Even Small Choices Are Cultivation Opportunities

(Minghui.org) I recently participated in the July 20 activities in Washington, D.C., which marked the 25th anniversary of the Chinese communist regime’s brutal persecution of Falun Dafa in China. Upon returning home, I watched a video of the event and was touched when I saw practitioners marching under the scorching sun, and the support of political leaders and passersby. However, I also noticed some areas for improvement, especially in small matters.

Our conduct in daily life reflects our true cultivation state. Because of the hot weather, the event organizer supplied free bottled water and watermelon for the out-of-town practitioners. 

As Dafa practitioners, we should adhere to Dafa’s standards in all our actions and show a practitioner’s demeanor. Master described a Sage like this, 

“... he is full of great aspirations while minding minor details...” (“Sage,” Essentials for Further Advancement) 

However, I saw some practitioners who acted selfishly in trivial matters, perhaps dismissing them as insignificant.

After the parade last year, the practitioners in D.C. brought hard-boiled eggs for the event participants. Some practitioners took more than one egg; others took eggs for those who weren’t present. I even saw one individual standing next to the egg box, eating one egg after another.

The practitioners in D.C. also brought watermelons. Most participants picked the larger, good-looking slices and left the smaller ones for others. This year, I saw an elderly practitioner standing under the hot sun, busy cutting watermelons nonstop. I admired her dedication and didn’t want to add to her burden; so I took the watermelon slices cut by another practitioner.

Later in the day, I went back to the watermelon stand and took a small end piece in front of the elderly practitioner. To my surprise, she suddenly became upset and raised her voice at me to let out her frustration at practitioners picking the bigger pieces. While I didn’t expect her reaction, I understood her feelings and didn’t take her words personally.

As we cultivate selflessness, even something as small as taking a larger slice of watermelon can reveal selfishness—a stubborn trait of the old cosmos that we haven’t yet let go of.

Master told us:

“I also want to tell you that your nature in the past was actually based on egotism and selfishness. From now on, whatever you do, you should consider others first, so as to attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism. So from now on, whatever you do or whatever you say, you must consider others—or even future generations—along with Dafa’s eternal stability.” (“Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

What we have gained through Fa study should be reflected in our words and deeds at all times. When we fall short, it’s the Fa that makes us aware of our mistakes. If we don’t realize our mistakes, or if we react defensively when others point them out, then ego may be at play. We should ask ourselves: Are we measuring our actions using the standards of Dafa or those of our human attachments and sentiments? Are we using Dafa to justify our attachments, or are we holding others to the standards of Dafa while neglecting our own shortcomings?

We’ve endured great adversity in our cultivation, so we cannot afford to falter over trivial matters. For example, some practitioners may seem to cultivate well but are fussy about food and complain about its quantity or quality. A cultivator cannot let their cultivation be derailed by something as minor as a piece of watermelon or an egg.

We should be grateful to our fellow practitioners in DC for their contributions of money, materials, and manpower. After each year’s activities, practitioners from other regions should reflect on what was done well, where improvements are needed, and how to implement those improvements to avoid repeating the same omissions in the future.

The above is my understanding. Please point out anything that is not in line with the Fa.