(Clearwisdom.net) Recently, my husband (also a Falun Dafa practitioner) took a few days off, as he wasn't busy at work. It should have been a good thing for him to have plenty of time to do the three things. However, our neighbors across the hall from us planned to remodel their kitchen. Because we just finished renovating our own home, they came to consult with my husband. From an ordinary person's perspective, my husband thought we should extend a helping hand to our neighbors when needed. He was enthusiastically involved. He did not know that the job, which he thought should have been done in two or three days, would not be finished even after five or six days. Furthermore, our neighbors became dependent on my husband in all matters, big and small, to the extent that my husband was consulted for buying odds and ends. My husband was totally involved, with no time for anything else. We both realized that there was something wrong, but we failed to look inside at a deeper level to find out what the culprit was. We thought no attachments were involved.

One evening when we shared with fellow practitioners, a practitioner explicitly pointed out to us that this was an incorrect cultivation state and indicated the seriousness of the problem. He pointed out that my husband's words showed a strong mentality of everyday people, and he had been severely interfered with as a result. My husband agreed with the fellow practitioner's comments, but he failed to figure out the root of the problem. Moreover, he was preoccupied with a thought, "Although you are right, it wasn't wrong for me to help our neighbors in need. I should continue helping. Everything will be all right after the renovation is done." The words from the fellow practitioner did not touch the root of the problem, and neither was I able to see the crucial reason in this issue, although I was clearly aware of my husband's state of mind. I kept thinking about it

When I studied Zhuan Falun the next day, Teacher's words, "...look at issues from a very high level..."(Zhuan Falun) struck and awoke me. Although the statement was so familiar to me, I had never had the same feeling and enlightenment about these Words. Teacher often says, "...conduct yourself as a true practitioner...,"(Zhuan Falun) "...understand Fa on the basis of the Fa...," ("Teaching the Fa at the Conference in New Zealand") "...look at issues from a very high level..."(Zhuan Falun) It seemed that I understood these words and conducted myself accordingly. It was not until that moment that I realized that I had failed to follow these words genuinely and thoroughly all the time. Now, I understood what the crucial problem was in the issue of assisting our neighbors. That is, in the whole course of helping the neighbors, we were handling things with an everyday people's mentality.

Our neighbors have a strong desire for profit. Therefore, they always seek advice from my husband to avoid any personal losses. My husband did not conduct himself as a true practitioner on a high level, which required us to look at things and to handle things among everyday people in a harmonized manner. Instead, he was enthusiastically involved with an everyday person's mentality.

The neighbors usually do things with careful considerations in all aspects. Every small thing would be reviewed with my husband with precise calculations. Their thinking is not straight-forward and often in a round-about way. As a result, they often run into difficulties. They are always contemplating on how to save money and at the same time getting things done well, so oftentimes the outcome is just the opposite.

On the other hand, my husband's starting point was not in line with the Fa. Therefore, many of his human notions were magnified and used as interference. He wasn't enlightened to the high level way of looking at things, thus he was unable to get out of it. He still followed the principle at an ordinary person's level to measure things. He believed it was the right thing to help the neighbors. It is indeed not wrong to assist neighbors in need. However, looking at things beyond everyday people's mindset, in the course of helping others, should we apply everyday people's way of dealing with things or a cultivator's realm of thinking? Can it still be regarded as normal if we were interfered with by everyday people to the extent that we do not have time to assist Teacher in Fa-rectification? In the course of time, have we made the best use of our time to rectify ourselves and cultivate ourselves? If the basis were set correctly right from the start, the result would have been different.

After I enlightened to this principle, I suddenly understood. I also changed my views towards several people and things that I came across in my daily life. At my own cultivation level, I was able to see the causal relationship of these matters. While I thought I had enlightened to certain principles before when encountering certain problems, I realized now that I was again habitually trapped in an ordinary person's state of mind. I had not fulfilled a genuine practitioner's standard with each word, each action, and each thought in the Fa. Unconsciously, I always dropped to an ordinary people's way of thinking.

Why couldn't our ordinary people's notions be changed fundamentally? Isn't it because we fail to look at issues from high levels at all times? I finally elevated myself from the lessons we learned in this matter. I could not express my feelings of joy and gratitude with words. Teacher, I thank you! Thank you, my fellow practitioners!

Now I truly experience different feelings from everyday people. The recent not-so-good cultivation states have also disappeared, as I have enlightened to a high-level way of looking at things.

In the past, when I saw orphans with difficult lives, or someone suffering hardship, I felt sorry for them and my heart ached for them. I believe I no longer have such a state of mind. What takes over in its place is benevolence, with the wisdom of seeing the causal relationship behind every struggle.

As we attained this Fa, Teacher has already put us at a very high level. Only by studying the Fa diligently can we advance toward higher levels, see things more clearly and do better in the three things. Fellow practitioners, let's advance diligently!

My level is limited. Please kindly point out to me if there is anything inappropriate.

Posting date: 1/4/2007
Original article date: 1/4/2007
Category: Practitioners' Insights
Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/12/20/145082.html

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