(Minghui.org) We have endured many hardships cultivating during the Fa-rectification period, and we have gradually matured under the protection of Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa. My fellow practitioners and I have been diligently awakening the conscience of sentient beings.
The Faucet Works Again
When my daughter (a fellow practitioner) turned on the bathroom faucet, no water came out even though the faucet was brand new. She said, “When I bought the faucet, the store owner assured me it was a good one. I was duped.”
I said, “I just used it, no problem, so why doesn’t it work for you? You should look inside to see if there is anything you did not do right.”
Master said, “For a cultivator, looking within is a magical tool.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. IX)
My daughter admitted that when she bought cabbage, she didn’t do well. “The vegetable vendor looked at the scale and said it cost 17 yuan first and then said 18 yuan. I gave him 17 yuan and left in a hurry. I was selfish and attached to benefits. I didn’t meet the Fa’s requirements,” she explained.
At that point, I turned on the faucet. The cold side worked, but not the hot. I said to her again, “You see, you looked inside and now the faucet works halfway. You have to continue to look inward to see what else you have not found.”
My daughter reflected seriously, and after a short while, she said, “Oh! I found it. I was lazy this morning—I didn’t want to get up early and dawdled.”
Then we turned the faucet and everything worked!
Master said,
“Cultivate your xinxing withouta moment’s pause,To taste the wonder,so immeasurable, at Consummation.”(“Real Cultivation,” Hong Yin)
Tolerance
There is a fellow practitioner who is not very smart, and it often takes him a long time and effort to finish anything. When we worked together, I often suggested ways to save time and effort, but he wouldn’t adopt them. We often had conflicts, and he frequently gave me a headache.
Another practitioner once told me this story about Confucius. One day, a scholarly-looking man went to Confucius to discuss his teachings. It was noon, and Confucius was resting indoors. One of Confucius’ disciples asked the visitor what he wanted to discuss with his master.
The man said, “I want to ask Confucius how many seasons there are in a year.” The disciple laughed and said, “There is no need to ask him that, because I can tell you that there are four seasons in a year: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.”
The man laughed and replied, “You’re wrong. There are only three seasons: spring, summer, and autumn. Where is winter?” The two men argued.
Confucius was awakened so the man asked Confucius how many seasons there are in a year. Confucius laughed and said, “You are right. There are three seasons in a year.” The man looked at Confucius’ disciple and went away laughing.
The disciple was puzzled and asked Confucius, “Obviously there are four seasons in a year. Why did you say there are three seasons?” Confucius said, “That man is the king of locusts, and they all hibernate in winter, so, in their understanding of life, there are only three seasons in a year.”
This story made a deep impression on me. From the Fa principles we know there are countless lives in the universe, and due to their different characteristics, there are different insights into different things.
Master said, “Compassion can harmonize Heaven and Earth, ushering in spring ...” (“The Fa Rectifies the Cosmos,” Hong Yin II)
When conflicts arise between fellow practitioners, we should understand each other, tolerate each other, let go of self-importance, and cultivate compassion.
“A Bowl of Treasure”
On the night shift, I got two phone calls in a row asking me to fix two different elevators. I first went to take care of the elevator in the building nearby. The situation was complicated, and I tried several different things but could not fix it. I was worried.
Less than ten minutes later, the phone rang again, and a lady shouted, “Where are you? Why aren’t you here yet? You need to get here quickly. We are in a hurry to get upstairs.” I said, “I am narrowing down a problem with another elevator. I will get to you right after this one is fixed.”
“Don’t talk to me about those useless things,” she shouted. “Hurry up and get here.”
I hung up and thought, “Think of others first. This elevator cannot be repaired right away, so I should go there.”
The lady called again when I was halfway to her and chastised me, “Why aren’t you here yet? Are you going to fix this elevator or not?” I said to her politely, “I’m on my way and will be there as soon as I can. It will be another five minutes.” She didn’t believe me and cursed me.
When I arrived, I realized that I had been in such a hurry that I had forgotten to bring my tool kit. The lady and four other people were furious. I explained that two elevators were in trouble at the same time, and I was the only one on duty. They said, “We don’t care about that. Hurry up and fix this one. We’re in a hurry to get upstairs.” They were blunt.
I remembered Master’s teaching and said to myself, “I must seize this good opportunity to maintain my xinxing, consider others first, and cultivate to become a selfless person.”
At this time, the property manager called again and reprimanded me, “Why are you taking such a long time to deal with this? The owners have called me many times. Hurry up and repair it!”
I told him in detail what happened and explained that I was not wasting any time. He sounded angry and hung up.
I hurriedly sent the five people upstairs in slow mode, one floor at a time. My boss called and asked me what was going on. I calmly explained the situation and hoped he would come and help. The property duty officer called again at this time, urging me to quickly fix the first elevator.
He said someone was anxious to get upstairs. I ran over, sweating profusely, but I always kept a calm and peaceful mind.
My colleague came on time, and we fixed both elevators. When I returned to the duty room, I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled from the bottom of my heart.
Thank you, Master, for your painstaking arrangement. Thank you, sentient beings, for helping me improve my xinxing!
At this time, I remembered the article, “’A Bowl of Treasure?’ or a ‘Trash Can?’” The author had written: “When we always look at others’ good qualities, we become a ‘bowl of treasure.’ When we always focus on others’ shortcomings, we become a ‘trash can.’”
“Why do you love me so much?”
One day, my husband drove me to a fellow practitioner’s house. I asked him to wait for me in the car.
I didn’t expect it to take so long to talk things over, so when I got back to the car, my husband very unhappy. He said, “It’s so cold, I’m freezing. If you want to talk for a long time, I’ll go somewhere else and come back and pick you up.”
While he was driving, he continued to complain. Then he started to curse me.
I was outraged and said, “When we decided to buy a car, we agreed it was not for you to play around. You were willing to drive me places. What kind of driver are you? I bought the car with my own money. Now you can just give it back to me—I don’t need a driver!
“The house is mine, too! You can go wherever you want!” No one was happy in the end. I knew I had lost an opportunity to improve.
The second time I went to visit a fellow practitioner the same thing happened. This time he criticized me even more and kept going on and on, like crazy.
I just sat there and listened quietly. He finally got tired of cursing and stopped. I said to him, “Are you done cursing?” He grunted.
I then said, “Why do you love me so much?” He looked at me blankly and asked, “What do you mean?”
I said, “Could you curse an outsider like that? You can only curse your loved ones like that.”
He replied, “My dear, I’ve been losing my temper lately, so you have to excuse me.” A conflict was solved.
If I need a ride again, I’ll be considerate of him. If he’ll have to wait too long, I’ll tell him to pick me up later.
Every time, he is happy to help out.
Master said:
“What is cultivation? What is the ultimate goal of cultivation? It's to emerge from among ordinary people. When you're no longer one of them, can ordinary people's various conflicts, attachments, and different factors still have an effect on you?” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Western U.S. Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. V)
By studying the teachings, we know the things that happen around us, no matter how big or small, are arranged by Master to help us cultivate and improve, not for us to debate about who is right and who is wrong.
We are Dafa disciples in the Fa-rectification period, and our mission is to help all sentient beings. We must first cultivate well to deny the old forces’ interference and persecution so that we help more sentient beings.
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