By a Practitioner in Mainland China

(Clearwisdom.net)

A practitioner developed severe symptoms of "sickness karma" (many fellow practitioners develop such symptoms in prisons or in forced labor camps). A fellow practitioner remarked, "I really don't know what is wrong with him," implying that he thought the "sickness" resulted from attachments that the evil made use of. I have had similar experiences and I understand that this kind of suffering is very painful.

What the fellow practitioner said reminded me of this: Nowadays, if someone loses his wallet, many people will blame him for not putting it in a secure place, but not many people will condemn the thief for stealing it. This is indeed a deviated notion. The practitioner did have attachments. However, the evil is utilizing practitioners' attachments to escalate the persecution. The evil's goal is to damage the Fa-rectification. Then the old forces can say: "See! Even you practitioners admit that you should suffer the consequence when you have attachments. All I'm doing is making him let go of his attachments." So, isn't the fellow practitioner unwittingly colluding with the evil?

Sometimes we "unwittingly" do some things that we shouldn't do. For example, if a truth-clarification material site is damaged, instead of sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil based on the perspective of the Fa-rectification, in order to help fellow practitioners get out of their troubles, some practitioners think, "There has been something wrong with that supply site for some time." We all know that "the entire cultivation process for a practitioner is one of constantly giving up human attachments" (from Lecture One, Zhuan Falun). However, we are following the path arranged by Teacher. Without this evil persecution, Teacher would have resolved everything benevolently. Who are these degenerated beings to be worthy of testing Dafa practitioners? Upon hearing of cases such as these, the first thing we should do is eliminate the evil factors in another dimension that persecute fellow practitioners. If the situation permits, we should talk with the fellow practitioners who are in trouble and help them to walk their paths righteously--that is indeed what "righteous thoughts" are about. Through what happened, I have the following understanding:

In the Lecture at the Conference in Singapore, Teacher says, "If you can examine yourselves on every matter you come across, I'd say that you're really remarkable and that nothing can impede you on your path to Consummation. Yet when we run into problems, we often look outwards--'Why are you treating me this way?'--and feel that we've been treated unfairly, instead of examining ourselves. This is the greatest and most fatal obstacle for all living beings.... If a person can do that, I'd say that on this path--on this path of cultivation--and for the eternity of his existence, nothing can stop him. It's truly the case." "Not only should the two people with the friction examine themselves, but also the bystanders who happen to observe the incident should examine themselves. Then you'll really improve by leaps and bounds." From what has happened, I enlightened to this: the practitioner encountering demonic tribulation should of course look inward to see if there is any strong attachment (perhaps more than one). Then he should let go of the attachment(s) completely. Once he finds it, he should then improve his xinxing. As for any persecution of the evil forces, we should just ignore it--it is even better to remain unaffected and restrain ourselves from even thinking about it. It is my personal experience that thinking is pursuing. "We emphasize one point: If you cannot relinquish the attachment or concern for illness, we cannot do anything and will be unable to help you." (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun) "When you conduct yourselves righteously Master can do anything for you." (Touring North America to Teach the Fa). As long as we are able to maintain a righteous mind and not hold any attachment of pursuit, if it still dares to persecute us, all the righteous Gods in the universe will dispose of it. Furthermore, upon hearing this, we should also give some thought to why we have heard this. Teacher says, "As true practitioners, we should look at issues from a very high level instead of from the perspective of everyday people." (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun) As a bystander, how do we think about it? Aren't our thoughts revealing the attachments that we have not done well enough in getting rid of? Are we truly able to not listen to it, not propagate it, and not give it an audience? The practitioner who made the remark being discussed was also looking at this with old, deviated notions. Although my thought was different from that practitioner's, I didn't say what I had thought for fear of embarrassing him, so I didn't pass the test well either. Isn't the attachment to the affection of fellow practitioners also something to let go of? "It is extremely dangerous to add anything human to cultivation practice." (Digging Out the Roots, Essential for Further Advancements). Perhaps the reason I heard about this is for me to kindly tell fellow practitioners what my thoughts were on this issue. There is nothing accidental in cultivation, nor is it allowed to let anything accidental happen in cultivation practice. Numerous Gods are watching every single word, action, and thought of a Dafa practitioner. This is cultivation. If we are able to achieve this, we are then striving forward in our cultivation practice.

Some practitioners are able to be more understanding of everyday people, conducting themselves with a high standard and not bickering with everyday people. When it comes to treating fellow practitioners, they hold the practitioners to a higher standard. I think we should treat fellow practitioners with even more compassion and tolerance. Especially at present, we should take this issue even more seriously. In "The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa", Teacher says, "At the practice sites, assistants must be strict with themselves but generous with others. They have to maintain their xinxing and be helpful and friendly."

In Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference Teacher says, "You're all disciples in the same practice, and you're giving your all for the cosmos' Fa-rectification, so you should cooperate well with one another. Don't approach things with too many human attachments, and don't cause unnecessary conflicts and arguments by interacting with each other with human attachments. In these situations your conduct should always show Dafa disciples' tolerance, kindness, and niceness. The next person's things are your things, and your things are his things."

We should be able to "be strict with ourselves but generous with others," and at the same time, consider fellow practitioners' things as our things without any distinction of yours or mine, for these things are all our things. If we are able to melt ourselves into Dafa, melt ourselves into the Fa-rectification, and completely let go of deeply hidden selfishness, we will then have a lot fewer attachments. Then conflicts such as "you're good, but he isn't good; your cultivation is good, but his isn't" will not occur among fellow practitioners. We will have fewer unnecessary arguments, and we will not develop the attachment of fear upon seeing fellow practitioners suffer severe torture. Instead, we will eliminate the evil with righteous thoughts. Just as the article "To Fellow Practitioners," which was updated September 7, states, "Every Dafa disciple will have understandings of Fa-rectification and every specific element of Dafa work that are not completely the same from person to person. Every thought by every Dafa disciple is being watched by countless Gods. When encountering something, everyone might have considered things quite thoroughly and carefully based on individual understandings. If we can think about whether it is possible to reach the result that we want to achieve using the other party's suggestion, consider their ideas before ours and carry out the task together as one, then this thought is displaying our realm. The Buddhas, Daos and Gods in the heavens see this as very important, yet as for how this specific task is carried out, it actually becomes secondary."

The two reasons for not being able to increase gong are: "Without knowing the Fa at high levels, one cannot practice cultivation. Without cultivating one's inner self and one's xinxing, one cannot increase gong." (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun). Therefore, it is required that we constantly look inward in our course of cultivation practice, and that we cultivate our xinxing. This is the difference between Dafa practitioners and other beings. Different levels have different Fa. "As long as you practice cultivation, it will not be a problem for you to achieve the Right Fruit in cultivation. In teaching this Fa, I have incorporated different levels. In your future cultivation practice at different levels, you will always find it assuming a guiding role for you." (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun).

Zhuan Falun covers the Fa at all levels of the cosmos. In every lecture of his, Teacher has given us important guidelines targeting different Fa-rectification periods. I think our being able to "look inward" is in harmony with the display of "tolerance, kindness, and niceness" among fellow practitioners. This is how we can prevent the old forces from taking advantage of our gaps. This is also the manifestation of Dafa practitioners' cultivation realm.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2002/10/1/37324.html