(Clearwisdom.net)
Everyone knows what mirrors are for. However, Emperor Tai Zong of the Tang Dynasty spoke of a different kind of mirror.
After his most honest official Wei Zheng passed away, Emperor Tai Zong told everyone in the royal court, "Using bronze as a mirror, one can adjust one's hat and clothes; using history as a mirror, one can understand the prosperity and decline of society; using people as a mirror, one can measure one's accomplishments and mistakes.""Mirrors" are important because they help people see their own shortcomings.
Falun Dafa has established a way for people to cultivate amidst ordinary society. One must use the Fa as a yardstick and cultivate one's own heart. Any thoughts and attachments must be looked at through the lens of "Truth, Compassion, Forbearance." Be it among family, in the workplace, or among practitioners, it is all an environment for cultivation; it all manifests our different realms as practitioners. Anyone and anything we come into contact with can be a mirror for us, helping us find our attachments and get rid of them. This is especially true among practitioners. Sometimes when there are conflicts among practitioners, our notion tells us that we won't damage Dafa, and we lower our requirements for ourselves. This is actually a deeply hidden attachment. I have a lot of experience in this regard. Of course all of this was arranged by Master for us to cultivate and quickly improve.
Take myself as an example. I have cultivated for about 10 years. Although I have usually held myself to high standards, occasionally I can see my own shortcomings from the actions of other, especially other practitioners. Since childhood, I have always received a lot of compliments. My siblings all think that I am the most decisive, and my parents also think highly of me. At work, because of my position, I am fairly influential. As a result, I can be arbitrary or even unreasonable at times. I started my career as a schoolteacher, so I am used to lecturing others. Since I began cultivation, Master has often used my husband and child to enlighten me and point out my shortcomings. However, sometimes I neglected cultivation because I only treated them as family members.
Recently, I pointed out a number of shortcomings of another practitioner's, such as competitiveness, lack of tolerance, and occasional jealousy. I looked inward, and suddenly found that these problems also exist in myself to varying degrees, sometimes even worse than that of the other practitioner. Master has repeatedly told us to look inward. When two people have a conflict, they both need to look inward. Even others who see the conflict need to look inward.
Many articles on Clearwisdom.net, which reflected the practitioners' clear-headed and rational thinking, also helped me see my own shortcomings and attachments, including vanity, self-importance, and competitiveness. If I didn't use fellow practitioners as a mirror, if it weren't for Master's precious teaching of "looking inward," how could I possibly find so many attachments! If I am not able to find them and eliminate them, how can I improve! Master has created the best environment for us. It is up to us how to cherish it and handle everything well.
