(Minghui.org) I looked down upon fellow practitioners whom I thought had strong human hearts and attachments. Whenever they talked about something, I could sense their mentality of showing off, jealousy, contempt, and flattery of certain people. They stirred things up and I felt uncomfortable.
When I had such a feeling again the other day, it was followed by a severe toothache. I realized that Master was trying to remind me of something – I needed to be compassionate toward these practitioners, and I should not use my human notion to judge others.
When I looked within, I saw the same attachments in myself that I despised in others. I may have improved myself a little in cultivation, but I quickly got carried away and failed to see the attachments remaining in myself.
I looked down upon those practitioners and drew a line between myself and them. I acted as if I was in a higher realm, exactly in the same manner that the old forces look down upon Dafa disciples.
Master taught us in the Fa that every Dafa practitioner is looked after by His law body and He constantly looks after us and enlightens us to make improvement in cultivation. The transformation of practitioners’ bodies and the improvements they make in cultivation all take place in dimensions that we cannot see. We cannot even see the changes in ourselves.
I asked myself, if I could see the magnificent transformation of fellow practitioners in their cultivation, would I still dare to look down upon them? Looking deeper, I saw atheism as the root of my contempt. Those who don’t believe in God are often arrogant and conceited, because they only look at the immediate and superficial manifestation of things, instead of the essence.
Cultivators should evaluate things based on the Fa, but I habitually used my own notions to judge and handle things. Only when I learned to measure things against the Fa, did I discover real wisdom, because what the Fa reveals to us is something at a more fundamental and deeper level. If we solve things based on our human notions and perceptions, we may make things even worse.
I think we should always bear in mind Master’s wish to save all beings and that every Dafa practitioner can reach consummation. From this perspective, if I look down upon other practitioners, I actually go against what Master wants. Such thought is also disrespectful to the Fa and Master.
The same applies to non-practitioners. Instead of blaming them for being lost in the human world or having low levels of morality, we should remember that everyone on earth came from very high realms. It is because they believed in Dafa and wanted to be saved by Dafa, that they risked their lives and came down to Earth. Even if they may be doing poorly, it’s not an excuse for me to look down upon them.
Whether it’s fellow practitioners or non-practitioners, we should have compassion for them, cherish them, and try to be understanding of them. Instead of being complacent and looking down on others, we should help one another to do better and truly fulfill Master’s wish to save all beings.
This is my understanding at my level, please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
Editor’s note: This article only represents the author’s understanding in their current cultivation state meant for sharing among practitioners so that we can “Compare in studying, compare in cultivating.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)