(Minghui.org) Looking within when encountering a problem is what Master requires of Dafa disciples. When bumping into a problem, we should first reflect on ourselves and search ourselves. This is what Dafa disciples ought to do.
Once, another practitioner and I viewed a certain issue from different perspectives. He insisted on his idea, but I thought his method wasn't proper. I thought we needed to discuss changing his method rather than him just making decisions by himself. Not only did he not listen to my suggestion, he just dismissed my input completely and spoke to me harshly. After this happened a couple of times, I came to believe more and more that this practitioner was just full of himself and loved to show off and validate himself. Sometimes I heard other practitioners talking about him in such a way that made me believe what I thought was right. On one occasion I couldn't endure it anymore and pointed out his attachment with harsh words. This practitioner then said in a provocative manner, “I'm doing it on purpose.”
I was stunned when I heard him say that. How could he be like that? I felt bad for a long time and held a negative opinion of him. I always thought of his faults, and I could not get rid of or suppress those negative thoughts. I was eventually able to restrain those bad thoughts and started to seriously study the Fa. Master said:
“When you encounter something, the best approach is not to charge forward and contend with others, push your way to the front, and rush forward to chase down the solution. Let go of your attachment, take a step back, and then resolve it.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital”)
Master also said:
“In that scenario you still haven't in fact let go of that attachment and you are pushing your way to the front, and you insist on figuring out who's right and who's wrong; even though you've made mistakes, you insist on figuring out others' mistakes. When that's the approach, you won't be able to resolve the problem.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital”)
I finally enlightened that we shouldn't be attached to what other practitioners say and do. I had to let go of myself and take a step back, as I was at loggerheads with him.
Afterwards, through continuously studying the Fa, I've finally clearly seen my own attachment of wanting to validate myself. I have a commanding tone which is from the Party culture. When I see other practitioners not acting properly, I do not help that practitioner with a compassionate heart, but, rather, I go around telling other practitioners about it. So many different attachments were before my eyes. Through constantly looking within myself, I feel my heart is light and spacious at last. Also, when another practitioner acts poorly, I can tell that's not truly who that practitioner is. We're all Dafa disciples who've descended to the earth following Master to save sentient beings. All the bad notions and attachments are what the old forces have imposed upon us. I should use the power endowed upon me by Master to clean out those evil factors that interfere with us.
Once I recognized all of this, I didn't hold any more bad thoughts towards that practitioner. Additionally, I use my own righteous thoughts to strengthen his righteous thoughts so he could quickly pull out of his incorrect state. After I repeatedly looked within, when I met with that other practitioner, he was able to take the initiative to share with me and share about his own shortcomings in his cultivation. At that moment I experienced the wonders of looking within. I was really moved.
Through many lives of reincarnation, every practitioner's situation is different. Our attachments vary in size and type. However, today we're all able to assist Master in Fa-rectification--how can we not treasure each other? Once we see another practitioner whose state is not so good, we should treat him as a family member and compassionately point it out; we shouldn't look down on him. Acting in this way, the old forces won't be able to intervene. Otherwise, we won't be able to reach a sacred state or accumulate mighty virtue even though we have done many tasks to validate Dafa.
In the past few years, because I've treated Fa study as a formality, I haven't treated my husband and my child as beings who have come to obtain the Fa and cultivate. The persecution left a shadow in my mind. I thought that if they agreed with Dafa then that was good enough. In these few years my husband and child, as a result of my own thoughts, have never looked at a Dafa book. Master said:
“In the past, people said that kindness and malice can be in a person's one single thought, that kindness or malice comes from a person's single thought.” (“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference”)
I didn't use righteous thoughts in considering my husband and my child. During a certain period of time my husband often criticized what I said or did and challenged me, “Are you still a Dafa disciple?” At first I countered him and thought he was just trying to find excuses for his own behavior. However, he often said that, so I became quite alert to it and thought I really needed to look within myself. Otherwise, I could not be said to be leaving the wonderfulness of Dafa to the people of the future if even my husband said I was not like a Dafa disciple. I reflected on myself. Not only did I not do the three things well, but whenever my husband mentioned my shortcomings, I often answered back and did not let him speak. Sometimes he would be the one at fault, but he'd twist the situation and criticize me. I often argued with him, I was very competitive, and I always wanted to gain the upper hand. I wasn't able to let go of myself.
Through continuous looking within, I now take the initiative to sincerely tell my husband, “Sorry, I didn't conduct myself according to the Fa today.” Or I'll say, “I again didn't endure it. My words are too harsh.” This is how I completely gave up this aspect of selfishness. Our hearts are now closer, and I can share Dafa principles with him. It's difficult for people to come to this world. On this most rare occasion where Dafa is being widely spread, it's such a shame that the people closest to us don't study Zhuan Falun. Following my change, my husband and child are now changing and they allocate time to study the Fa everyday.
The above are my realizations through looking within. As long as we look within, together we can form a strong one body. As long as we look within, there will be fewer obstacles on our path of cultivation. Fellow practitioners, let's keep in mind what Master has taught us: to study the Fa more, look within, and be diligent on the path of assisting Master in Fa-rectification.
