(Minghui.org) I have been in several situations where I was helping other practitioners get through big tribulations. During this process, I realized that helping them was also an opportunity for me to find my own attachments and cultivate myself.
Separating What is the Self from What is the “Whole”
A practitioner who became blind a while ago moved into my neighborhood. Before he moved here, other practitioners had been sending forth righteous thoughts for him. It was effective: he was able to see for a period of time. But after a while, he wasn't able to see anything again.
When I chatted with him, he told me that it was because practitioners didn't continue sending forth righteous thoughts for him.
Once, during a group Fa study session the blind practitioner did not attend, some practitioners complained that the blind practitioner had this or that attachment and couldn't regain his vision due to those attachments. This became a habit of the group; I often joined in as well. Over time, I started to feel that it was not right.
Master told us to treat ourselves as cultivators and always look inward when we run into conflicts. We should look within ourselves even when we see two other people having a conflict. So how could we just sit there and complain about that blind practitioner?
I started to think that about that blind practitioner's words: supporting each other as a group and sending forth righteous thoughts for other practitioners from the bottom of our hearts. Master had actually been pointing out my flaw using his mouth!
I was the only child in my family, and I used to do Dafa work by myself. So I had no concept of supporting others in a team environment. I didn't know how to care for others. Instead, I often thought that things were not my problem and rarely sent forth righteous thoughts to help other practitioners when they were in big tribulations. Also, I often used the Fa to evaluate others but not myself.
After I found my selfishness and jealousy, I stopped complaining about him.
Supporting Other Practitioners
A coordinator practitioner in the area had developed some stroke-like symptoms. She had given me a lot of help when I first moved to the area, so I was very concerned for her and actively sent forth righteous thoughts for her.
I realized that I could care for others. I also realized that caring for others is a cultivator's responsibility. Though I have not elevated to a merciful state yet, I have realized how selfish and remote I was before.
Our group's righteous thoughts for the coordinator was effective; she recovered rather quickly. But her parents and sisters insisted on taking her to hospital; they didn't practice Dafa and couldn't understand the higher-level mechanisms behind the illness, such as paying back karma and xinxing tests.
I went with several other practitioners to the coordinator's home to send forth righteous thoughts for her. After we finished, a practitioner started commenting on what attachments the coordinator had.
I said, “Regardless of what attachments our fellow practitioner has, we should have only one thought: we won't allow the old forces to persecute the practitioner using the practitioner's attachments as an excuse. Master is arranging our path, and the Fa will rectify everything we have. That practitioner needs to come home immediately and continue helping Master save people.”
The other practitioners agreed, and I felt a strong energy field surrounding us–it was the power of our group as a whole. The hospital exam results were all normal. Our coordinator successfully recovered from her “stroke” and continued her Dafa work.
Trusting Master and Dafa Unconditionally
My grandma is in her eighties. She was illiterate but was able to read Dafa books after practicing Dafa. But recently, her vision became blurred, and she could only read Zhuan Falun slowly. It took her several days to read one lecture of Zhuan Falun, when she used to be able to finish it in one day.
She was worried but didn't look at this tribulation from the Fa’s perspective. My mother (also a practitioner) and I, along with some other practitioners, all thought of taking her to the hospital for an exam.
But the blind practitioner opposed our idea: As cultivators, why didn't we try to evaluate the situation from the Fa? The vision problem was just a tribulation or test. We should not use everyday people's methods to treat it.
Master said in Zhuan Falun repeatedly, “As a cultivator,” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun, 2014 translation), “As a true cultivator,” (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun, 2014 translation), “As a truly determined cultivator,” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun, 2014 translation). Are we treating ourselves as “truly determined cultivators”? Isn't this an issue of whether we really trust Master and Dafa? If we trust Master and Dafa unconditionally, there will be no trouble for us.
Master told us:
“If you can actually do it, you will indeed find, 'After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!'” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun, 2014 translation)
Memorizing the Fa
I also realized that my changes were a result of memorizing the Fa.
The blind practitioner had memorized the first lecture of Zhuan Falun before. After he became my neighbor, we started to memorize the rest of the book. I would read a sentence, and he would recite it. It would take several rounds for him to memorize it. We could get down a dozen lines of Zhuan Falun in one morning.
Since I took care of two kids and had other interruptions, we took 16 months to memorize lectures two and three. Now during group Fa study, that blind practitioner could recite the Fa while others read it, at least for the first three lectures.
Memorizing the Fa was very beneficial to me. When we worked on lecture two, I was often very sleepy, as if all the cells in my body were numb. When we moved to lecture three, my mind was suddenly very clear.
We could memorize a paragraph quickly. Then we spent the next day reciting and reinforcing that paragraph. The blind practitioner said, “Whatever we memorize, we should make sure we fully get it. If we forget it later on, then we're wasting time.”
I was very grateful for Master's arrangement. This is perfect for me as I have two kids and thus rarely go out. I have a lot of patience, but I tend to seek comfort and become lazy. Helping him memorize the Fa was actually helping me as well.
Category: Improving Oneself
