Learning to Thank Those Who Test My Character

(Minghui.org) Recently, I have had some new understandings of Master's poem where it says,

“'He's right,And I'm wrong,'What's to dispute?” (“Who's Right, Who's Wrong” in Hong Yin III)

I understand that I should truly thank those who have created xinxing tests for me. And I often run into such tests with fellow practitioners.

I have cultivated away some of my human attachments and notions but oftentimes, I would feel a hint of resentment or bear a grudge towards other practitioners.

I felt that their xinxing were not good and they didn't cultivate well. Gradually, I developed a sort of prejudice against them. Sometimes, if those practitioners' names were brought up in conversation, I would automatically have negative thoughts.

Recently, I experienced a slightly bigger xinxing test. I was scolded by a practitioner. The practitioner's expression was very fierce and upset me. I look inward and found that I had a competitive mentality, jealousy, resentment, narrow-mindedness and did not cultivate my speech.

Despite finding these attachments, I still thought that the other party was at fault and struggled internally, thinking, “Is it right to scold someone so fiercely?”

I couldn't understand what Master taught us in “Who's Right, Who's Wrong” in Hong Yin III. It seemed so obvious to me that the other party was wrong for losing his temper. As for me, I was almost silent the whole time.

On second thought, Master never said that we are right and the other party is wrong. So, the problem must lie with me. My thinking must be wrong and that is why I could not fully comprehend Master's Fa on this issue.

One day, I enlightened: That's right! On the surface, the other party is wrong. But, the other party has created a xinxing test for me. It is a chance for me to improve my xinxing. So, he is right.

In the past, when it came to conflicts with other practitioners, I often thought from human principles and who is right and wrong on the surface. I was upset when practitioners berated me. I felt that they behaved worse than non-practitioners.

In other words, I was unwilling to cultivate myself and could not use the Fa-principles to handle the conflicts.

If I look at conflicts from the perspective of the Fa teachings, I should be thinking: “I must be wrong in some area, which caused the other party to treat me this way.”

Although berating others is wrong, this is an opportunity for me to improve my xinxing and enlarge my capacity. If not for these conflicts, my deeply hidden attachments would not have been exposed.

I also realized that my starting point of looking within had been wrong because I still thought that I was right. I was only tolerating on the surface. As I didn't understand what Master said in “Who's Right, Who's Wrong” in Hong Yin III, I always had resentment and negative thoughts.

Master mentioned, “For cultivation is like climbing steps.” (“Delusion” in Hong Yin)

My current understanding is that to reach the final destination, we need to take on each of these steps. So, aren't these steps like the xinxing tests? And, these tests come in all forms from people in society, our relatives and friends and practitioners. Shouldn't we truly thank all these people that have set up the steps for us?

An everyday person will show gratitude toward those who have helped him. As for a cultivator, we should truly thank fellow practitioners that have created xinxing tests for us, acted as one of the steps in our cultivation journey and helping us to become magnificent gods.

On how to look at conflicts, Master has said before in Zhuan Falun, “youshould thank him in your heart and thank him sincerely.”

I enlightened that the process of cultivating is to expand one's capacity continuously. My capacity has been insufficient, as I could not thank people from the bottom of my heart, and I developed resentment and prejudice instead. To achieve this, I must look inwards unconditionally and cultivate away my human notions.