(Minghui.org) Whatever I come across in my daily life, I remind myself that I am a Dafa practitioner. I want to be sure that every thought of mine is on the Fa. If a fellow practitioner points out or reminds me of something, I consider myself fortunate. This happened a few days ago.
I had purchased something over the Internet, but I had to return it. The purchase came with a gift, which was a scarf that had a design and color that I found very attractive. A colleague told me that I was not required to return the gift, so I was seriously considering her suggestion. Another colleague, a fellow practitioner, said that I should return the gift with the original purchase. I hesitated for a moment and then assured her I would. I realized that being a Dafa practitioner is not the same as being a regular person. The scarf was inexpensive and yet I found it attractive, because the design and color were unusual.
My first thought was that my fellow practitioner was being overly picky and inflexible. As soon as that thought appeared, I felt ashamed. I have been a Dafa practitioner for well over 10 years (since 1999)--how could I have such a thought? I had to negate it completely. So I sent forth righteous thoughts to disintegrate it, and suddenly I felt clear.
I thank fellow practitioners for their reminders. Recalling this, if there had been no such reminder, I might not have realized my problem. It seemed like a small matter, but it had to do with my real cultivation, whether or not every thought of mine is up to the standard of Dafa cultivation. It is reasonable to kindly point out fellow practitioners' problems.
But if the person who is reminded does not accept the suggestion and is unwilling to let go of his or her attachment, unwilling to look within, and instead says, "How can you criticize me--you do not always act correctly yourself," that could be a serious mistake in cultivation.
Of course, there's also state of mind involved in the person who offers a reminder. If one person doesn't like the other's behavior, saying critical things without being kind and using a friendly tone, it may cause the other person to have difficulty accepting the suggestion. Compatibility is important. A reminder needs to be offered in a friendly way, with compassion, making it easy to accept.
As practitioners, when we give a reminder, regardless of the other's attitude, we need to look within. There could be something wrong with us. This can raise our xinxing. So we should value fellow practitioners' reminders highly and sincerely thank them for their concern.
