(Minghui.org) People naturally want to hear pleasant things, but practitioners should be different. The principles that guide practitioners are often the reverse of those found in society.
Even though I knew this, however, I found my fellow practitioner's words to be quite unpleasant.
I went to Alice's home a few days ago and we shared our cultivation experiences. She was happy to see that I was examining my own thoughts and behavior, and she then told me a story.
Alice said that Betty had run into a new practitioner at another practitioner's home in 2017. The new practitioner was installing an NTD Television satellite system at that time. Betty said that the new practitioner was a real chatter box and had a real faculty with words. The implication was that she did not like the new practitioner. Betty asked Alice who the new practitioner was, but Alice refused to comment.
I laughed after I heard this story because I happened to be the new practitioner in Betty’s words. I actually knew what my problem was.
The worrisome issue, which manifested through me, has also been a common problem among other practitioners: They know what their attachments are, but are unwilling to let them go.
Master said:
“So whether it is good things or bad things you run into, so long as you cultivate in Dafa, they are all positive, to be sure.” (Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005)
I know that I am far from meeting Master's requirements. When I felt displeased with myself and uncomfortable, I didn't regard the reminders from other practitioners that these hardships were actually good things. How could I unconditionally look within?
If Alice had told me the story earlier, I would have felt very uneasy, for sure. How could I feel comfortable when a practitioner, whom I didn't even know, says something like this?
But all of a sudden I felt deeply grateful, and I thanked Betty for not mincing words. I felt enveloped in a bright light.
Category: Improving Oneself
