(Clearwisdom.net) I recently encountered a coordination issue with a fellow practitioner. I thought that he brought me a great amount of trouble and interference, and I didn't know how to deal with him.
I looked to practitioner A for advice, telling him all the details of the problem. Then I eagerly said: "Tell me what to do." He didn't give me an answer right away, but talked with me in terms of the Fa's principles. During the conversation, I remembered that I should look inside for causes. I found my own problem: I have issue in my cultivation of speech. I normally speak in measured words. Most fellow practitioners regard me as cultivating well in this aspect, and I thought so too. This time I found that I spoke freely about my own enlightenment. It is not wrong to share and exchange experiences or ideas, but it became showing off when I started boasting, whether it was intentional or not. It was also to validate myself. Fellow practitioners then spread my exaggerated words. This caused others to think that I have cultivated and studied the Fa well. Actually, what I said was much more than what I have done. The issue I have right now was caused by my own exaggerations. I also haven't paid much attention to letting go of my fears. My selfishness and fear were clearly exposed through this.
I said to practitioner A: "I found my own problem. I must correct it. Can you tell me how to deal with the issue between myself and the other practitioner?" Practitioner A said seriously:"I can't help you with this specific issue. I can only remind you to study the Fa more and take the Fa as your teacher." I have heard people say that practitioner A did not like to give his opinion. He is very good in many respects. But, such a practice is usually regarded as being "clever" or not cooperating with others. I didn't have time to judge practitioner A's words before we started Fa study. Right when we began studying Fa, I read the following lines:
Master said,
"In solving a problem, if what's fundamental isn't dealt with and the phenomenon is resolved within the phenomenon, it can only result in resolving the old problem while a new problem comes along, and society develops in an ever distorted way."...
"They resolve specific problems within the specific problems: when problems arise here, they make laws; when problems arise there, they make laws; and in the end you're sealed off as if you're caged in and can't move. Eventually the laws can offer no way out. Lawmakers all want to regulate others; they haven't thought about how the laws in turn regulate them as well." ("Teaching the Fa at a New York Meeting" from Lectures in the United States)
I suddenly enlightened to Master's words. It is the distorted way of today's people to address something within that thing or to resolve a problem in order to resolve that problem. It is not a practitioner's way if we want to solve the specific problem with some human method or if our intention is to just let go of the confusion. We lose the opportunity of purifying ourselves that way. Practitioner A did the right thing by not answering my question. We cannot bypass any issue in our cultivation. It is not for others to cultivate and it cannot be used to cultivate others.
