(Clearwisdom.net) Recently I discovered that I had a long-term and very serious problem: I was not compassionate. A practitioner who is not compassionate can understand quite a few Fa-principles. I myself was just like this. A practitioner like this probably understands what compassionate actions are on very important issues, and can also give up his own attachments. In this way, he can have wisdom at a certain level, but still, he does not have a compassionate heart.
The lack of compassion with which I am familiar manifests when a practitioner does not know how to care for others, and does not cherish the lives of beings from within his heart. Righteous Fa-enlightened beings are like a deep well of compassion, nurturing all lives, encompassing and caring for all lives. However, those who understand Fa-principles but are not compassionate are not like this. They are nothing more than wise men.
Some such persons do not feel their above-mentioned shortcomings, but may feel that they have not completely gotten rid of their attachments, and that it is easy for those attachments to recur once in a while. Others may feel that they do not have the real motivation for cultivation. Actually these lives continue in cultivation for themselves, as they hope with selfish hearts to gain benefits after improving their realms. But they do not have compassion in their inner hearts. Their goals are supposedly to improve their realms and be responsible for the lives of beings, but these goals exist in name only.
These persons have a rectified brilliance that is only superficial. They keep talking about the Fa-principles in words while in their hearts they do not have compassion. Master Li has pointed out, "Those who are attached to their reputations practice an evil way, full of intention. Once they gain renown in this world, they are bound to say good but mean evil, thereby misleading the public and undermining the Fa"("Cultivators' Avoidances," Essentials for Further Advances).
Persons who lack compassion have a very serious problem cultivating Dafa, as this shows that the foundation of their lives has degenerated greatly. Even when dealing with issues of righteousness and wickedness, their minds are unmoved and they do not want to change themselves fundamentally. But for all beings who are willing to give up whatever they had before, everything will be rectified.
I will thoroughly re-mold myself, and become a being that is worthy of salvation by the righteous Fa.
