(Minghui.org) I have recently had small conflicts with another practitioner, which persisted for about six months. Even when I was looking within I saw only the other practitioner's shortcomings. Eventually the problem grew to a degree where the other practitioner and I could not help ourselves, and fought and screamed at each other. My heart ached, and I knew that the other practitioner's heart also ached, and we both cried. She told me all the good deeds she did for me, and I was thinking of how much effort I had put forth in selflessly helping her. We both felt wronged. For a certain period of time, whenever I sent forth righteous thoughts, exercised, or studied the Fa, I always thought about this issue between myself and the other practitioner. One moment I was remorseful, and the next moment resentful. No matter what I did I couldn't calm down.
I had worked together with this practitioner for almost two years and everything went very well. Regardless of what we encountered, things always went very smoothly. Once, when display boards that slandered Falun Dafa were set up, everyone thought it would be very dangerous to go out and remove them. However, this particular practitioner and I just wanted to destroy the display boards, as they were very malicious. Through ups and downs, we cooperated very well. We said to each other that we didn't know what kind of predestined relationship we had to be able to be together and validate the Fa together.
In my cultivation I normally only share with this particular practitioner. Even though the other practitioner had comparatively more contact with other practitioners, she still called me daily and asked for my opinion about various matters. Over time, our cooperation and angle of sharing went from being based on the Fa to gradually being based more on sentimentality. When encountering problems we no longer handled them as we did in the past, by discussing the issue based on Fa principles. Rather, we displayed our own unsatisfied moods at will and gradually no longer paid attention to the cultivation of speech. We just opened our mouths and said whatever came out. We didn't consider whether or not we should say certain things, or whether they were in accordance with the standard for practitioners. Initially, we got along well, but conflicts developed, and eventually intensified. She complained that I could not take any negative comments, and I complained that she would explode when others pointed out her shortcomings. Finally, we both were grieved, and thought that the other person was not as good as originally perceived.
Master said,
“Since human beings have sentimentality, being upset is sentimentality, so are happiness, love, hatred, enjoying doing one thing, resenting doing another thing, preferring one person to another, hobbies, and dislikes. Everything belongs to sentimentality, and everyday people just live for it.” (Zhuan Falun)
The problem between myself and the other practitioner was that we were handling everything with a human mindset, whereas Dafa disciples should instead validate the Fa, a magnificent and holy task, as cultivators. We were both involved in many things, even the trivial things in life, and our human sentimentality eventually grew without our noticing it.
The process of eliminating sentimentality is very painful, and bad thoughts constantly emerged. I rationally told myself that the old forces were just manipulating the omissions of the other practitioner to obstruct us, preventing us from fulfilling our tasks of validating the Fa, and that I absolutely must eliminate them. If I really wanted to be a Dafa disciple, I needed to use righteous thoughts to view this problem. I didn't recall the other practitioner's words, nor did I care about the other practitioner's words. Once I had a bad thought I'd think, “That's not my fellow practitioner, as my fellow practitioner is a rational Dafa disciple. Don't you come here to interfere.” Otherwise I would eliminate it.
This time around, I fell due to sentiment between the other practitioner and myself. We often enlightened to the same Fa principle at the same time. This was the wisdom that Master provided us with, which allowed us to cooperate well when validating the Fa. However, I regarded it as great caring that existed between us. I didn't walk well on the path Master had paved for us.
On the last leg of the Fa-rectification, we should give up the human mindset and be courageously diligent. Master said,
“Validate the Fa with rationality, clarify the truth with wisdom, spread the Fa and save people with mercy—this is establishing the mighty virtue of an Enlightened Being.” (“Rationality” from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
My cultivation level is limited. If there is anything inappropriate please point it out. Heshi!
