(Clearwisdom.net) When a conflict appears in coordination, we as project coordinators must look within. This is very important.
Master said,
"Rather, your cultivation is a matter of whether you manage to have righteous thoughts in the face of challenges."
("Be More Diligent")
If we can really deal with problems with righteous thoughts, then the overall coordination will be good, and we will be able to do the three things well. For a coordinator, it is a true cultivation opportunity and an opportunity to improve one's xinxing. I have personal experience in this regard.
There is a coordinator in our area who does not get along well with other coordinators. When there was a problem, others would not ask her to help. Sometimes when she was asked to coordinate a task, although there weren't any disagreements on the surface, no progress was made. This state continued for some time, but I was able to get along well with her and things were getting done when we worked together.
Once I had a meeting with her. I waited for over two hours, and she did not show up. I then called her using a pay phone, and she said to me, "I have so many things to do that I forgot about our meeting." Before I could respond, she complained about me using a public phone to call her. I thought about refuting her remarks since she was the one who missed the appointment, but I decided not to do so because I was more concerned about the urgency of our project.
When we completed the task, it appeared on the surface like this incident had never happened. But, I was still upset about it in my mind. At that time, I didn't look within, so I didn't realize that I had that feeling.
Later, we needed to coordinate another Dafa project together. She agreed to come by to pick up a certain item, but again didn't show up. I then gave the item to another coordinator, who said to me, "If she finds out you did this, she will complain." I replied, "We must not delay this project because of this." He then told me that the reason other coordinators were unwilling to work with her was because even when she was clearly wrong, she would get upset when others pointed it out. Upon hearing this, I didn't resist this thought and nodded in agreement. As time went by, I gradually took less initiative in asking her to collaborate in coordinating projects with me.
Having gaps between coordinators is unlike the conflicts of everyday people. When everyday people don't work together, it may not cause serious consequences. But when a gap appears between Dafa coordinators, the consequences can be quite serious, especially if we don't look inside to remove the gap. Such gaps can bring about unnecessary or even irreparable damage to our validating the Fa and saving sentient beings.
On one occasion when we had a regional Fa conference, because of a gap existing between this coordinator and other coordinators and possibly other factors, the evil was able to take advantage of the loophole. Police came and arrested several practitioners. Fortunately, practitioners were able to get free without creating a big loss, with the practitioners' righteous thoughts and Teacher's help.
Afterward, however, our local cultivation environment suddenly got worse. Several practitioners were arrested and sentenced severely, and there were also other incidents of practitioners being harassed. I thought that it was not accidental that the evil was able to affect us. I looked inward and realized that there were gaps existing between coordinators in our region, and we hadn't removed them. This included me. Although I had previously looked inward, I had only analyzed things at the superficial, everyday people's level of right versus wrong, instead of searching within for the root cause. I hadn't handled the problem with righteous thoughts.
Master said:
"I often say that if all a person wants is the well-being of others and if this is without the slightest personal motivation or personal understanding, what he says will move the listener to tears. I have not only taught you Dafa, but have also left you my demeanor. While working, your tone of voice, your kindheartedness, and your reasoning can change a person's heart, whereas commands never could!" ("Clearheadedness," Essentials for Further Advancement)
I looked inward again and thought: "Most coordinators were reluctant to collaborate with this one coordinator, and this situation in itself was already a gap. At first, I had failed to look inward and had thought that this situation had nothing to do with me because I was able to work with her. Afterward, when gaps existed, I didn't take it seriously, thereby letting the opportunity for improving my xinxing slip by. Instead of looking inward, I behaved like others. In fact, in order to eliminate this human mindset, I needed to seriously look inward."
I recalled the first time I experienced a tribulation with this coordinator: I had already applied an ordinary human mindset to deal with it when I adhered to the standard of "promises must be kept and actions must be resolute." When a person met this standard, I was willing to work with that person. When she did not keep her appointments, it triggered this notion, and so I didn't treat her with understanding and tolerance. When she didn't keep her promise for a second time, a wider gap was created, and it led me to deviate from the Fa, as I began to drift away from her.
After I found my human notion that had created this gap, I removed it. I started to treat this person with righteous thoughts and my opinion of her changed as a result. Instead of focusing on her shortcomings, I was now able to see her strengths: She spoke directly and was not evasive. When I saw her strengths, I then believed what she had said about forgetting all about our appointment--because she was elderly, was responsible for many projects and also had very heavy family burdens, her forgetting things was understandable.
Later, I also found out why she had complained about me calling her from a pay phone. By the time she had remembered our appointment, it was already two hours later. She then rushed to meet me, but I called her from a pay phone at the same time. Because of her straight-forwardness, she had said exactly what was on her mind.
When I looked at the situation with righteous thoughts, the gap between us was removed. Since then, the situation in our area has become better. Recently, when several fellow practitioners were arrested, we went online to expose the evil, made truth-clarifying leaflets and organized family members to ask for the release of those practitioners. Our actions frightened the evil, and those fellow practitioners were set free two days later. During the rescue process, this coordinator posted truth-clarifying materials around town and cooperated well with our group rescue efforts.
