(Minghui.org) As a Falun Dafa practitioner, I know that I should look inward when encountering issues. Yet in the past, due to my limited cultivation level, I only looked inward superficially. I thought I just needed to eliminate my attachments, and didn’t understand the deeper meaning of looking inward.
After studying the Fa more carefully, I gradually realized that looking within was not only for personal improvement, but also impacted the changes and improvement of the celestial beings related to us, and the people with whom we have predestined relationships. People around us will change when we improve our xinxing.
I once made dinner for my parents-in-law and wanted them to eat first since I needed to take care of my child. After preparing the food on the table, I said to my father-in-law, “You can just leave the bowls in the sink after you are done. I will take care of it later.”
He got mad upon hearing this and grabbed a bowl full of congee and threw it on the floor. The congee splashed on me, but I didn’t say anything.
My father-in-law had a bad temper, and would throw the dishes on the floor when he was angry. I thought about why this happened to me. I realized that my tone of voice wasn’t very kind when I talked to him; it was my fault. I should be kind to the elderly. I have since changed myself and treated my father-in-law with a kind heart. He changed too, and our family is now more harmonious.
I have observed several practitioners around me who are still not able to step out of personal cultivation. They are entangled in sentimentality and various interests of ordinary people. They do not look within to find the reasons behind their problems. They instead often complain about being treated unfairly by their loved ones.
From the perspective of ordinary people, they were mistreated. But to practitioners, it could be the result of a wrong we had done to them in a past life. If we didn’t practice Falun Dafa and Master Li (the founder) didn’t pay the debt for us, how could we pay it off ourselves? Why then do we still feel it’s unfair?
What's more, in this special historical period, those who have created difficulties or caused us pain, also came for the Fa. They repeatedly played a negative role in our cultivation since we didn’t eliminate our attachments. Aren't they suffering for us? They didn’t want us to pay the debt we owe them. What they really want is the Fa. That is the fundamental guarantee of survival. With Dafa, all grievances can be settled fairly. This is the purpose of their relationship with us in this lifetime.
We are Dafa disciples during the Fa-rectification period. Our loved ones may be the sentient beings in our universe. Whether we can eliminate attachments and improve our xinxing affects their salvation. They in turn, affect our cultivation. Only by looking inward can we change the factors that are not in line with the Fa.
Looking within is not a slogan. We must put it into practice at all times and correct our words and actions according to Dafa.
Master said,
“When I say ‘the appearance stems from the mind,’ by that I also mean that the difficulty stems from your overstating the importance of the matter itself and seeing yourself in a lesser light. Don’t take any such things to be a big deal, for with something as significant as saving sentient beings you should just do what you are supposed to do, going about it in a composed manner.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. X)
Our cultivation environment is created by ourselves and reflects our xinxing level in the human world. We should not focus on others, but look within to find our shortcomings. When our xinxing improves, the people around us will change as well.
Under Master's blessing, I learned how to treat everything and everyone around me with righteous thoughts. I sincerely thank Master.
Category: Improving Oneself
