” When I noticed that some of this article's content had been taken from my submission, I experienced another xinxing test. My first reaction was a feeling of happiness. I was very pleased that the issue we had been arguing over for years between the two areas had finally been resolved.
I also felt quite pleased that it proved that I was right to act quickly to stop this inappropriate behavior. But this thought was wrong, and I immediately realized it. I began to send righteous thoughts to eliminate this dangerous human attachment. But it nonetheless caused trouble. After the article “Giving Speeches Amounts to Disrupting the Fa” was published, I was accused of “deviating from the facts” at a meeting for local coordinators.
A few days later, a coordinator told me in a very stern tone that many practitioners held different views and were not happy. I listened quietly and recited Master's poem in my heart:
“As a cultivatorOne always looks for one's own faults'Tis the Way to get rid of attachments most effectivelyThere's no way to skip ordeals, big or small [During a conflict, if you can remember:]“He's right,And I'm wrong,”What's to dispute?”(“Who's Right, Who's Wrong” from Hong Yin III)
With a compassionate heart I went the next day to talk with those practitioners who had some issues with me. The outcome was surprisingly good. Practitioner A said, “We did harbor some resentment at the beginning, and were not happy with some of your coordinators. However, through Fa study and looking within, and with the help of relevant articles on Minghui, most of us who felt resentment realized that we were in the wrong.”
When I apologized for some of our coordinators using harsh words at the last sharing, practitioner A said, “We should be grateful for it, otherwise it wouldn't have touched our hearts. We will remember our lessons from the past and regard the Fa as Teacher. We will cooperate well as one body and do the three things well.” The practitioner was also grateful for all of the hard work that I had done, as she knew I was in my seventies. When she heard that I needed to go to another site to inform practitioners there to send righteous thoughts for a fellow practitioner, she stopped cooking lunch and immediately went on my behalf.
Practitioner B is a very capable person and has been doing very well in cultivation. This time she said to me, “I've always thought I'd been walking my path righteously all these years and had done well. But this time, I made a mistake. I need to contact those practitioners who have been influenced by me, have a sincere talk with them, and find out why we made the mistake. We will cooperate well in the future and harmonize with what Master wants.” Seeing the sincerity of the fellow practitioners, my eyes filled with tears. I once again experienced what Master taught us:
“When this compassionate goodness emerges, its strength is without equal, and it will disintegrate any bad factors. The greater the compassion, the greater the power.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference”)
All my notions about fellow practitioners disappeared. I realized that pointing fingers at others and insisting on my own views was a form of fighting, and it was also a manifestation of the conduct of the old forces—always wanting to change others instead of oneself.
Master said,
“...make sure to examine yourselves often as you cultivate. No matter what kind of problem arises, first reflect upon yourself and the group you are working with, and quite likely you will find the root of the problem.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference”)
Practitioners in our area and the neighboring county are eliminating the gaps between us. Our xinxing is improving and we are elevating in cooperation as one body.
Category: Improving Oneself
