What I Have Learned from Looking Inward

Our Teacher told us that looking inward when there is a problem is a major difference between ordinary people and Dafa practitioners. I have found that there are still many practitioners with a very blurry view about looking inward, especially regarding conflicts that on the surface make it seem like the other party is wrong. During these times those practitioners do not know how to look inward, or don't make the effort to look inward, but instead unconsciously criticise others. This does not meet the standard of looking inward.

Only if we are able to look inward and examine our true mentality at these times, will we be able to meet Teacher's standard. But I believe that looking inward only during conflicts is far from enough. We should filter our every thought and every notion, to see if they meet the standard of Dafa. Teacher taught us in Essentials for Further Advancement, "Cautionary Advice," "In practicing cultivation, you are not making real, solid progress on your own, which would effect great, fundamental changes internally. Instead, you rely on my power and take advantage of powerful external factors. This can never transform your human nature into Buddha-nature."

If we are able to look inward at all times, then there will not be any conflicts. Every time a conflict arises it points directly to our attachments. Especially now, during this period, there is much interference, which results in long periods of tribulations to practitioners who are unable to look inward right away, and causes many losses that are very difficult to repair. Also, this is the Fa-rectification period and there are many fellow practitioners who are still unclear about what Fa-rectification Dafa practitioners are from the perspective of the Fa [law or principles in the Buddha school]. I think that Dafa practitioners in this period of time first have to cultivate themselves and continuously raise their character. Actually, the process of an individual practitioner upgrading his character is the process of a sentient being assimilating to the Fa in his or her own system, and is also the process of saving sentient beings. At the same time, Falun Gong practitioners need to clarifying the truth. There are practitioners who do not understand what Fa-rectification period Dafa practitioners are, who pass out fliers to the extreme, and some even believe that whoever passes out more fliers and does the most work are those who cultivate better. This results in doing only this specific work while forgetting that cultivating ourselves is also Fa-rectification work, which is so important because it is the key to our consummation.

Fellow practitioners, we must calm down and study Teacher's Fa, and we must understand things from the perspective of the Fa, and not use the mentality of carrying out ordinary work to do these magnificent things, or no matter how much and how important the work is, it will be no different than simply counting how many temples we've built. We should always remember that looking inward is a Dafa practitioner's essence; do not fall short of Teacher's wishes, and do all that we should do. For our magnificent Teacher and those sentient beings, we should use "looking inward" to remind ourselves always and to progress continuously.