Lessons Learned about Helping Other Practitioners

(Minghui.org) I have been involved in several projects for several years. It is true that we have worked together and done a lot. But at the same time, I have seen some areas that could be improved. Below are some of my observations and thoughts.

Rectifying Ourselves with the Fa, Not Relying on Others

I used to think that, since Master does not give up on any of us, we should help other practitioners unconditionally. So when practitioners were arrested or had illness tribulations or some other issues, we would immediately volunteer to provide assistance. But sometimes the outcome was less than ideal.

One practitioner often helped rescue detained practitioners and helped practitioners who were suffering from illness karma. As time went on, practitioners started to rely on him and even admired him. When problems came up, these practitioners went straight to him instead of looking inward based on the Fa or asking Master for help. Because he was helping other practitioners with all their issues, which sometimes even included things like which college a practitioner's child should go to, this practitioner had little time to study the Fa and send forth righteous thoughts.

Master is taking care of each of us and we are all Dafa disciples. If a practitioner always looks externally for help when issues arise instead of improving him or herself based on the Fa, that is not right.

If a practitioner is attached to his or her ability to help others and is thus unable to focus on doing the three things, it would be better for that person to calm down for a while and sort things out.

This has happened to me. Two elderly practitioners suffered from illness karma, so I helped them study the Fa and send forth righteous. This resolved their problems temporarily. Their issues later recurred many times, and they kept coming to me for help. I realized this was not right and reminded them to study the Fa more and to act according to the Fa. They stopped seeking my help, and their problems disappeared.

All of our abilities come from Master. If we are too attached to our skills and make casual comments about others' cultivation, we could push these practitioners away from the Fa and thus undermine the Fa. Praise from other practitioners could reinforce our selfish egos and our attachments to showing-off. We could cause damage and losses, leaving regrets on our paths of cultivation.

In Zhuan Falun, Master tells the story of Shen Gongbao and Jiang Ziya. To me, this passage highlights the importance of following one's mission rather than being attached to one's skills. As Dafa disciples, this is the only way for us to do well and fulfill our prehistoric vows.

Sentimentality and Lust

There are other types of reliance. I have seen that some practitioners, especially male practitioners, are very busy every day. As a result, some female practitioners began to help them do their laundry and even cooked meals for them. I think this is inappropriate.

I know a male practitioner who is talented and has strong righteous thoughts. Many female practitioners like to talk to him about family issues and their personal problems. They call him a lot and ask him to work on projects with them. Because there is lust involved, this male practitioner is actually able to get very little done. In fact, a practitioner in our region even lost his life after facing a similar situation.

Practitioners of the opposite gender must pay close attention to the extent of their relationships. We should not do things with impure thoughts. Some female practitioners are very willing to provide cars and even apartments to male practitioners. It would be a good idea for these practitioners to reflect on their intentions before making such offers. And, of course, a male practitioner and a female practitioner should not live together if they are not married, because that is very dangerous.

Not Going to Extremes

It is important for practitioners to share openly. I have seen cultivation issues in certain regions and noticed that hardly anyone communicates with each other. This makes it difficult for practitioners to improve as one body.

Some practitioners always talk a lot and other practitioners wait for them to give advice. But it is the Fa that guides us, improves our xinxing, and solves our problems. It is very risky when a practitioner always likes to talk about his own understandings and no longer makes decisions based on the Fa.

A practitioner from another city come to visit us to discuss how to set up more small production sites. We all felt that we learned a lot.

Some of our local practitioners became attached to this practitioner and hoped he would visit more often. He was aware of the many issues mentioned above and did not come again. Gradually, practitioners in my area followed the Fa and worked out a way to produce materials.

As long as we keep studying the Fa and follow the Fa, we will be able to do the three things well.