By a Falun Dafa practitioner in China

(Clearwisdom.net)

1. Sentimentality is selfishness. To say it plainly, being attached to qing is to hope that other people will treat you well, like you, and value you. Valuing the qing between a man and a woman, people speak about devotion, but most are in fact particularly concerned about their partner's devotion to them. Valuing the sentimentality between friends, people speak about ties of friendship, while in fact most are concerned about their friends' ties to them, rather than vice versa. Thus, once friends or partners are not loyal or friendly, people react with anger and the desire for revenge, even seeking to be more disloyal or more unfriendly than the other party. What's more frightening is that the negative emotion, or qing, is often not afraid of breaking the baseline of morality. Thus, sentimentality degenerates into the demon of sentimentality.

Compassion is unselfish. It is concern for others, not ourselves. It is simply the hope that other people will be truly OK.

"You should always be benevolent and kind to others, and consider others when doing anything. Whenever you encounter a problem, you should first consider whether others can put up with this matter or if it will hurt anyone. In doing so, there will not be any problems. "(Zhuan Falun).

Sentimentality, or qing, is ultimately to obtain something for yourself. Compassion is completely for the benefit of others, and it considers the matter from its root and with respect to the long-term result (instead of superficially or temporarily).

2. Sentimentality also has factors of giving and "for the benefit of others." But the extent of this type of "for the benefit of others" is centered on oneself. One has stronger sentiment for people who are closer to oneself, and sentiment has the factor of excluding others. Furthermore, the essence of this kind of "for the benefit of others" is often a kind of demand on others, asking others to meet one's criteria and thinking others are good only when they live up to one's standards. So the more one gives, the more he in fact demands. He worries about many things and is afraid to lose his fame, interest or sentiment.

Compassion is completely detached from "self", thus one is not concerned whether other people are familiar or strangers. It is to be kind to all people. Compassion is not to measure others with one's own criteria, instead, it is to put oneself in other people's shoes and understand others. For a practitioner, it is also to kindly help others to raise their levels and meet the standards of the Fa at different levels. Being compassionate, one is free of worries, knowing that Dafa regulates everything and all beings will position themselves correctly in the Fa.

Sentimentality is to demand of others and look outwards. Compassion is to discipline oneself; to look inwards.

3. Sentimentality involves egalitarianism: If I treat you well, you should also treat me well. It is like a business investment; when giving away a peach one expects a plum in return. Compassion is a kind of pure kindness, such as when a Buddha fed his body to an eagle. It has no desire, no pursuit.

Sentiment could harm others for the purpose of fulfilling oneself. With compassion one could calmly give away everything for others.

Sentiment is endless desire and pursuit. Compassion is endless tolerance.

Sentiment make people's hearts smaller and smaller day by day. It is like swallowing raging flames or chilling ice, or putting burrs inside one's clothes. Compassion makes people's hearts broad and open. It is like being showered in a spring breeze, facing the vastness of the sky and the ocean.

Sentiment makes people often feel discontent, blaming the heavens and other people. Compassion makes people cheerful and kind to others.

Sentiment causes people to have numerous distracting thoughts, makes them to feel pleased, angry, sad, or joyful, and lose their minds. Compassion creates an unchanging expression and a carefree heart that's peaceful, free from worry, and unmoved.

Sentiment consumes people's life and makes them exhausted. Compassion nurtures life and enriches peoples' spirits.

Sentiment constantly varies along with whether the desire and pursuit are satisfied or not. Compassion is constant and never breaks.

The above is my personal understanding and it might not be all correct. This article is for your reference only.

May 26, 2008

Posting date: 6/12/2008
Original article date: 6/12/2008
Category: Practitioners' Insights
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/5/27/179197.html

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