How to Look at Other Practitioners' Shortcomings with Righteous Thoughts

By a Dafa practitioner from Taiwan

June 15, 2003

(Clearwisdom.net) Teacher said in Lecture Four of Zhuan Falun, "How should we deal with this issue? Upon running into this conflict, we should, first of all, keep a cool head, and we should not behave the same as that person. Of course, we can explain the matter kindly, and it is not a problem if we clarify the issue. But you should not become too attached to it."

I was attached to something a practitioner had said to me, and I thought that the practitioner had formed a misconception about me. I decided not to worry or imagine what was behind his words. Instead, I told him what I felt about his words; I thought that this was based on my compassion, kindness and consideration. As Teacher has said, "we can explain the matter kindly, and it is not a problem if we clarify the issue." "But you should not become too attached to it." I failed to follow this, because when I did it, I did not have a calm heart and was attached.

I was grateful that the practitioner shared his understanding with me from his heart and based on the Fa. From his response, I improved a lot. I want to share this with everyone. He said, "If we take other practitioners' shortcomings too heavily in our hearts, the problem is actually within ourselves. Isn't it because the other practitioner's shortcomings disturbed our own state and touched on our attachments to the shortcoming? Instead of looking inside, we focused on others."

Sometimes, I did burden myself with other's shortcomings, but why did I do this? Maybe because some aspect of me that was not cultivated well had been affected, and this made me become attached to others' shortcomings. Why could I not let it go? At this point, what we should do is look within and face our attachment that was taken advantage of with righteous thoughts.

Teacher said that whenever a conflict occurs, everyone involved should look within, even a third party that witnessed the conflict. However, I was annoyed even when I was the third party. Even though every practitioner does have aspects that need to be improved, we cannot forget to look within with righteous thoughts. Doing this, we can treat other practitioner's shortcomings with a cultivator's pure field of compassion and tolerance, and naturally strengthen Dafa's whole body.

Teacher says in "The Issue of Treating Illness" of Zhuan Falun, " There is no constraint between this qi and that qi." I understand that if we temporarily can't understand another practitioner's intentions, or if we lack compassion in treating the other practitioner and only emphasize the other practitioner's attachments, this causes a tribulation for oneself and creates a barrier in our own cultivation. Furthermore, this could negatively affect Dafa work and even damage Dafa. Negative elements will use the loophole to cause interference. Doesn't our behavior during those times have the old forces' traits? The old forces only want to change others, not themselves. Also, we should make sure not to lose righteous thoughts in creating harmony on the surface. Looking inside, and kindly and openly bringing up one's own perspective are key points for our whole body's improvement.

Master said: "and the more it's toward the end the bigger the disparities. So there are bound to be differences in people's understandings." (Lecturing on and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference) I often hear practitioners quoting these words, but most of the time it's due to disappointment in the communication among practitioners. In fact, the practitioner who cultivates well will not quote these words to comment on other practitioners who seem to not have a high understanding of the Fa, because nobody knows which level other practitioners are on. So if we quote Teacher's words just because we cannot solve a problem, our xinxing is lacking. In this state, we lack pure compassion and a cultivator's humble character.

Master said, "The key is how to cooperate better and coordinate better with one other." (Lecturing on and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference) My understanding is whenever we are doing something, if we always put cooperating and coordinating better with others, as well as saving more people first and not allow the thought of "disparities are big" to come between us and other practitioners, the communication, cooperation and coordination will come easier. When we are strongly attached to our own ideas and understandings and think they are better, we actually give the old forces an opportunity to interfere.

Teacher said in "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference," "What's stored in Master's heart are all the people there are." What mighty compassion! If other practitioner's suggestions and speech can improve and push the whole body forward, why can't we let go of our own egos? We should not be attached to our own ideas and view others' opinions from our attached state. If we are, it is not only a barrier in our own cultivation, but also a barrier that severely affects the whole body's improvement and saving of sentient beings.

If we can cherish, respect and be honest in our communication, we will find "After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead." (from Zhuan Falun, Lecture Nine) The above is my personal understanding.

Any suggestions and comments are welcome.
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2003/6/16/52372.html

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