(Minghui.org) Master’s recent lectures remind me of another lecture, in which Master said,
“We just want to make those disciples who aren’t practicing cultivation diligently see their own shortcomings, make those who are stumbling along surface, expose those who undermine the Fa in a disguised way, and enable those who are genuine disciples to reach Consummation.” (“Huge Exposure,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
My personal understanding is that although these two lectures mainly talk about people who have been in a bad state of cultivation for a long time and will face very serious consequences for what they do, this is also an opportunity for every practitioner to look inward.
One of the things that comes to mind is why someone would go so far down an evil path, step-by-step. We should reflect on whether we’ve taken a small step in that direction.
One path to the dark side mentioned in the lecture is a “resentful” mind. In projects to validate Dafa, disagreement is probably the most common cause of conflicts among practitioners. The arguments may become fierce, which then exposes practitioners’ attachments to competition and validating oneself. The practitioners involved may eventually resign from the project or be fired. The conflicts may seem unsolvable. For the parties involved it may seem difficult to look inward and difficult to resolve the conflict. When several practitioners in such situations get together to talk about their experiences, it’s easy for their resentment to expand, and their discussions about the conflict may make it more difficult to look inward. Bold practitioners might say something ridiculous, and the timid ones may echo them.
The persons in charge of several major projects outside China were designated by Master, and Master directly guides the work. Resentment toward the project, if it develops, is actually resentment towards Master. If one feels that he or she has done certain projects over years, so he or she should get a certain position within the project, or get rewarded by the project, then this person is in a state of self-aggrandizement, and he or she is asking for rewards from Dafa.
I recently heard several practitioners in the midst of conflicts talking. I felt that it really is hard for one to look inward. On the surface it’s easy to say that the others are right and you are wrong, but they even developed a way to analyze the situation to demonstrate how others were wrong. It’s hard to look inward. For everyday people, making friends is about finding like-minded people. But in cultivation, when it’s time to look inward, finding a “friend” who supports your attachments is taking a step toward an evil path. If this “friend” is good at talking and is able to analyze other people’s problems for you, it may be even worse. In cultivation, we are required to:
“Compare in studying, compare in cultivating,” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin).
We should find cultivators who are better than us at maintaining their xinxing, so that we can improve ourselves. It is not about comparing ourselves to those who don’t cultivate well and making excuses for not improving ourselves.
There is also a situation where practitioners talk about the conflicts within a project. Although some people are not in charge, they are well informed. We know from the Fa that when a third party sees a conflict, he or she must look inward. If you hear about a conflict, and if you follow the Fa's teachings, then this is an opportunity to look inward.
But sometimes the true situation is not clear. For example, when something happens, all the involved practitioners’ descriptions are different, and their interpretations are not exactly the same. Sometimes, different peoples' interpretations may be the opposite of others. My current understanding is that I am not a judge, it is not my position to judge who is right and who is wrong. The reason that I am involved is for me to cultivate, not for me to judge others, so there is no need to find out the truth.
The Internet age has given everyone the opportunity to amplify the consequences of their actions. By reading the inappropriate content on the Internet, the author will know that someone is reading his writing, and this will encourage him to write more. In the past, a cultivator cultivated “body, speech, and mind,” but now what you click on the Internet has also become very important.
I’ve recently felt that I had not cultivated very well. When I examine myself, I feel that I haven’t even met the basic requirements for cultivation.
Editor’s note: This article only represents the author’s understanding in their current cultivation state meant for sharing among practitioners so that we can “Compare with one another in study, in cultivation.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)
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