(Minghui.org) In “What a Dafa Disciple Is,” Master Li Hongzhi said:
“ … with your first thought being to scrutinize yourself to try to find the problem. Whoever is not like this is not in fact a true cultivator of Dafa. It is a magical tool in our cultivation. This is a distinguishing feature of our Dafa disciples’ cultivation. Whatever it is that you encounter, the first thought should be to scrutinize yourself, and it’s called “looking within.”” (“What a Dafa Disciple Is,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World, Volume XI)
Looking within is wonderful and a magical tool for cultivators. I’d like to share my experiences of looking within and letting go of attachments.
When I participated in a Falun Dafa parade in Hong Kong, most male practitioners were assigned to hold large flags or banners because they were heavy and could be hard to handle when the wind was strong. Three practitioners were needed for each banner, and they needed to walk at the same pace and work as a team.
During the parade, the practitioner in the middle kept telling the other practitioner and me to march in sync even though I felt we were marching fine. He continued loudly giving us instructions. The practitioner on the right had good xinxing so he did not respond and walked silently. However, I felt a little uneasy and thought that this practitioner got the easiest position because the practitioners on both ends carried more weight. I also wondered if he had some issues.
When we stopped for a break at the mid-way point, the practitioner in the middle left without saying anything. I guessed that he might have gone to the restroom. But he did not return when the parade began. Three older ladies from China on the roadside asked me why we had no one in the middle. I was surprised that ordinary people were watching our every move. If we did not do well, the impact would be bad. I silently complained about the practitioner who left. I thought he did not behave like a practitioner.
As the parade moved forward, I realized that my complaining thoughts were wrong. I should have consideration for others. He was trying to help us maintain a consistent pace. This situation was also a test of whether I could be criticized and remain calm when I was thirsty, tired from walking, and sweating profusely. The practitioner might have been uncomfortable and hurried us so he could get to the toilet.
I knew I needed to step up to hold the banner well. I looked within and found my human attachment. I decided that I wouldn’t complain or glare at him when he returned. After he came back, I just marched forward and silently sent righteous thoughts. He also walked quietly.
When the long parade arrived at the end, both sides of the road were packed with tourists from China. They all watched us with wide-open eyes. My fellow practitioners and I completed this amazing parade and validated the Fa.
I gained a better understanding of what Master said,
“Actually, to handle a question, just look at your xinxing for the answer, and any question can be answered.” (“Explaining the Fa for Falun Dafa Assistants in Changchun,” Further Discussions on Falun Dafa)
I used to live on the fifth floor of an old apartment. One day, the neighbor downstairs rang the doorbell and told me that water from my bath was leaking into his bedroom and asked us to repair it. When I heard there was a water leak, I immediately thought something must be wrong in my cultivation practice. However, I did not look within deeply at the time because the neighbor urged us to quickly fix the problem. We stopped using the bathroom and monitored the leak.
But the situation did not improve, so I called a plumber my mother was familiar with. For some reason, he was not interested in coming, even though he and my mother knew each other well. He suggested I check a few things instead. I could not understand his explanation, which did not seem logical to me. I asked him again to come and take a look, but he still wasn’t willing to come. I felt very strange and wondered why he didn’t want our business. During the process, I still didn’t look within properly.
Water leakage issues can be very troublesome and may require costly demolition work. But even then, one still may not find the leak. Finding the cause of the leak could take a long time and affect my time to study the Fa, send righteous thoughts, and clarify the facts about the persecution to people. On the other hand, finding leaks in cultivation means fundamentally looking within to see my shortcomings.
My wife, who’s also a practitioner, and I calmed down and discussed the situation. I recalled an article on the Minghui website about “Cultivate the heart first, then repair the machine.” We should look within first to check: “Have we been lazy by not getting up to do the exercises recently? Have we been slacking off on the most important things such as studying the Fa, sending righteous thoughts, and clarifying the facts to people?” We decided to be more diligent in our cultivation. If the leak still was not resolved, then we would call a plumber to repair it.
We felt a little uneasy and were worried about the neighbors. A few days passed, but the neighbor did not return to complain, so we started using the bath. On the next day, we needed to go out of town for a few days. The neighbor did not call after we returned. The leak seemed to be repaired by itself, and the incident came to an end.
The above is my recent personal experience. Please kindly correct me if there is anything wrong.