Looking at Things from the Standpoint of Cultivation

(Minghui.org) During the past months, I experienced a cultivation issue that I now understand was a test related to Master’s new article “Critical Times Reveal One’s Spiritual State” that has just been published.

I shared this experience with several practitioners over the past several weeks. However, now I realize I should have immediately written a sharing paper for the Minghui website so that more people could have benefited.

I was asked about a year ago to help a Dafa project establish a new department, given my experience in coordination and entrepreneurship. Since I live somewhere else, I would have to travel back and forth and have regular meetings with the project coordinators. But, for months there was little progress.

As I was considering just letting it go and leaving, I got an urgent call from the main coordinator. He realized how important it is to establish this department. I then decided to come and be there every day for a few months, and do my best. Still, I felt that people didn’t listen to my advice and that I was given responsibility without authority. Things fell apart.

I was very frustrated. With thoughts like: “I told you what needs to be done, you did the opposite, and now look what happened!” or “You’ve wasted my time!” or “Again these Chinese coordinators never let people who know how to do things actually lead,” and so on.

I realized that these were wrong thoughts, even though “I was right.”

So I decided to look within. Since I am an experienced cultivator, and “this is not my first rodeo,” I decided I must do better this time when I’m frustrated given certain projects, and really look at the situation only from cultivation and the Fa-rectification perspective.

Master wrote in Critical Times Reveal One’s Spiritual State:

“So, no matter what issues arise, all the more so should you approach things with a spiritual frame of mind.”

And also:

“And what really matters is whether people’s thoughts and motives make the grade, rather than who has what position in an organization or whether the position is important.”

So I asked myself “Why am I part of this project? Why did Master bring me here?”

Then I realized, I should just join this project as a “soldier” on the front lines, not a “general” behind the scenes, which has been my usual position. I have to learn many new skills and improve what is important to others, so I would be able to do a good job. Besides I would be on the “front lines”, possibly reaching many people. So far I’ve been learning so much, and find real enthusiasm growing in me for doing this role.

I was happy to note that my ego was not fragile, and I didn’t mind being a “beginner” again who has to take feedback from everyone else. Actually, if as a practitioner anywhere in the world, I had wanted to do this kind of work, then this project and location are the best possible place to be. I am surrounded by experienced practitioners who are encouraging me and see potential and can give me a tip in a one-minute conversation, that might take me two weeks to figure out by myself. And even more, it has a really good cultivation environment.

Once I acted as a practitioner, looked inside, and turned my thinking around, frustration turned into joy, and wasting time turned into working diligently to save more sentient beings. Thank you, Master!

I realize, that if that project had approached me suggesting that I join the front-line work that I have no experience in, I might have declined, thinking that it may have nothing to do with me. Therefore, as I understand it, Master had to bring me inside in a way that I would understand.

But it was never meant for me to do a management role in this particular project, at this particular time. So some things needed to happen for me to realize this. I had to switch to my intended role and seize the chance. The bad alternative would have been to look at things from the surface level, be offended, resentful, and unenlightened, and waste the chance.

Thank you, Master, for your patience with me. I now wish to be even more effective in helping Master save sentient beings!

Articles in which cultivators share their understandings typically reflect an individual's perception at a point in time based on their cultivation state, and they are offered in the spirit of enabling mutual elevation.