Helping Fellow Practitioners Improve Based on the Fa

(Minghui.org) After over two decades of cultivation in Falun Dafa, it always saddens me to see that some practitioners renounced their faith when faced with the pressure of the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution; or some strayed away from Dafa after being distracted by serious family issues; yet there are still others who succumbed to the old forces’ interference and eventually passed away. 

While reasons vary, I believe that the major reason for those practitioners to fail to pass tests and tribulations is that they have omissions in their understanding of the fundamentals of Dafa’s teachings. 

It is urgent to help fellow practitioners who are going through tests and tribulations, but to help fellow practitioners to truly improve their understanding of the Fa is not easy. I will share some of my personal experiences here, so that we can all improve ourselves in the process of helping fellow practitioners.

Being Empathetic

Dafa cultivators go through different tribulations on their cultivation path, but if one does not have faith in Master Li (Falun Dafa's founder) and Dafa, or lacks a clear understanding of the Fa, one will run into more hurdles, be easily puzzled, and then consequently lose faith in Master Li and Dafa altogether.

To help them, we should first show empathy by encouraging them to share their thoughts so as to help them identify their loopholes. We should offer practitioners tangible and feasible measures for them to experience the power of the Fa, strengthen their belief in the Fa, and eventually walk out of the ordeal. Doing so, we build scaffolds to support them to gradually elevate to higher levels, and improve in Dafa cultivation. 

It is not easy to discover the crux of fellow practitioners’ problems, and it is even more difficult to come up with strategies that are effective. Therefore, helping fellow practitioners to overcome their tribulations requires us to have solid understanding of the Fa ourselves, as well as our ability to apply the principles of the Fa to tackle issues in our cultivation. Any measures we take that don't meet the expectations of all practitioners involved might cause confusion or even be harmful to the practitioners who are in tribulations.

“Helpers’” Arrogance Is Harmful

Some of our fellow practitioners cause more harm while “helping” practitioners in tribulation. They arrogantly talk about what they call high-level principles of the Fa, expose the practitioners-in-tribulation’s problems mercilessly, and point fingers at the latter when disagreements occur. Some even make irresponsible remarks behind the back of the practitioners going through tribulations. Some give unrealistic suggestions, causing heavy psychological burdens on the practitioners in tribulation and making it even more difficult for them to get out of the tribulations. 

Looking down upon fellow practitioners in distress is a revelation of jealousy and a big loophole in one’s own cultivation. Negativity is poisonous and it can pollute other practitioners’ minds. It should be strictly avoided. 

Treating Fellow Practitioners with Compassion

Cultivators going through tribulations and tests are very vulnerable and easily pained. When communicating with them, we must first have a compassionate heart. It is very important to genuinely cherish our fellow practitioners. 

We should not force practitioners to reach certain standards because many of us have gradual attainment. It’s always better to help fellow practitioners correct their own problems and reach the realm that they can, instead of pulling them up to a realm that is beyond their reach. Studying the Fa well and maintaining righteous understanding is crucial when helping others, so as to avoid causing harm or creating interference to others.

Every practitioner’s cultivation path is the result of his enlightenment in the Fa. Practitioners with high enthusiasm but poor understanding of the Fa teachings may not be the best persons to offer help to those in need. 

For cultivators who are going through tribulations, they can share their thoughts and experiences with fellow practitioners who have compassion and a solid understanding of Dafa’s teachings. Open up your hearts and share your confusion about the principles of the Fa, so as to become more mature in cultivation. 

Whether we help others or are in need of help ourselves, we must study the Fa to obtain a solid understanding of the Fa principles. Without the support of Dafa’s teachings, no one can truly help us solve the fundamental issues.

This is my personal understanding. Please kindly point out anything that is inappropriate.