Look Inward, Not Outward

(Minghui.org) Some practitioners in our area have been persecuted severely by the old forces, to the point of not being able of sustaining themselves financially. They are unable to do the three things, work on Dafa projects, or save sentient beings. They have been looking for employment everywhere. Several young practitioners have quit the Dafa projects they were working on. I said to one of them, “Don't go out of town to look for a job.” He replied, “I don't even have money to feed myself.”

I realized that no matter what city or country we live in, our paths have been arranged. We are responsible for the Dafa projects and saving the sentient beings in a certain area. Of course, those who are displaced are exceptions. But under normal circumstances, practitioners should take care of the area where they live, because sentient beings are waiting for them to save them. Previously, I didn't pay attention to this matter because I'm single. One time, while I was preparing to move and waiting for the transportation, a classmate came up to me. She anxiously said, “Don't you recognize me?” Later I ran into several old acquaintances. I realized I had responsibilities were I was. It was all pre-arranged, so I couldn't leave.

If practitioners are experiencing financial persecution, I suggest that they look inward first and find the attachments that they still harbor. They may not have noticed that they still have the attachment of yearning for money. I know a young female practitioner who looked for a job for many years, but could not find one. Later she became a janitor at an Internet cafe, but her boss still didn't think much of her. At any rate, she could not hold a job. Finally, a practitioner found her a job taking care of elderly people. The job was easy, the pay was decent, and she only had to work half a day.

I thought this must have been Teacher's merciful arrangement so that she didn't have to worry about sustaining herself and she would be able to do Dafa work. Nevertheless, she had a strong desire to make money. She asked me many times to teach her how to run a business or let her join my business as a shareholder. Her arguments seemed reasonable when she said that Dafa projects needed money. I thought she had a very strong attachment to money. She wanted to register a business and make money overnight. That is so risky. When she saw other people making money, she became upset, and thought she could do the same. I really didn't know what to say. If I pointed these things out to her lightly, she couldn't understand. If my words were too strong, she would argue back, like a child, expressing the attachment of competitiveness instead of focusing on the Fa principles. She enjoyed talking about food and restaurants. Some practitioners would treat her to a meal to satisfy her, and she never refused. Is that the state of a cultivator? We know that the Buddha begged for food to save sentient beings, and Teacher endured many hardships to save us. As Dafa practitioners, we should cultivate diligently to reach consummation, and suffer hardships to pay off our debts. We should not seek comfort and hold onto things ordinary people consider to be good. All human desires and attachments are like strings that tie us down. If we do not reach the standard, it would be impossible to leave here even if we were on the boat.

A practitioner should follow the course of nature. If something is yours, you will not lose it. If something is not yours, you will not have it even if you pursue it. I was illegally detained once. My sister, who is not a practitioner, took my bankcard to withdraw some of my money. Usually, the money can be withdrawn as long as one has the password. But the teller asked her, “Is this your card?” She made up a story and said, “My sister is sick, so she asked me to get the money for her.” The teller said, “Tell her to get it herself.” My sister told me about it after I was released. I thought, “Teacher is watching over practitioners who are truly cultivating. No one can touch what is yours.”

Studying the Fa but not understanding it is a serious problem. That is because practitioners are not measuring themselves against the Fa principles when doing things, and they are solving problems with human notions. Some practitioners use slang words when they are talking, words that ordinary people use in their daily lives. They can't tell that they are drifting along with society and so they are unable to elevate their hearts. A practitioner said, “Whenever I see the guards that persecute practitioners, I just want to beat them up.” Whenever they are in conflict with others, they talk about beating others. Isn't that being human? Those who study the Fa but don't understand it are interfered with by the bad elements. They should quickly disintegrate the bad elements by sending forth strong righteous thoughts. Human beings look outward and see others' problems, but practitioners should look inward to find our own shortcomings. This is the difference between an ordinary person and a cultivator. If practitioners look outward when in a conflict, search for others' shortcomings and use objective reasons to find fault, then that is not the correct state of a cultivator.

Above are my understandings at my current level. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.