Self Deluding Flattery Traps are Dangerous

(Minghui.org) I never thought I would fall into a flattery trap since I have cultivated Falun Dafa for 24 years.

Over the past two decades, I have been treated unfairly at work. This includes failed assessments, denied promotions, and the lowest salary increase among my colleagues, all due to the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners. Yet, I remained passive and low-key in the workplace.

A new supervisor was brought into my company this year, and this person seemed to be very sharp. I worried that the new supervisor may persecute me even further, so I decided to demonstrate my abilities to show my value at work.

Over the next few months, I took the lead role and consulted in almost every work initiative, including scientific research, infrastructure construction, renovation, training, and so on. I became the most popular person in my company.

Subsequently, my colleagues’ attitudes changed and turned warm and polite. They even began complimenting and flattering me.

This is the most flattery I have received in the past 20 years. This brought me a lot of trouble.

I took on more work than before, so I spent a lot of time working in the office and at home. The interpersonal relationships became complicated around me.

Colleagues could be jealous, flattering, joking with me, and carrying their own hidden agendas. My mind was bloated by the attachments of fame, gain, showing off, vanity, jealousy, and being overly critical. As a Falun Dafa practitioner, I knew that flattery was a test.

Master said,

“For a cultivator, all the frustrations he comes across among everyday people are trials, and all the compliments he receives are tests.” (“A Cultivator is Naturally Part of It,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

I discussed these issues with a fellow practitioner, who warned me that I should watch out carefully because these compliments were traps. Ordinary people also used the term “Flatter to kill.”

I recognized that flattery was a trap but I did not know what attachments of mine brought about the trouble. I looked inward for many days to find the causes.

With guidance from Master Li (Dafa’s founder) and the Fa, and the help of fellow practitioners, I finally found the root cause: the attachment of feeling capable.

I have been considering myself “very capable.” This attachment wanted to show off, prove myself, and seek appreciation and recognition.

Over a period of time, this strong attachment became a barrier and set the stage for this trap. Additionally, I found several other attachments.

My resentment of the unfair treatment at work caused my passive attitude, so I did not want to contribute my talents. With the change of a new supervisor, my attachment to pursuit urged me to take the initiative and demonstrate my talents to avoid further persecution.

Moreover, I exposed the attachments of fear, jealousy, and showing off. In the end, I learned from these lessons so that these troubles were not in vain.

Master said,

“Once you take up Dafa, whatever it is you encounter—good or bad—is a good thing ... ” (Teachings at the 2005 Conference in San Francisco)

I believe that flattery tests are rarely seen in fellow practitioners’ sharing so I am writing down my experience to serve as a warning to others.