(Minghui.org) During our sharing today, a practitioner kept criticizing others. She said that one person did not have good hygiene, that another one was too stubborn, that this person was a sloppy dresser, and that that person was neither diligent nor rational. She criticized everyone, from her unmarried daughter to her son-in-law. She seemed to dislike and disapprove of everyone around her. I pointed it out to her, and she said that I was right. She said she would stop talking about others, then she began to criticize her nephew. I reminded her again, “When you disapprove of others, it means that you still have an attachment to jealousy. Your heart is moved when other people's words and behavior do not conform to your notions.”
This practitioner suddenly realized, “Oh, so when I disapprove of others, it means that I still have an attachment to jealousy. No wonder I felt awkward but did not know why.” Teacher says in Falun Gong, “Jealous types look down upon others...” (5th Translation Edition, 2006) We understood the following after some sharing: “When we look down upon others and fail to appreciate their behavior, intentions, and words, or when their unintentional words and behavior upset us and make us become resentful or competitive, it is because we have an attachment to jealousy. After looking inward, we might have thought it was because we did not cultivate our speech or that we were not tolerant. In fact, it was because we did not find the root cause of our attachments—the attachment to jealousy. Jealousy can manifest as 'not wanting to see others as more capable or better than we ourselves are,' but it can also manifest as 'looking down upon others,' which can be deeply hidden.”
When we are jealous, we might look down upon everyone, including bad people, good people, friends, colleagues, family, and relatives. The yardstick we use to measure others are the notions we should be getting rid of. How can those notions be used as a standard to measure others? How can we save people if we look down upon them? When our tone of voice contains traces of disapproval, how can we transmit the message of wanting to save them? Otherwise, people may still not listen to us even if we sound rational. If we look down upon others, the effect of saving sentient beings will not be good.
The practitioner commented, “I've gained a lot today! This time I found the root cause of the attachment. When I stop regarding others with disdain and eliminate the attachment to jealousy, everything looks fine and I'm more tolerant. I don't feel awkward when talking to others. Things go well when I'm assimilated to the characteristic of the universe. One cannot consummate if the attachment to jealousy is not eliminated. When I elevate my xinxing, everything else is elevated as well!”
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Category: Improving Oneself
