(Minghui.org) Two recent incidents helped me realize that, while we are helping others, we are invariably helping ourselves to improve and elevate in cultivation.
Helping Others Is Helping Myself
My friend, a fellow practitioner, called me last December and asked me if I could come see her.
I went to her house straight after work. Her face was bandaged, her eyes were bloodshot, there was a big bump on her forehead, one of her front teeth was missing, and her upper lip was swollen. She told me that she had been in a car accident and ended up in the hospital. The doctor stitched up her split lip and wanted her to stay there for observation, but she insisted on going home.
I believed it wasn't a coincidence that my friend was telling me about her accident, and thought, “What attachment do I need to get rid of?”
She asked me to do her some favors, so I promised I would.
My employer only allows us two days off work without pay, and I really could do with the money. But now my friend needs my help. Should I take the days off to take care of her needs, or should I go to work so I won't lose money?
I saw my strong attachment to self-interest and decided that I had to let it go. So, after I finished what I needed to do, I set off for her house.
We spent the whole afternoon studying the Fa and sharing our experiences. Another practitioner joined us later.
As evening approached, I asked my friend if it was OK if I ate at her place, as I didn’t feel like going home for dinner. She agreed and used her good hand to pass me the apron.
I was shocked. “I’m having dinner at your house, and you want me to do the cooking!” I exclaimed.
My friend hastily apologized and said that she would cook. The other practitioner then intervened and said that she would do the cooking.
I looked at the other practitioner and smiled. My friend had had an accident and was in very bad shape. I felt very sad for her, but my words and actions were so cold. I sent forth righteous thoughts silently and looked inward. I asked myself why I had behaved like that.
The other practitioner left as soon as she finished cooking dinner. As we sat down to eat, I could see how difficult it was for my friend to hold her rice bowl. I recited Master's Fa to her:
“I'm Li Hongzhi's disciple, I don't want other arrangements or acknowledge them” (“Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference”)
Master has told us that if we can really believe that from the bottom of our hearts, then He can definitely help us.
My friend nodded in agreement.
It was time to send forth righteous thought after we had finished eating. After that, I suggested that we do the exercises.
I kept my eyes open to observe her exercise movements. When she was holding out her arms for the second exercise, I noticed that she was breathing heavily and was in a lot of pain. I could only silently send forth righteous thought to help her. I admired her for continuing until we finished the fourth exercise.
When I went to my friend’s house the next day, I noticed that the bump on her forehead had disappeared, her eyes were not red anymore, and the swelling had gone down on her lip. Her face also looked normal, except for a little discoloration on the bridge of her nose.
Several days later, she went to have her stitches removed.
Other practitioners who heard about my friend’s accident went to visit her with gifts. This went on for many days. She kindly declined all of the gifts and insisted that she should not be treated as a “sick person.” However, many practitioners kept taking her food and gifts. She got frustrated and decided to go and stay with her sister for a while.
I thought that her reaction was questionable. Under Master's protection, she had survived a car crash and her wounds had healed so quickly. If she had stayed at home, she could have used the opportunity to validate the Fa and save more sentient beings, including her relatives, friends, the driver involved in the accident, the doctors, and her work colleagues.
My friend later realized that she needed to validate the Fa and came to where I worked. We used this opportunity to clarify the facts to my colleagues. She also eventually found her attachments and human notions.
It’s just as what Master says:
“Whatever you experience during your cultivation--whether good or bad--is good, for it comes about only because you are cultivating.” (“To the Chicago Fa Conference” from The Essentials of Diligent Progress Vol. III)
I continued to look within and saw clearly my attachments to laziness and the desire to seek comfort. I also have a strong attachment to “self.”
My friend had an accident because she was rushing to save time, and so failed to pay attention to road safety. Similarly, every day after work, I also try to save time. When I ride my motorcycle, I change lanes to get ahead of others and sometimes rush red lights. This is a severe case of thinking of myself and not of other drivers or pedestrians. I finally came to understand this important point.
Looking Inward Is a Magical Tool
A fellow practitioner once called to tell me that her printer wasn't working properly. She was quite anxious and asked for my help. I went to her home after work and found that her printer worked fine with other materials but not when printing truth clarification messages on banknotes.
As I was leaving, I told her in jest: “Everything seems to be normal. Guess you just need to look inward.”
That evening after dinner, I took out my own printer to print truth clarification messages on banknotes. I went through all the procedures, but nothing happened. I repeated all the necessary steps, but the result was the same. Everything seemed to be in order, only it wasn't printing. I was puzzled: “Why is the same thing happening to me that happened to my friend?”
I stopped checking the printer and tried to figure out my problem. I was thinking: “Since the printer and the computer are fine, the problem must lie with me.” I sat down and quietly started to look inward.
I remembered that I had been using a tape measure that afternoon, but had difficulty with it. I lost my temper and threw it away out of frustration. So why was I impatient? I realized that this impatience was not the real me. It’s demon nature. I’m a Dafa disciple. How could I have behaved like that? I realized that I was wrong.
While I was thinking this, I was also repeating the procedures to work the printer. Then a miracle happened! The printer worked!
Master said, “For a cultivator, looking within is a magical tool.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference”)
A lot of wonderful things have happened to me over a decade of my cultivation practice that can’t be expressed in words. I also have a profound gratitude to Master.
Thank you to our merciful and great Master.
Category: Improving Oneself
