Dissolving Jealousy from the Root

(Minghui.org) Throughout my cultivation, I’ve always paid particular attention to jealousy. I recently felt that my jealousy was still quite strong and mainly manifested in the form of looking down on others. I didn’t want to interact with people who I looked down upon, especially fellow practitioners. Even though there are many practitioners in Taiwan, I always felt distanced from them and as though I were cultivating by myself.

I realized that I looked down on other practitioners because I was attached to my own understandings of the Fa's principles. For example, I believed that practitioners shouldn’t waste time on what I felt were meaningless activities, such as traveling, singing, and dancing. I also believed that we shouldn’t live a life of luxury and that even eating fine food was not appropriate. I felt uneasy whenever I saw other practitioners doing these things, and I started to resent them.

I now realize that this resentment stemmed from my jealousy. I regarded my understanding of the Fa as the truth and even more advanced than Dafa itself.

This mindset is not respectful of Master Li Hongzhi and Dafa. Even more seriously, it’s the beginning of what Master discussed in Zhuan Falun: “Demonic Interference From One’s Own Mind.”

Master Li also taught,

“The Buddha Fa has different manifestations at different levels. However, the higher the level, the closer it is to the truth. The lower the level, the further away from the truth. Those monks reached the state of Unlocking Gong and became enlightened at low levels. To interpret what Sakyamuni said, they used the manifestation of the universe that they saw at their levels and the situations and principles that they understood.” (Lecture 3, Zhuan Falun)

The monks' attachment to their own understandings of the Buddha Fa led to its disappearance in India. I used my understanding of the Fa to evaluate other practitioners, and I looked down upon those who couldn’t reach my standard. Those thoughts were negative and far from the standard we strive to reach: Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

Jealousy was behind my looking down on other practitioners. I felt that I worked so hard while some practitioners seemed to enjoy themselves.

While studying the Fa recently, I had a sudden realization. At that moment, I felt that Dafa was so enormous, solemn, and sacred, encompassing everything in the universe. I also realized how small my own understanding of the Fa was. Even if I complete my cultivation in the future, my understanding will only encompass a very tiny portion of Dafa. There are so many higher-level Fa principles that I haven't yet enlightened to!

I realized that what jealousy fears most is compassion and kindness. When our heart is filled with kind thoughts and we always think of others, then jealousy and evil thoughts will have no place and disappear. When we are filled with compassion, we can dissolve the arrangements made by the old forces, walk our cultivation path well, and help save sentient beings.