Cooperating Well With Each Other is an Important Factor in the Success of Our Cultivation and Projects

(Clearwisdom.net) Coordination and cooperation are becoming more and more crucial for our success in individual cultivation and in the multitude of Dafa projects we have undertaken, especially in the preparation and promotion of Shen Yun performances.

I would like to share my experiences and insights on this topic.

Like many other practitioners, I am part of a Dafa project that requires many practitioners to cooperate well. Once, our project came into a difficult phase and we didn't know how we had run into these problems. Hence, we also didn't know how to get out of the difficult phase and back on the right path. Only when we started to change our behavior and attitudes; only when we stopped accusing each other and began to look inside in order to solve the problems, did our project return to success.

I would like to examine more closely the problems that arise when practitioners are working together on projects. On the surface it looks as if these frictions take place among practitioners themselves, perhaps with the excuse of "we have different opinions," which implies that one believes it is appropriate to hold on to one's own opinion.

However as I understand it, the conflicts are not between practitioners themselves but between the demon nature of the practitioners involved. As I understand what Teacher has told us, the gods and buddhas in heaven don't argue with each other. Thus if practitioners have a clear mind and the buddha nature of practitioners is strong, practitioners would not argue and hold firm to their opposing viewpoints and opinions. Hence, if there are frictions and conflicts among practitioners who work together on a project, it is basically an expression of their demon nature being relatively strong at that moment. In other words, if practitioners argue or cannot overcome frictions on opinions, they are basically displaying in that very moment that their buddha nature is weak.

However, as practitioners, we should ask ourselves: "Who wants this demon nature taking the lead in our lives?" We cultivate in order to strengthen our buddha nature, and we want to get rid of our demon nature. Thus, as soon as there is a conflict or a project doesn't move adequately forward due to contrasting opinions, we should try to identify what forces are at work. As cultivators I believe we should be highly motivated to get rid of our demon nature. And furthermore, we should not only get rid of our own, but also help others recognize theirs.

Why does the demon nature sometimes seem to be so strong? I believe it is because it is like a parasite that lives on the ground of our attachments. Without attachments, our buddha nature would be stronger, and the demon nature would collapse. So how can we even better let go of our attachments to overcome this?

Teacher has given us a magic tool to help us let go of these attachments: Looking inside ourselves.

Of course, looking inside is not achieved by just shoveling a bit of soil around. It is more like an archeological excavation: one has to dig very deep and has to spend some time on it until one finds the actual root.

The group setting offers other opportunities to improve, as well.

For example, we cultivate "Ren" or Forbearance. As I understand it, Forbearance (or Tolerance, as it is often translated) in this context is not a sentimental ability to strive for harmony and to be nice to everyone. It doesn't mean to become a "yes-man." Rather, I believe that Forbearance is an ability to hold onto the truth. However, from the perspective of a cultivator, it is also part of the cultivation process itself. Forbearance is not so much "tolerating the other," but rather "letting go of one's own attachments."

If you run into a conflict, dispute or argument with someone else, isn't it actually a confrontation between two different attachments? Let's say that I have my opinion, and the other has his own different opinion. Ordinary people understand "tolerance" as a generous act of tolerating the other's opinion or standpoint. From a cultivator's perspective, however, I believe the approach is different. If you run into a conflict or dispute, you look within, you find your attachment, and if you are determined, let go of your attachment or opinion. Right at that moment, the dispute and friction with the other person will immediately disappear, because without opinion or attachment there is no more cause for friction or conflict. As I see it, this is similar to the concept of "Wuwei" - "doing without doing."

In an environment of this genuine, true tolerance, cooperation and coordination among practitioners will grow quickly and blossom.

I think that the group setting of Dafa projects is a good way to cultivate thoroughly and to get rid of our attachments. The group setting helps us to be more determined in our cultivation and to genuinely practice compassion and tolerance.