(Clearwisdom.net)
Hello, dear practitioners!
My name is Anna. I practice Falun Dafa in Ukraine. I would like to share my thoughts about the relationships between practitioners.
Recently in our group there have been some conflicts, which had a negative influence on general coordination. This distressed me a lot, but I did not know what I should do to make the two sides see their failings and take a step back. In that very moment when I was thinking about it, an answer came to me: a conflict will be settled when all of the students in the group look inward and put down their human attachments. I started to think what kind of human attachment I had: why did I see these students who could not accept each other?
People in our country ask often: "Why do you care so much about the problems of China? Why should I be interested in this issue?" Although we had a lot of convincing answers, the question is still there. It seems to me that ordinary people's altitudes reflect practitioners' states of mind, such as our attitudes toward the problems of other practitioners and to the projects which they are a part of.
Recently, a few things happened to me that helped me to understand how important it is to have positive thoughts about other practitioners and how dangerous it is to be irritated by them.
One Saturday we went to another city to hold a truth clarification activity. Before the activity, I found out that we did not have enough flyers. I knew that practitioners who came from other cities were not able to print truth-clarifying materials, since they were not well off. I decided immediately to find a printing shop to print fliers. I spoke emotionally with one practitioner. However, I was irritated by his attitude and behavior when he asked me to not print materials.
I walked down the street to look for a print shop. I was thinking constantly about how bad this practitioner's behavior was. I was resentful of the fact that he was not diligent enough. As I walked, I asked passers-by for a print shop. However, nobody could give me correct directions. I was asking myself, "I have such a pure desire to print flyers for this activity. It is so important for saving sentient beings. Why can't I find a print shop?" Then a voice in my head said, "You will find a print shop when you stop having bad thoughts about your fellow practitioner."
Suddenly I had a better understanding on this issue: no matter how I cover up my dissatisfaction, it will be exposed, since it is not in accordance with "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." Moreover, I experienced such bad feelings toward my fellow practitioner. I was attached to his shortcomings and I wanted to change him, but not myself. As soon as I understood this, I decided to give up my wrong thoughts and I found a print shop! In addition, I discovered a Chinese restaurant that was a good location for us to clarify the truth to local Chinese people.
One time I worked with another practitioner who didn't have much experience in speaking to VIPs and the media to clarify the truth in a city. An editor invited us to the opening of a local press club, where we would have a chance to talk with a lot of journalists. We agreed with pleasure. At the meeting I saw that this practitioner was clarifying the truth at too high a level so the journalists could not understand clearly.
After the meeting, I pointed out to him that his truth-clarification method was not good. I told him that he should explain things in a way that ordinary people could understand. This practitioner told me that my understanding was wrong. After a silence we sat down and began to discuss our attachments in order to eliminate them. I apologized for my lack of tolerance. Suddenly I discovered that the seat where I sat was freshly painted. My white trousers became red, while his pants were clean. He said to me with a smile, "Looks like that you cannot go to clarify the truth. I will go alone."
Teacher said in "Further Understanding" in Essentials for Further Advancement:
"Do you realize that as long as you're a cultivator, in any environment or under any circumstances, I will use any troubles or unpleasant things you come across--even if they involve work for Dafa, or no matter how good or sacred you think they are--to eliminate your attachments and expose your demon-nature so that it can be eliminated, for your improvement is what's most important."
The Understanding of Sentimentality
Dafa practitioners are persecuted severely in China. The old forces actually persecute Dafa disciples worldwide. One of the methods to make us give up our practice is to influence us through our wrong concepts or our human feelings.
Many practitioners in my city are young. One of the common disturbances that stop them from cultivating is sentimentality. Many young practitioners ceased their cultivation because of sentimentality. Disturbed by it, some practitioners become depressed and are no longer diligent, so this issue is very serious.
Recently one of our fellow practitioners completely stopped practicing Dafa. He had diligently practiced for more than five years. He used to print a lot of materials, and distributed them wherever he went. He went to the railway station to distribute flyers after work. Many practitioners admired him.
The old forces took advantage of his loophole in cultivation. He stopped cultivating and became upset and depressed. We discussed this problem and decided to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference that blocked him. Soon he resumed his cultivation. This was because of the joint efforts of all the fellow practitioners.
The Attachment to Losing Face
Recently I had the chance to meet the President of Ukraine and ask him to help to stop the persecution in China. At the key moment I did not do it, as some invisible force stopped me and I was not able to walk up to him. After that I began to analyze this situation. It was not the first time I had failed to step forward and confidently clarify the truth at a key moment. I began to wonder: what was the wrong concept that blocked me?
Recently, while I studied Lecture Nine of Zhuan Falun, I found my problem. I am afraid of losing face.
"Someone says: 'If someone kicks me while I'm walking down the street and no one around knows me, I can tolerate it.' I say that this is not good enough. Perhaps in the future you may be slapped in the face twice, and you will lose face in front of someone whom you least want to see it. It is to see how you will deal with this issue and whether you can endure it. If you can tolerate it and yet it preys on your mind, it is still not good enough."
Often in key moments, the first thing that I consider is not the person whom I clarify the truth to. Instead, I consider how it will appear to the people around me if I just walk up to that person. Therefore, I follow human concepts first instead of thinking about that life which has the opportunity to meet me and be saved. Sometimes my human thoughts win and I've been stopped by so-called culture and the fear of appearing obtrusive. But how can I delay and think about the so-called culture when thousands of practitioners are persecuted inhumanly by the CCP? How can I not take every opportunity to raise awareness about this problem?
Later I told my father that I missed the opportunity to talk with the President and give him some information. He told me very seriously that I had not thought about the practitioners in China and that it was planned for the President to meet me that day to learn the truth. I felt it was Master giving me hints through my father on my substantial omissions. Master said in "The Closer to the End, the More Diligent You Should Be:"
"All human attachments and notions that interfere with validating the Fa and saving sentient beings must be removed. For cultivators travelling a divine path, is it really that hard to get rid of those attachments that arise from human thinking and to change those notions? If a cultivator doesn't want to get rid of even those things, well, how is he to show that he's a cultivator?"
This incident helped me to dig out my wrong concepts and begin to destroy the selfish ideas that are based on thoughts about myself. Now I try to pay more attention to my emotional state while clarifying the truth. When I hesitate to give materials to a passenger on public transport, a salesman or a neighbor, I try to not think about whether I will look strange, but that this person has waited for this moment and that it is a unique chance for them to select a bright future. How can I not give them this chance? On the day after I lost the chance to talk with the President, I did clarify the truth to the chief of his press service. The lady initially was somewhat against Dafa, but later, when she learned the truth and heard my personal experiences, she told me, "If you persist in the work, you will succeed."
Lastly, I wish all practitioners would be more diligent in our cultivation during Fa-rectification and save even more sentient beings.
Thank you.
