Thoughts About Respect

By a practitioner in China

(Clearwisdom.Net)

Recently an article about how to read fellow practitioners' experience sharing articles triggered me into deep thinking. The article pointed out, "We should treat our fellow practitioners' cultivation experiences with pure, humble, and compassionate minds, searching our own shortages in Xinxing and checking our own inner hearts. Doing so is to pay our respects to the future enlightened beings born from Falun Dafa cultivation practice as well as to ourselves."

As to the issue of "respect," I recalled that I had not been very serious or careful when reading fellow practitioners' experience sharing articles. I often attempted to identify how their understandings were not as high as mine and was rarely willing to think about my own weaknesses. I preferred to read some highly theoretical articles. I would rarely read those articles that I thought looked 'flat' or not very exciting. Sometimes I even commented on such articles when I had only read part of them with an impure heart.

I also recalled that once at a Falun Dafa experience sharing conference, Teacher Li said, "I'll sit down to listen to your experience sharing presentations." Even our great, compassionate Master is willing to listen to his disciples' experiences. As fellow practitioners cultivating together in Falun Dafa, shouldn't we pay more respect to our fellow practitioners, "sharing and comparing in cultivation practice" (informal translation of one of Teacher Li's poems -- Translator's notes)?

I now realize that every experience-sharing article was written from each author's own understandings from various virtuous cultivation levels. Some articles looked 'flat' but actually implied a very high level of spirit realm. The 'flat' surface of the article may have been the result of the author's education level or ability to express himself. I must read these articles and learn from the authors with a pure heart. I should not show any disrespect because their understandings are a reflection of the partial manifestation of the Fa from lower to higher levels, and are also wisdom at various levels that was given by Dafa.

Now, I am able to read each experience sharing article carefully. I think about myself while I am reading, and try to find out my own weaknesses and obtain a deeper understanding of the Fa.

I so appreciate that Teacher Li has granted us such a pure land--Clearwisdom.Net, and I am also grateful for all fellow practitioners who have written articles to help us improve through reading.

The above are my personal understandings. All fellow practitioners are welcome to point out any possible mistakes in this short article.
Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2002/4/2/27729.html

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