Some Understandings about Teacher's New Article "Pass the Deadly Test"

By a practitioner in Taiwan

(Clearwisdom.net) During a group sharing, a fellow practitioner mentioned that he was touched deeply by Teacher's new article "Pass the Deadly Test," especially these words:

"As your Master, I have never kept account of the wrong things you have done in your cultivation; I remember only the good things you have done and your accomplishments."

I used to criticize fellow practitioners when I saw they had not done well in their cultivation: "Teacher has told us what we should do in the Fa, why can't they follow Teacher's words?" It was hard for me to let go of focusing on others' shortcomings, although I was aware that this was not the right mindset. When I read about Teacher's mercifulness for practitioners and that he would only remember the good things and achievements in our cultivation instead of the wrong things we have done, I was enlightened to this: Teacher is showing us that we should not think of what fellow practitioners or sentient beings have done wrong but concentrate on the their good sides.

In our group sharing, I shared my understanding with fellow practitioners: looking at others' shortcomings is not compassionate, and this easily leads to judging others from our own perspectives or imposing our opinions onto others.

Now when I look at people or events around me, my own opinions matter less and less, and I have fewer subjective ideas about other people. When I see anything not in line with the Fa, I will help the practitioner to understand. I also realize what I am lacking. When I see fellow practitioners doing well in understanding the Fa, I try to catch up and urge myself to improve quickly.

I read an article by a practitioner from Mainland China. A married practitioner couple at first did not make any effort to rescue other practitioners in prison. When the wife was later arrested, the husband was anxious. Not until then did he realized that he had been indifferent to the plights of fellow practitioners. From this painful lesson he learned what he lacked in cultivation, which had been taken advantage of by the evil.

Teacher says in "Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature:"

"I also want to tell you that your nature in the past was actually based on egotism and selfishness. From now on, whatever you do, you should consider others first, so as to attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism." (Essentials for Further Advancement)

If we only care for ourselves and not others, how can we cultivate to the level of considering others first so as to attain the righteous enlightenment of selflessness and altruism? When I see some practitioners' indifference and coldness, I ask myself if I am like that sometimes. Reflecting on others' behaviors acts as a mirror for me to see myself more clearly. I know in my heart that genuine compassion is to care for others, not coldness.

Yesterday on the way home with my husband, we encountered an old classmate of my husband's. Because I was thinking of other things at the time, I forgot to greet my husband's classmate. My husband was very upset about this, asking me if I had become cold and insensitive since I had started cultivating. My husband's words alarmed me. I was upset by fellow practitioners' coldness, but did my indifference sometimes upset others, too?

Last month I saw a complaining letter from a family member of a practitioner. She complained about her husband being so busy doing Dafa work that he was treating their home as a hotel. That letter made me look at my own situation, because I do not have many topics of discussion in common to talk about with my husband as he likes talking about everyday people's attachments such as stocks or politics, and he does not like what I want to talk about. He cannot stand anything even a little higher than ordinary people's sphere of knowledge and criticizes me. These days we have less and less to talk about.

Frankly this is hard for both of us, but I think I should treat him with kindness and understanding, because what he knows is all ordinary people's knowledge, and what I know is the Buddha Fa at different levels of the universe. No matter whether we are new or veteran practitioners, we all have different understandings because of our different levels. I should not focus on others' shortcomings but only remember their good sides if my "xinxing" is high enough. Of course, only after having cultivated xinxing diligently and understanding the Fa well can we truly improve ourselves.

Please point out anything not in line with the Fa.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/5/24/128581.html

 Yearly Archive   Printer Version