(Clearwisdom.net) I am a college professor who can write and paint. Fellow practitioners often come to me for assistance with word usage. Without realizing it, I came to place great emphasis on my ability. All day long I would think about writing articles, coming up with some creative new work, or sending my articles to an editor. At the same time, I was reluctant to distribute fliers or clarify the facts about Falun Dafa to people face-to-face. I considered these to be simple tasks that were best left to practitioners who were elderly or less well educated. I felt that I should do something that others could not do, namely, something that was more "advanced."
I soon found, however, that I was suffering from writer's block. Since I had no experience in clarifying the truth and did not have the opportunity to meet with practitioners who did, I had no raw materials to work with. I was very troubled by this. Then one day while studying the Fa, I read the section about jealousy where Master said, "An ordinary person cannot see this point and always believes that he should do exactly what he is able to" (Zhuan Falun). These words went straight to my heart. I realized that I was attached to this ability of mine and was using it as an excuse not to clarify the truth diligently and wholeheartedly. After watching Teacher's "Fa Teaching Given to the Australian Practitioners," I was able to see my shortcomings even more clearly. Comparing myself with those practitioners who persist in going to the front lines to distribute fliers and clarify the facts, I felt very ashamed.
I am no longer attached to my so-called "ability," for it was bestowed by Dafa and does not signify some special talent on my part. It is only natural that it should be used to validate the Fa and save sentient beings. What is there to show off anyway? Having an ability means that Dafa has an even higher standard for me. I must conduct myself well and use this ability to do a better job of validating the Fa and clarifying the truth to save sentient beings. The root causes of being attached to one's ability are being selfish, thinking too highly of oneself, wanting to prove oneself, and lacking the compassion that an enlightened being should possess.
After watching "Fa Teaching Given to the Australian Practitioners," I deeply felt Teacher's immense compassion, expectations, and encouragement for his disciples. Teacher never rode a high horse, so why should I? Aren't we here for the Fa? There is nothing we cannot do as long as it is for the sake of validating the Fa and saving sentient beings. Elderly and less well educated practitioners have learned how to browse the Internet and produce truth-clarifying materials. Dafa is supernormal, and it will bestow every ability when this is necessary. Our human attachments keep us from realizing these abilities.
After getting off my high horse, I felt very relaxed. I no longer placed emphasis on my so-called position or status among ordinary people, for they are external to this physical body, like clouds and smoke passing before my eyes. I am simply an average Falun Dafa practitioner. When I handed out fliers and clarified the truth, I experienced both the challenges and the rewards of saving people. I developed a deep appreciation for the magnificent actions of those who quietly persist in going to the front lines to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa. Only after their story was communicated to overseas media through my writing did I truly realize how I should use my abilities.
