(Minghui.org) A cultivator always has to search within for any notion that results, for example, in resentment or constantly looking for fault in others.
I worked on one particular project and there were a number of differences between me and the coordinator. Furthermore, the way he talked to me appeared to me to be condescending.
The way we carried out work was vastly different and we were in constant conflict with each other. I tried my best to be tolerant, but I did not let go of my attachment at the fundamental level. I accumulated a lot of negative stuff. Finally, when I saw him, even if he had not opened his mouth, I felt that I already had lost my stand. Thus, I harbored much resentment and couldn't get it out of my mind.
Master said:
“Divine Being: These problems have already become very serious. It would be good if they could manage to search within themselves for the things that they have been able to find in others.” (“A Dialogue with Time,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
I realized what I have been doing was looking outward and never searching within. “Looking within is a magical tool.” When I began to search within and measured myself against my perceived shortcomings of the fellow practitioner, all the conflicts were resolved!
I discovered my strong tendency to be jealous. That coordinator is a very capable person and everything he does, he does well. But when I was blinded by my attachment, I could not see his accomplishments.
Master said:
“Nowadays, it is difficult to be a model worker. "You’re a model worker. You can do it. You should come to work early in the morning and go home late at night. You can do all this work since you’re good at it. We aren’t good enough." People will be sarcastic and cynical, and so it is not easy even to be a good person.” (Zhuan Falun)
I thought about it and what I had encountered was just like what Master described. I was jealous and resentful toward him since he did so well, while on the contrary, I did so poorly.
I changed my thinking about him. Even though he could be very thorough and lay out things well, sometimes he would forget some points. For example, he sometimes forgot to consider others' cultivation states. I came to feel that Master had led me to work with him so that we could learn from each other. And we did, and my attachment to finding fault with the coordinator disappeared.
Category: Improving Oneself
