(Minghui.org) Whenever I studied the Fa with local practitioners at our group meetings, I usually returned home quickly. I seldom stayed to listen to their cultivation experience sharing, nor did I share my own experiences with them.
I gave myself two excuses. I did not understand what they were saying due to the language barrier, and I did not want to bother other practitioners to translate for me.
Two recent events changed my point of view. Two weeks ago I shared at a local group meeting for the first time, and I spoke at this year's Asian Fa Conference.
These events helped me realize the importance of group sharing and the significance of fitting into the one body of Dafa practitioners. I also identified more of my own problems during this period of time.
I didn't leave early after group Fa study two weeks ago and stayed during the local sharing. The practitioner who hosted the meeting encouraged all of us to speak, saying, “Let's share our thoughts about this Asian Fa Conference.”
No one responded. I took over the microphone and shared my experience of telling people the facts about Falun Gong.
On that day, we watched together the movie Human Harvest (also called Davids and Goliath) before Fa study. The movie talks about the CCP's crimes of removing organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. It made me think about my last year's experience of persuading people to sign the petition to stop the organ harvesting in China. One local Chinese person who had signed the petition told me that one of his relatives had gone to China for an organ transplant.
I also asked the practitioners to tell the precious Chinese people the facts about Falun Gong. We do not have many Chinese practitioners in our local area. Most of the practitioners from China who volunteered to come out were resettled in another country. I hoped that the local Chinese practitioners could continue their efforts.
One practitioner translated my words into the local language. Everyone looked serious and was very quiet. I could feel they were listening to my sharing.
I also shared my cultivation experience at the recent Asian Fa Conference. I shared several stories about distributing materials and signing petitions, aiming to encourage local practitioners to step forward, as I knew that not many practitioners were doing so.
Sharing with local practitioners is very important. After the Fa conference, local practitioners treated me much differently than before.
The other practitioners knew that I was distributing materials and collecting signatures for the petition, but they didn't know about my journey of doing it, and how I was passing tests and overcoming tribulations.
I asked myself why I was reluctant to share with local practitioners at the regular group meetings. Obviously I wasn't attaching enough importance to it. In my heart I didn't want to fit into the one body of local cultivators.
I had never thought of sharing with local practitioners about my cultivation experience, or how I handled tests and tribulations, or my understandings about the Fa.
Though I smiled at them every time we met, I hadn't truly formed a one body with them in my heart. I felt that I had less CCP culture and was doing better than the others, and never thought I could improve together with other practitioners as one body.
This was so selfish. I was attempting to protect and validate myself.
The story I shared with a local practitioner two weeks ago should have been shared earlier. I shared it only with a coordinator, and soon forgot about it. I also slacked off later when I was distributing materials and collecting petition signatures.
I didn't realize the power of forming a one body. I should have encouraged other practitioners to step forward. We should not only disclose the CCP's evil doings of removing organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, but should also tell people around us not to go to China for organ transplantation.
At this point, I felt such regret. Why I take so long to realize the significance of sharing with fellow practitioners?
I recently became aware that I had a bad relationship with fellow practitioners. I was willing to start over and try to do well, but I was cold to them. They misunderstood me as a result, and this was confounding for me.
I shared with several practitioners in private, and they all asked me to look inside. That was absolutely not by accident. I knew that I must have problems. Master said,
“That’s because on your path of cultivation there is nothing that is by chance.” (from “Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan,” from Teaching the Fa at the Conference X)
But my mind was still filled with finding the faults of others. I couldn't identify my own problems.
Finally, with hints from Master, I found my own problems.
First, I was not basing my thoughts on the Fa. I was learning from others rather than from the Fa. I thought a practitioner was in a great state of cultivation if he took part of many activities.
Second, I cared only about my personal feelings, and complained to other practitioners for bringing so much pressure on me. I had never thought of my own loopholes that were taken advantage of by the old forces, and I enlarged the attachments of fellow practitioners.
Third, my negative thoughts towards fellow practitioners added bad substances into their dimensional fields.
I read an article on the Minghui website the other day. A practitioner shared this cultivation experience.
“All conflicts are opportunities that Master arranges for me to improve. Do not look outside, and once you let go of your own attachments, the other practitioner will change his state. The problem occurred to help you cultivate, but instead you only looked at his faults without improving myself.”
“Yes! I should cultivate myself under any circumstance and should not point fingers at others. I should look at other practitioners' merits, not focus on their shortcomings.”
I started to think of other practitioners' strong points, but this felt uncomfortable.
I realized that this was because of the bad notions I had formed in my mind towards fellow practitioners. How could I cooperate well with them while carrying such bad notions?
I decided to treat fellow practitioners compassionately. We are all Master's disciples. Other practitioners also have many sentient beings waiting for them to return home. Whatever problems fellow practitioners manifest are actually a mirror of my own.
I decided to spend more time studying the Fa, treat fellow practitioners with a practitioner's righteous thoughts and compassion, harmonize into the one body, and improve together from the Fa's perspective.
Please point out compassionately if you find anything not aligned with the Fa.