Click on the below-mentioned, numbered subjects:
- Welcome
- What’s Happening?
- Improving Through Solid Cultivation
- Let Go of Negative Feelings about Fellow Practitioners
- Practitioners Need to Have a Strong Will
- Truly Cultivating Diligently
- Handling Others' Shortcomings with Compassion
- Being Firm in the Fa and Eliminating Attachments to Fame and Personal Gain While Suffering Sickness Karma
- 1. Welcome
Welcome to the January 2013 Falun Dafa India Newsletter.
Wish you a great 2013. Hope in the New Year we will work harder to gain a better understanding of the Fa and be more steadfast in our cultivation and carry out our assigned responsibilities.
In this issue, we have a compilation of experience-sharing Articles gleaned from Clearwisdom that always shine through because of their insights and fine quality of sharing. It is important to read the Clearwisdom, Pureinsight and other Dafa sites.
We make an effort to select Articles from the Archives which people don’t go back to and are relevant even today. Contributions are welcome from practitioners.
Heshi! Hope, you like the selection of Articles and gain some new insights!
Note: "All the contents in this newsletter - except for quotations and excerpts of writings of the founder Mr. Li Hongzhi - are only ideas and experiences of practitioners and do not represent Falun Dafa in itself."
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- 2. What’s Happening?
Practitioners from different cities came to Hyderabad to be present for the World Spirituality Parliament from 17 to 21 December where the Divine Land Marching Band was specially invited for the inaugural ceremony and a stage performance.
The Divine Land Marching Band visited many schools, the CRPF and concluded with a performance at Ravindra Bharati which got a good coverage in the media.
A Practitioner from Hyderabad visited Vishakapatnam where he got a Free stall in a Rotary Club Conference where 1500 delegates were present. The exercises were demonstrated; fliers were distributed to all and clarified the truth.
Hyderabad practitioners had booked a stall in the Book Fair till 25 Dec where some practitioners from other cities distributed fliers and calendars and showed the exercises.
Practitioners from Bangalore introduced Falun Dafa to SAATHI, for homeless children and got an enthusiastic response. The organizers have requested to follow up on teaching the exercises.
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- 3. Improving Through Solid Cultivation
By a practitioner in Heilongjiang Province
(Minghui.org)
I started practicing Falun Dafa a little before , 1999. The persecution began on July 20, 1999, and by then I had not yet finished reading all the published Dafa books, and had read only a few times. I remembered however, that it's important to improve my and look inward. This was enough for me to make up my mind and persevere through the fanatical persecution. Nevertheless, I didn't study the enough and I did not have a good understanding of the Fa principles. Group discussions were no longer taking place due to the persecution, and my resolute belief in Dafa was insufficient. Just as I was feeling frustrated a fellow practitioner brought me a copy of Master's article "Toward Consummation,"
"The only way to prevent the old, evil forces from taking advantage of the gaps in your mind is to make good use of your time to study the Fa." (Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I seized every spare minute to study the Fa, recite the Fa, and copy . I gradually gained a clear understanding of the Fa principles and became aware that everything I did had intricate connections with my cultivation. I was also aware of the serious nature of cultivation and the great responsibilities of Dafa disciples. I constantly looked inward whenever conflicts arose and examined whether I was acting in accordance with Master's requirements. But nevertheless, I often encountered conflicts within my family and among fellow practitioners.
I lived with my daughter, and many times had conflicts which were the result of my attachments. When I was upset with my daughter I developed negative thoughts about her. Although I did not speak about it, my daughter would almost immediately blurt it out. Most of the time I could guard my xinxing and avoid becoming defensive, or kindly reason with her. When my xinxing level was high, Master's words flashed across my mind,
"Everything will assume the form of everyday situations, such as someone may have irritated you today, someone has upset you, someone has mistreated you, or someone suddenly speaks to you with no respect. It is to see how you will react to these issues."
"As long as you upgrade your xinxing, you can overcome them. Unless you, yourself do not want to do so, you can make it, provided you want to overcome them." (Lecture Four, from Zhuan Falun, Translation Version 2000)
My daughter once threw a fit at me right before I left home to run errands. I examined my mind and realized that she would not have been angry with me had I not harbored negative thoughts toward her. I think the old forces had meticulously arranged our every thought, and I was walking the old forces' path. I put up a good appearance, as if I was very tolerant, but I was not tolerant at all! I thought that I would correct this mistake and not try to cover it up when I go home. When I had truly looked inward my daughter was calm when I got home. She admitted it was wrong to fly into a rage as she did. I felt Master's words were true,
"She is not fighting with you only superficially and still good to you in her heart--it is not so. It is real anger from the bottom of her heart, because whoever has acquired the karma feels uncomfortable. It is guaranteed to be this way." (Lecture Four, from Zhuan Falun)
My daughter found a good job in Beijing upon graduating from college, but I insisted she come live with me and find a job near home. My reasons were that she didn't have a good environment for studying the Fa. I thought it would be relatively easier for her to cultivate at home, and I wanted her to bring her computer so I could produce Falun Gong materials at home. She felt she was really behind in terms of cultivation, so she agreed to come back.
Contrary to my expectations she grew frustrated soon after starting work here. Due to her bad mood she didn't have the correct mindset to study the Fa or do the exercises. She complained that I had made her come back, and now she was stuck with a low-paying job that didn't match her major in school. Her behavior was targeting my attachment. In addition, I have a very limited income, and I was afraid she would lose her present job. Her complaints were endless, but I calmly looked inward to see whether my motive of wanting her back was correct, and if it was fine in terms of providing her with a better cultivation environment. Why was she still complaining? When I dug deeper I realized the incident had touched upon my selfishness and emotions.
I used to obsess about going abroad to make lots of money and fell victim to a scheme that led me to be cheated out of 20,000 . Because of my naiveté my daughter had to endure a lower standard of living. I thought that since she had a steady job now she would be able to help me financially. I wasn't thinking from her perspective. I was actually making excuses for my intention of not having to worry about her, and was trying to arrange someone else's life.
Master said,
"You are unable to interfere with the lives of others, and neither can you control others' fates, including those of your wife, sons, daughters, parents, or brothers. Can you decide those things? Furthermore, how will you practice cultivation if you do not have any worries or troubles? How can you do the exercises comfortably and restfully? How can there be such a thing? That is what you think, from the perspective of everyday people." (Lecture Four, from Zhuan Falun)
I reminded myself that she is also a Dafa disciple, and Master is looking after her. I know that I am too attached to myself, and yet Master is taking care of me, too! I had created troubles and tribulations for myself while trying to arrange someone else's life.
Another practitioner once came to my home to study the Fa with us, but my daughter could not focus. Halfway through the chapter she broke down in tears and told the practitioner how I made her come home, and how she didn't want her current job. The practitioner left feeling upset. I thought, "Now I really must change myself, I must stop thinking only of myself." I told my daughter in unmistakable terms, "I will no longer interfere with your choice of work. You can make any arrangements you want." Seeing that I had really let go she then declared that I had wasted her time, and it was my fault she had to deal with an unsatisfactory job. She emphatically repeated this to every visitor to our home, only this time my heart remained unmoved. "Just by having your heart unaffected you will be able to handle all situations." ("Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)," from Essentials for Further Advancement II) She eventually dropped the subject.
After more than one year of tribulations I gained a deeper understanding about Master's words, "Do you want to change other people's fate? Everyone has his or her own fate!" (Lecture Five, from Zhuan Falun) I realized that I couldn't be obsessed with doing things my way, because it will have the opposite effect.
My daughter got married last year, and I wanted to let the young couple move out and live on their own. Yet my daughter refused and insisted they live with me. My daughter became even fussier after she got pregnant. She refused to do any chores and found fault with whatever I did for her. The couple did not act like cultivators at all, and I saw only their shortcomings, and repeatedly proposed living separately. My daughter threw fits and said, "You are worse than a non-practitioner's mother. I need someone to take care of me while I'm pregnant, and you are insisting on living on your own! I doubt whether you really are my birth mother!" When I calmed down and looked inward I realized that I was holding onto an ordinary person's notions, which was that a daughter should live away from her parents' home once she is married. I felt that since I had worked hard all my life, I deserved a break. I was not thinking of them.
My daughter worked hard while she was pregnant, as did my son-in-law. Both came home late from work every day. I cooked for them and cleaned up the home, yet I felt like I had done so much and I complained about it. I know that I should look inward during conflicts. Master said,
"So what's their state of mind? It's tolerance, an extremely immense tolerance, being able to accept other beings, and being able to truly think from other beings' perspectives." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.")
I was not tolerant enough! The basic reason is that I was attached to emotions [toward my daughter].
In a dream I once saw a man putting a bicycle on the ground and saying in a serious voice, "This is your bike!" When I woke up I realized I should let my daughter walk her own path since no one can play anyone else's role during cultivation! I can do chores for them but I cannot cultivate for them! I recalled Master's article,
"Anyway, since as cultivators you know that everything you do in society right now, including in your own personal life, falls within the realm of cultivation, then even more so should you take seriously everything that unfolds around you, and take more seriously this formless form of cultivation that you do." ("Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan" in 2006)
I suddenly awakened and realized that if I hadn't had such heavy emotions toward my daughter and son-in-law, which I think restricted their abilities, they would have lived well and cultivated diligently. I was soaked in emotion, which led me by the nose. I not only hurt them but also attracted tribulations for my own cultivation.
My daughter had always wanted to produce Dafa materials on her own, but I blocked her, thinking that she didn't study the Fa enough and had made mistakes. I was afraid she would trip and it would be better if she were steadier. These were selfish thoughts. I want to save sentient beings only when I am immune from any loss. Isn't this conditional? I did not put rescuing people and saving sentient beings as the number one priority, which Master has told us. My belief in Master and Dafa was impure. I know from Fa principles that I should be responsible for them, see them as fellow practitioners, and let them walk their own paths. So I changed my approach, and my daughter and her husband have established their own materials production site in my absence, and they are maturing as well.
I spoke with them, and they agreed to move out. Master used my daughter to give me another test the day before I started writing this article. This time I remained unmoved. I wanted to be truly understanding toward her and acknowledged all my faults, and she calmed down.
Dafa practitioners have identified many shortcomings through sharing, helping us discover our attachments. We should no longer harbor them and should remove them immediately after they are identified. The above are only a few incidents I experienced while attempting to handle conflicts within the family.
What I felt most deeply about and what hurt me the most during the past decade were the conflicts among practitioners. When I truly looked inward, Master helped me identify them and remove those bad substances.
I have limited contact with other practitioners, but a practitioner once told me kindly, "You should look at whether you speak honestly, because you do not." I was shocked when I heard this and said, "I never tell lies." Then I asked her, "Can you tell me exactly how I am not being truthful?" She said, "I have known you for a long time and I haven't found anything untruthful [about you]. But another practitioner said you tell lies, so maybe you do tell lies. Otherwise she would not have said it. You should take a good look at yourself because nothing happens by chance."
I could not find the attachment. I also felt that other practitioners were keeping their distance from me. It is indeed as Master said,
"But normally when a problem arises, if it does not irritate a person psychologically, it does not count or is useless and cannot make him or her improve." (Lecture Four, from Zhuan Falun)
I did not pass this test, so I had to retake it. About one year later the same practitioner said to me again, "You have to cultivate your speech." I thought she meant I should be cautious regarding safety, and I said without hesitating, "I'm very careful with that." She said, "You like to lie, and your words are not trustworthy. I feel you are diligent, and that I should act responsibly with fellow practitioners, and that is the reason I'm telling you this. You really have to take a good look inward. Otherwise, people will always say you lie, but you know that yourself only too well."
I did not defend myself this time and thought I must have some kind of problem, since others were making this kind of claim about me. I felt frustrated and upset for a long time because I could not find the problem.
Master saw that I really wanted to find my fault, so he helped me. One day my mind suddenly opened and I thought, "If I didn't lie recently, then I should go back and look for it." Then I saw it. When I was at the home of the practitioner once who alleged that I lied, she asked me to do the exercises at her home. I said it was too late, and I would do the exercises at home. I actually said that because I could not double-cross my legs for an hour and was afraid she would make fun of me, so I told a lie, which violated the principle of truthfulness. Sometimes I also boasted of things I could not do, which are acts of untruthfulness and bad habits formed through indoctrination from Party culture.
When I truly calmed down and dug deep, and I realized that making excuses is the same as lying, I suddenly felt a veil that covered me was falling off, and I felt much lighter, and my mind brightened. I know very well that great Master removed the bad substances for me and I sincerely thank Master for making these meticulous arrangements to help me improve. I also want to thank fellow practitioners who kindly pointed out my shortcomings and helped me remove such a destructive attachment that was hard to discern.
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- 4. Let Go of Negative Feelings about Fellow Practitioners
By Ruyi
(Minghui.org)
Some practitioners living in the same area may have accumulated some negative feelings about one another due to conflicts arising when doing Dafa work together these past few years. Some of them have let go of those feelings upon watching Teacher's video Fa-Teaching Given to the Australian Practitioners, but others are still attached to their feelings. The accumulated negative feelings have interfered with the collaboration of Dafa practitioners in doing Dafa work and practitioners' own cultivation and self-improvement.
While outsiders can see the situation clearly, insiders may get lost in it. There are various types of conflicts, and each person involved feels that he or she is right and that the other people are wrong. No matter what opinions one has, those opinions are usually not in line with the Fa, but with one's own attachments. Conflicts may emerge in the process of validating the Fa or saving sentient beings. However, the attachments lie in the deeply-rooted human attachments of fame, personal benefits, sentimentality, selfishness, jealousy, competition, and in trying to change others, instead of improving oneself, etc. Some of the practitioners haven't realized this: the attachments you don't want to get rid of are huge obstacles in your cultivation path. You should let go of them and walk the path lightly. If practitioners involved in conflicts are able to use the Fa to judge everything, they will not be "Foolishly absorbed in the play's unfolding." ("The Big Stage," Hong Yin II)
In this final stage of saving people, conflicts between Dafa practitioners are not a matter of self-improvement. Rather, they are a sword that hurts both oneself and others. Why is that so? Dafa practitioners represent the image of Dafa in the human world. If we don't do well and harm the image of Dafa, those who have positive impressions of Dafa may be affected and change their minds about going into Dafa. The fighting among practitioners also wastes our time and energy on sorting out who is right or wrong; sometimes, practitioners divide into several groups based on different opinions. This large-scale loophole has brought damage to Dafa and practitioners: some were persecuted to death, others were arrested and sent to forced labor camps, including those sentenced to years of imprisonment.
As Dafa practitioners, we are all aware that Dafa has its standard and there is a yardstick to measure our xinxing level. Cultivation is a serious matter. When we are absorbed in conflicts, we forget about forbearance and compassion. Thus, our xinxing level and gong level will decline, accordingly. "One's gong level is as high as one's xinxing level, and this is an absolute truth." (Zhuan Falun) Teacher told us that divine beings are all watching what Dafa practitioners are doing. Practitioners who have unlocked abilities can also see that the divine beings are recording what Dafa practitioners think and do.
Teacher has great expectations of us and we should be strict with ourselves. We should be serious about our cultivation and truly cultivate our hearts. In this last stage of the Fa-rectification period, we should get rid of the negative feelings about fellow practitioners and elevate above the human conflicts to the level of enlightened beings. We need to walk the final path well and we cannot bring the conflicts with us to heaven. Our xinxing level decides how high we will achieve and whether we can succeed in cultivation. Be warned! "Cultivation is your own affair, and nobody else can do it for you." ("Determination," Essentials for Further Advancement)
Lastly, I would like to talk about the accumulated negative feelings from a different angle. Once, I enlightened to the previous lives of a fellow practitioner, who was a Japanese soldier invading China in one of his lives. I mentioned this in our chatting and said, "Look how nasty and brutal you were. You must have killed many people at that time." He replied, "No wonder people always hurt me, even though I have been sincerely nice and kind to them." In multiple periods of reincarnation, we have either owed or helped others enormously, which results in bad or good relationships with others in this lifetime. Everything happens for a reason to a practitioner--only we don't know the cause. What we know is that Teacher has resolved all of these things with compassion for us.
Fellow practitioners, please treasure Teacher's mercy and salvation and fulfill Dafa disciples' responsibilities in the Fa-rectification period. Hopefully, we will all end the negative feelings about our fellow practitioners today and start a new and light cultivation state of non-omission tomorrow, do the three things well, and become a qualified divine being in the new universe.
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- 5. Practitioners Need to Have a Strong Will
By a practitioner from China
(Minghui.org)
I finally came to understand the reason for not being diligent in my cultivation – I lack the will to cultivate. It isn't because I was not aware of the problem, but I have taken my time and made the same mistake time and time again. Thus, improvement was out of the question. For example, a Falun Dafa practitioner should purify his or her thoughts and should be disinterested in worldly things. Alas, every so often human notions take over. It is clear to me that networking and reading newspapers is important to non-practitioners. Unfortunately, I am still interested in looking at these things. I know time is precious, but I still chat with everyday people and I enjoy shopping trips. Searching for good food is an attachment, but I still think about what to eat. I know that sending forth righteous thoughts is important, but I miss it at times. I should go out to , but I just keep putting it off. I should stay calm, but I don't, even if I'm among practitioners. These are just a few of the things that make me happy, and all of them are human desires. Missing just a little here and there can add up to a significant lack of character. If we can correct things as they occur, it would be a lot better than having regrets. I think the reason why this happens is because of a lack of willpower. Teacher has told us many times that we have to have the will to cultivate. Thus, I think that without a strong will, both cultivation and saving sentient beings are difficult to accomplish. Teacher said: “A Great Enlightened One fears no hardship Having forged an adamantine will” (“Righteous Thoughts and Righteous Actions” in II) I understand that an enlightened being has an adamantine will, and that matter and mind are one thing. Why are ordinary people weak? They do not have a strong will and are not sure of what they want. As a practitioner you may do well sometimes and not as well at other times, because your will is not strong enough. Teacher has reminded us many times to have a strong will. Now I understand that a strong will is needed to get things done and when the will is there, nothing is difficult. I know a practitioner who has been doing well for over ten years in her cultivation and has never slacked off, has never missed doing the exercises or Fa-study, and has taken every problem as an opportunity to improve her character. For more than ten years she has not listened to a radio program, watched a television show, or chosen something tasty to eat. Nothing from the outside has affected her or influenced what she wanted to do. Despite having a large family, she remains unmoved by outside factors. Clearly, this requires a strong will. She does not think cultivation is difficult. Once you achieve her state of mind, nothing is difficult. It becomes difficult only for those who refuse to give up their attachments. I believe that many practitioners have the same problem I do and continue to make mistakes that a practitioner should not make. Therefore, I've shared my understanding so that we all can move forward. I'm limited by my level of understanding. Please kindly point out anything that is improper.
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- 6. Truly Cultivating Diligently
By a practitioner from Hebei Province, China
(Minghui.org)
I am a high-ranking official, and I started practicing Falun Gong in 1996. Master has been watching over me for more than ten years. My deepest feeling is that we need to study the more, follow Master's words, and cultivate diligently. The following are some of my experiences.
I. Stepping Forward to Save Sentient Beings
I used to visit nearby locations, such as local markets and temples, in order to clarify the truth to friends and other families. However, it was very inconvenient to visit distant locations, especially mountainous areas, because I couldn't return the same day. In May and June of this year, determined to save people, I went to the furthest mountainous area, and I clarified the truth wherever I went. I walked for long distances between villages and towns. I drank from the river when I was thirsty. I felt very light and walked very fast. I didn't feel tired or as if I was enduring hardship at all. Instead, I felt happy and joyful. It felt like all sentient beings were waiting to be saved, truly as Master had said many times. I experienced this first-hand.
As soon as I got off the bus, I walked door-to-door looking for predestined people. While sending forth righteous thoughts, I came across someone and we sat down on the side of the road and started chatting. He was a Party member, but readily withdrew from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by the end of our conversation. I later came across another person. After chatting with him, I learned that he was an administrative official. After he had failed in the game of seeking fame and interest, he had decided to return home. Although deeply poisoned by the CCP propaganda, he quickly agreed to withdraw from the Party after hearing the true facts. Even more miraculously, when I clarified the truth to another family, the in-laws who live 100 miles away and their children all happened to be there. All six of them were able to understand the truth. I knew this was Master's arrangement. Two Party members and one member of the Party Youth League withdrew from the CCP that day.
I stopped by one family's home that night. The father and son were both Party members and officials. After learning the truth, they withdrew from the CCP. During our conversation, a person came by to borrow something. The owner asked him to sit down and listen to me. He was a Party member too and readily quit the CCP. He said, "All we ask for is a peaceful life. This is very good." Later, a young man came by. I knew that he was predestined, so I clarified the truth to him. He was a member of the Party Youth League. He also withdrew from the CCP and said, "Today is my lucky day."
I got up early the next day. After practicing the exercises and sending forth righteous thoughts, I started off again. In another village eight miles away, there was a retired teacher, also a Party member, who withdrew from the CCP. He said, "This is the first time I've heard any of this. What you said about the various political movements including the Cultural Revolution and the Tiananmen incident are all true. I agree with you. I am happy to withdraw from the CCP." Another person was resting on the side of the road. After I clarified the truth to him, he withdrew from the CCP as well. I thought to myself, "For predestined people like him, we can only meet if I'm walking. I might have missed him if I took the bus."
A father and son that I met were from an area 100 miles away. During our conversation, I learned that the elder was a Party member and the younger was a member of the Party Youth League. They said, "There are people who practice Falun Gong in our town. We have read their flyers, however no one has approached us. We didn't give it too much thought, since we've been busy. Now that you've talked to us, we will withdraw from the CCP." This went very smoothly and I knew that Master had arranged this meeting.
Over the course of my trip, more than twenty people withdrew from the CCP. I returned again after awhile. My understanding is:
1. We should rise above our human notions. We need to turn our attention from making more money, harvesting more crops, and having a comfortable life, to validating Dafa and saving sentient beings. Our everyday existence is for saving sentient beings. We just do our best and don't use human notions to judge who is good or bad. We should be compassionate and take action.
2. We need to study the Fa more to strengthen our righteous thoughts. I sent forth righteous thoughts diligently before my trip. Sometimes I started sending forth righteous thoughts several days ahead. The righteous thoughts will open up a path for us.
3. We should clarify the truth according to an individual person's circumstances and environment, and make full use of truth clarification materials.
4. Don't be fearful, hasty, or anxious. Be sincere and let the other person know that you are doing this for their benefit. We need to be compassionate, even if they don't want to quit the CCP. The power of compassion and the righteous field of Dafa can rectify any incorrect state. During a conversation, we should try to learn the person's name and profession. That way, people will be more likely to use their real names to withdraw from the CCP. Of course, we should not go to extremes. If necessary, we can use aliases.
II. Looking Inside and Eliminating Human Attachments
In the book , Master explains very clearly why gong sometimes doesn't grow when practicing qigong and why one sometimes cannot keep their heart calm. Falun Dafa cultivation directly targets one's heart. One will never find anything when looking outward.
Master asked us to have materials production sites in all areas. We know that truth clarification materials are a powerful tool for saving sentient beings. After my wife (also a practitioner) and I shared experiences and eliminated our fear, we decided to establish a materials site. We have overcome many difficulties and managed to establish the site with the help of other predestined people. We now access the Internet, download materials, print them, and make DVDs. Finally we can see photos of Master, and communicate with Minghui and practitioners from all over the world every day.
After one year of producing truth clarification materials, I realized that this process included saving sentient beings, looking inside and eliminating human notions, and returning to my true origin. I would like to tell fellow practitioners that although there are hardships, difficulties, tests, and tribulations, we can truly benefit from this process. I went from knowing nothing about computers to being able to use the Internet, download, print, and produce materials. Whenever something went wrong with the printer or some other machine, I could always trace it back to my own shortcomings - either my heart was not calm, or I was disturbed or not focused. One time, the color printer was malfunctioning. All the colors were mixed up and it became very messy. The printer was also giving a warning saying that it could not be used. Several days later, after my son had returned home from another city, I found human notions had developed in me, such as the attachment of joy, the desire to show off, and the pursuit of fame. I was trying to show off so that he would be impressed with all that I learned at my old age. As soon as I found my human notions and rectified them, the printer began running smoothly again.
We must be clearheaded, study the Fa more, and study it well. No matter how our environment changes, we need to keep our righteous thoughts. Let's not let our Master down.
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- 7. Handling Others' Shortcomings with Compassion
By Xiaoxiao
(Minghui.org)
When I noticed some of my mother's shortcomings, or things that she wasn't complying with in regards to the Fa, I always pointed them out and added what my own understandings were on the issue. However, this resulted in reprimands from my mother, and sometimes she even said things like, "I don't need you to supervise me. Cultivate yourself well." This formed a barrier between us. At the beginning, I looked externally and thought that my mother belonged to the category of those who would not take criticism, and could not take it well.
Later, when my mother once pointed out a shortcoming of mine, I felt pretty uncomfortable and did not want to accept it. Like a mirror, my mother let me know what I was like. Then I looked within myself. Teacher said in "Clearheadedness" (Essentials for Further Advancement):
"While working, your tone of voice, your kindheartedness, and your reasoning can change a person's heart," "...if all a person wants is the well-being of others and if this is without the slightest personal motivation or personal understanding, what he says will move the listener to tears."
I realized that my words were too aggressive. How could I directly disrespect my mother? Didn't I commit a wrongdoing and lose de? My mother thought that, as her daughter, I should listen to her. So when she confronted me with a commanding tone, I did not want to accept her criticism. I felt uncomfortable, and that also showed that I could not take criticism gracefully.
I had intended to help and let her correct herself using the standard of the Fa. Actually, it showed my mentality of wanting to change others, although it was buried too deeply in me to sense. When others' words or actions were not in accordance with my own notions, I indicated that it was not meeting the standard of the Fa, and was selfish, and so on, rather than basing my criticism on compassion and for the sake of others. In fact, I was trying to conceal my own attachment, rather than face it. So, I was unable to meet "your tone of voice, your kindheartedness, and your reasoning," to the standard, much less "move the listener to tears"! Then, how do we compassionately point out other practitioners' deficiencies and mistakes, and avoid conflicts? I think, first, we should not criticize, place blame, or comment unnecessarily. It's much more important to look within ourselves and make sure that what we are thinking is in accordance with the Fa. We should not use our own personal concepts to judge the situation; rather, we should view them from many points of view, and then use the Fa as the standard for right or wrong. Finally, we should point out their shortcomings with complete compassion and without any selfishness. If we use this method, they may accept what we say. If they do not, and even reject our words, we should forgive them, and not rush forward or justify anything, or the evil might make use of the loophole. We should leave the time and space to allow fellow practitioners to think and look within. Gradually they will realize what's wrong and correct the problem with regards to the Fa, but only if he is a genuine cultivator. We all would do well to examine ourselves, and ultimately we will form an indestructible entity.
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- 8. Being Firm in the Fa and Eliminating Attachments to Fame and Personal Gain While Suffering Sickness Karma
By a practitioner in China
(Minghui.org)
I used to be a very emotional person.
After starting to cultivate in Falun Dafa, I began to be able to
let go of being excessively emotional, which had controlled me in
the past. For a time, however, I felt quite pleased myself,
thinking that I was better than everyone else. The evil saw my
human mindset and persecuted me severely.
The Minghui website (Chinese version of Clearwisdom) published
an article last month that put information about Dafa on a
calendar. I felt the design was very elegant and thought that
people would love it. I thus bought expensive materials and made a
calendar, which I showed to a fellow practitioner. That
practitioner loved it and gave me quite a bit of money to produce a
lot more copies.
My attachment of self-validation emerged, and I bought the most
expensive equipment I could find to make these calendars. I made a
lot of mistakes and wasted a lot of the materials that I bought. I
didn't think much of it, telling myself that this happened because
I was tired and over-worked.
One evening, I dreamed of someone sitting in a wheelchair, and I
told him to say, "Falun Dafa is good," but he said that his mind
was blank. The following day, I found that my printer nozzle was
plugged. When I took off the nozzle, I saw that it looked similar
to the wheelchair I saw in my dream. I followed the instructions in
the manual and bought tools for cleaning the nozzle. I had spent
most of the money and only completed a few calendars. Then, the
nozzle broke because of my carelessness. I looked at the printer,
the Fa-implement that had become my companion. I was in a bad mood
and spent days trying to think of a way to repair it, and did not
study the .
On the day when the printer nozzle was broken, my child had a
fever and was coughing. I wasn't too concerned about it. After I
bought a new nozzle, I decided to no longer make calendars because
it would use too much yellow ink. I worried about wasting
materials. My child's coughing got worse, but I still didn't
realize what was going on. For several nights, I didn't sleep well.
I read the Fa to my child, sent forth righteous thoughts, asked
Teacher for help, and recited "Dafa is good." Yet, my child did not
get better and ignored me. After studying the Fa, I realized that
my child was enduring on my behalf. I got worried and decided to
take my child to the hospital and spent quite a bit of money.
As soon as I got home, I felt ill and couldn't even sit up
straight. While lying in bed, I thought, "Teacher, I'll bear the
suffering I deserve." When I woke up, I asked myself, "Could I be
like people that practice reverse cultivation, those who couldn't
maintain their , so their levels dropped to that of
everyday people?" I opened up and it went
straight to that section. I was stunned. Did the reverse
cultivation that Master talked about refer to me? I was happy when
the practitioner gave me money. Why was I happy? It was just like
an ordinary person being delighted in receiving money unexpectedly.
Isn't that the mindset of fame and gain? The evil saw my attachment
and persecuted me.
After I realized this, I felt well again and no longer had a
cold. After suffering and almost botching up the project, I finally
realized what I had to give up. As we validate the Fa, we need to
cultivate ourselves well, especially in terms of money. We should
not use a human mindset to carry out projects and thus allow the
evil to persecute us.
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