Western Practitioner: Taking Other Practitioners' Problems as Our Own

(Clearwisdom.net) I think that one aspect of letting go of self is being able to see other people's hardships as our own. With non-practitioners, this is reflected in our compassion for them. With fellow practitioners, we should try to help them with their problems. Even with our non-practitioner acquaintances, if we are able to help, that's a kind deed (so long as it's within the bounds of a normal relationship and does not affect our doing the three things). However, with fellow disciples, Master said,

“Now when we clarify the truth to others you all feel that we should treat sentient beings with compassion, then all the more so should you be compassionate among our Dafa disciples. You're all disciples in the same practice, and you're giving your all for the cosmos' Fa-rectification, so you should cooperate well with one another. Don't approach things with too many human attachments, and don't cause unnecessary conflicts and arguments by interacting with each other with human attachments. In these situations your conduct should always show Dafa disciples' tolerance, kindness, and niceness. The next person's things are your things,¹ and your things are his things.” ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference")

Moreover, if we see a fellow practitioner struggling with something, it could be an indication of our own shortcoming. Even if it isn't, Master has told us that we must form one body, so if fellow practitioners are experiencing tribulations, we should try and help them, not think badly of them.

Ultimately, all practitioners must do their own cultivation, but support from fellow disciples can definitely help, whereas the opposite can make a tribulation worse. In my understanding, Falun Dafa practitioners should do all they can to help other practitioners who are struggling. If they do not, it is possible that they will even have to bear some responsibility for the losses caused by those disciples.

Please correct anything inappropriate in my understanding.

¹ The Chinese word translated here as "things" is very broad, and it can also mean "issue," "business," "problem," "task," "affair," "difficulty," and so on.