(Clearwisdom.net) I recently noticed a problem in the course of studying the Fa and cultivation practice. I would like to share my thoughts with everyone so that we can remove impurities and progress diligently together.
I found that many of the impurities from the old forces in the universe are also noticeable in some individual practitioners.
The first thing is jealousy. Master said, "They think that these students have obtained it too easily, because even they can't be Fa-rectification disciples." ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington D.C. International Fa Conference" in Guiding the Voyage) Out of jealousy, the old forces try to ruin practitioners with no regard for the consequences. It is clear that the damaging effect of jealousy is enormous.
I noticed that this kind of jealousy is also rather noticeable among certain individual practitioners. However, since it is deeply hidden, it is not easy for many practitioners to detect. The reflected phenomenon is that they would find a particular practitioner's manners disagreeable or annoying, and they would be extremely sensitive and negative toward this practitioner's shortcomings. Whenever there are rumors about this practitioner, they would join the gossip and make comments. If they see or hear that this practitioner has done something good, they would not feel happy for him or her, dismissing it as no big deal. They think they have enlightened to very high-level principles, so when listening to others sharing their experiences they cannot keep a modest mind. Instead, they compare other practitioners' understandings of the Fa with their own. They would feel pleased with themselves when hearing others commenting on how well they have cultivated and feel uneasy upon hearing any complaints about them.
This kind of jealousy is a main factor in causing disagreements among some practitioners. I feel that the root of the jealousy is attaching too much importance to their own cultivation levels and future attainment status. This jealousy is especially prominent among those who have always been outstanding in certain aspects among everyday people. Since they have gained much benefit and satisfaction from being superior to others from a young age, it is very easy for them to unconsciously develop this kind of mental state.
Actually, the meaning of a life's existence is not based on whether its level is high or low. This is easy to say, but because we are living in a maze, it is difficult for us to spot the jealousy and eliminate it unless we pay special attention to it.
The next phenomenon is wanting to change everyone else instead of oneself, stubbornly holding on to one's own attachments. It is most apparent when a problem arises, and people tend to look for causes in others. Although they may also look inward, mostly they look outward. When they see a conflict among others, they think that it is the others' problem and has nothing to do with them. In doing Dafa work, when they think that their own idea is good, they require others to follow. They may appear to solicit other people's opinion, when in fact they had already made up their mind. Therefore when others propose a different idea, they cannot stay calm to consider if the idea is reasonable or not, but immediately find all sorts of reasons to reject it.
The phenomena I have written about have shown up in myself and in some practitioners around me to a certain extent. I wrote about these not-so-good phenomena in hopes that fellow practitioners who have the same kinds of attachments would confront and eliminate them. Actually, the difference between a cultivator and an everyday person lies in how he or she responds to a conflict. In a conflict, an everyday person would respond in such a way - "if you swear at me I will swear at you, and if you hit me I will hit you back as well," because in a conflict, an everyday person only sees his or her personal interest suffering a loss. However, for a cultivator, being in a conflict provides precisely the best opportunity to improve oneself. In fact, we are cultivating ourselves. The more impurities we get rid of, the more assimilated to the Fa we become. This is also assisting Master to rectify the Fa, because the more deviated things we rectify, the more lives in the systems for which we are responsible will become assimilated to the Fa. Of course, in order to purify ourselves, it is crucial to study the Fa.
Finally I want to quote Master's words as a mutual inspiration, "Those people find it difficult because they cannot let go of these things. Cultivation practice itself is not difficult, and neither is upgrading one's level itself difficult. It is because they cannot give up the human mind that they call it difficult." "As a truly-determined practitioner, one is able to endure everything and give up or care less for any attachment in the face of various self-interests. As long as one can do this, it will not be difficult." (Zhuan Falun)
If there is anything improper, I hope fellow practitioners can point them out to me.
