(Minghui.org) My husband and I moved to the United States in 2016. Before moving to the States, we had practiced Falun Gong for 19 years. Our life and cultivation environment changed enormously, but the cultivation standards did not.
Alice is a Chinese person who grew up in the United States. She began to practice Falun Gong about two years ago. She has a PhD and is very successful in her career.
When she visited me, she noticed that we had rented a small place and had very simple furnishing. Thus, she wanted to give us many pieces of furniture. I told her that a cultivator does not casually accept gifts and thus did not accept her well meaning presents many times.
When she brought a recliner, I turned her down again. She was upset that I did not appreciate her kindness, and I was not too pleased about this situation either. It has been like this for a while now, and I wondered why she did not get it – we enjoy our simple life.
Then, I thought I needed to discuss this on the basis of the Fa and texted her my thoughts and understandings. I also asked her to read Master's “Teaching the Fa at the Eastern U.S. Fa Conference.” She replied with a thank you.
Several days later, another practitioner told me that Alice was rather angry with me. She showed my message to several others and seemed quite upset. She wanted to report me to the local Falun Dafa Association. After I heard that, my human notions surfaced, and I completely forgot that Alice was a fairly new practitioner.
Master said:
“Many gods are whispering in my ear, 'Your Dafa disciples won’t stand for anyone being critical of them. Just one word and they explode. Could it work if others aren’t allowed to criticize them? How are they supposed to cultivate if they can’t take criticism? What kind of cultivator does that amount to?'That’s how things will be for you, starting now. Whether you are right or not is, for a cultivator, not important whatsoever. Don’t argue left and right, and don’t emphasize who’s right and who’s wrong. Some people are always stressing that they’re right, but even if you are right, even if you’re not wrong, so what? Have you improved on the basis of the Fa? The very act of using human thinking to stress who’s right and who’s wrong is in itself wrong. That’s because you are then using the logic of ordinary people to evaluate yourself, and using that logic to make demands on others. As gods see it, for a cultivator to be right or wrong in the human world is not important in the least, whereas eliminating the attachments that come from human thinking is important, and it is precisely your managing to eliminate those attachments rooted in your human thinking as you cultivate that counts as important.” (Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan)
Master's Fa made me realize that my dislike of being criticized was touched, and that is why I was upset. My husband reminded me not long ago that I could not handle criticism. I knew it as well. I learned the Fa and had not truly solidly worked on this attachment. Now, another practitioner offered me an opportunity to change, so how could I be upset? Instead, I should thank her.
There must be something else that I needed to work on besides my dislike of criticism. After I refused her furniture, why did she keep on doing the same thing? Then, I remembered, when I refused something from an elderly practitioner, she felt that I looked down upon her. That opened my eyes. I never took others' hand outs, and I was the one giving others my used clothes. Digging deeper, I discovered the heart of pursuing reputation, vanity, career, and much more.
My husband and I worked in a big corporation for many years, we had a high income before the persecution. Even though we suffered huge financial losses due to the persecution, we still lived comfortably. Because of my skills and job position, others respected me and looked up to me. My cultivation was reflected in work and life, as others respected and admired my uprightness and kindness.
After we moved to the States, we still lived a carefree life. But after a while, I felt a longing for my previous job. I was longing for the feeling of being appreciated and acknowledged. Thus, when others gave me things, I felt sad. I lost the environment of enjoying my reputation and benefit. I became someone for others to sympathize and help with. I mistook their kindness for pity. It hurt my self-esteem and vanity.
Whether I can let go of the attachments, which were accumulated over 20 years, is an important step for me. I will no longer argue whose fault it is or use Master's Fa to cover my attachments. I will not miss the chance to improve anymore.