(Minghui.org) I went out with a practitioner the other day. Something happened and it reminded me of a problem that practitioners, including myself, have.
The practitioner was driving, with her husband in the front passenger seat and me in the back. As the practitioner and I seldom saw each other, we were talking a lot on our way. Her husband was a new practitioner. He was understanding and didn't interrupt us. Occasionally he reminded the practitioner to watch the road and pointed out the way she should go. Toward the end of the journey, his tone sounded a bit irritated. I thought that he was tired and I didn't think much of it. I continued to talk to the practitioner.
When I got home, I couldn't stop thinking about the husband's irritated tone and body language. I felt that I must have done something wrong to have upset him. If everything we said and did was based on the Fa, it shouldn't have happened.
Suddenly Teacher's words appeared in my mind,
“Your path is, and I think you've all seen this now, actually very narrow. If you deviate just a little bit you won't measure up to the standard of a Dafa disciple. There's only one very righteous path we can walk on, and we can't deviate even just a little bit, because this is required by history, and required by the lives of sentient beings in the future cosmos.” (“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference”)
Teacher told us that there is only one very righteous path that we can take. A driver must be very focused on the road, for he is responsible for everyone's safety. He cannot afford the slightest distraction. I don't know how to drive, nor was I concerned about it that day. I spent all my energy sharing with the practitioner, not realizing that I was distracting her. I also ignored how her husband must have felt. He was a more experienced driver and definitely was worried about the way his wife was driving.
At the same time, I discovered that deep in my mind I believed that no accident could happen to us because Teacher would protect us. This notion of mine is like the scenario Teacher describes in Zhuan Falun,“There was a person who was walking on the street with my book in his hand, yelling, "With Teacher Li’s protection, I’m not afraid of being hit by a car."”
Teacher once told us,
“If so much as one thought or idea of yours is extreme, and if you don't consider the consequences, or if you don't think of Dafa's sake, I'll tell you, then you have not walked your path well. Since your path is to be left for the future, you must succeed in blazing it. Your cultivation's goal goes beyond self-Consummation, as you are to save sentient beings, and you are helping the lives of the future to establish that future.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2004 International Fa Conference in New York”)
The practitioner's husband was still new in the practice. What kind of impression did we leave him when he saw us being so reckless? Our irresponsible behavior also could have opened a gap for the old forces. Teacher would have to go through a lot of trouble and ordeals just to protect us. I couldn't help but wonder how many similar things I have done to cause Teacher trouble.
We are practitioners during the Fa rectification. As we validate the Fa, our thoughts and actions should conform to the teachings to embody goodness and righteousness. We must measure ourselves against the Fa and walk well the path Teacher arranged for us, so that we won't undermine the practice.
Category: Improving Oneself
