Continuously Improving Ourselves

After reading Master's article, To the Fa Conference in Montreal, Canada, in which Master said,

"While validating the Fa and putting into action how Dafa disciples should cultivate, you still have some shortcomings,"

I looked inward and reflected on my problems. I found that since the 20th of July, 1999, when we first started to oppose the persecution taking place against Falun Dafa, many practitioners, including myself, have become less diligent in our cultivation of Xinxing (mind-heart nature, moral character). This occurred because we did not study the Falun Dafa books as attentively as before, and took things for granted using a human mindset.

For example, when we were in a conflict, we failed to look inwards, or we just superficially looked inward, and thus, could not see our shortcomings. Sometimes, we even looked in the Falun Dafa books for words to prove that we were right. Sometimes, we knew we had a problem, but let it go after a cursory reflection. Or we just decided to do the Dafa work at hand first and deal with the Xinxing problems later. Some practitioners looked at the conflicts with the human notions formed in the past, and saw the conflicts as tests to see whether they were moved or whether they reacted to things in the same way as non-practitioners. After they concluded that they were not moved, they thought everything was O.K. There are times when it is sufficient to simply not be moved and feel that one has complied with the requirements of Dafa at certain levels. However, it cannot always be like that, especially when one is looking at the problems with an uncompassionate frame of mind. If we form a habit of treating things like that, the obvious shortcomings that others can see will not be eliminated for a long time. A lack of cultivating one's mind, in turn, will limit the form and effect of the Dafa work we do.

Of course some practitioners think that they have been doing a great amount of activities with regards to Falun Gong and maintaining their Xinxing. They also believe that everything is fine as long as they continue to do the work well. Hence they are using their own standards for cultivating, and are indulging themselves.

Why have these problems existed for such a long time? The fundamental reason must be a lack of Fa¹ study, which comes from not having a calm mind when reading Falun Dafa books, or, from reading with human notions.

Some practitioners feel that Falun Dafa is great; and so by extension, they believe that as a practitioner of Falun Dafa, a particle in Dafa, we must be great too. With this mindset, intentionally or unintentionally, they are guarding themselves as if they were guarding Dafa. This kind of understanding really hinders a practitioner's progress.

In fact, Falun Dafa is great and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are the greatest principles. Everyone who benefits from Dafa or witnesses such benefits understands this. However, just because Dafa is great, doesn't mean that everyone who practises Dafa is perfect in every aspect, nor does it mean that they are better than non-practitioners in every aspect and thus, cannot be criticised. Otherwise, there would be no need to cultivate. In Zhuan Falun², Master said,

"Even for those who can continue their cultivation practice, it remains to be seen whether you can succeed and if you are determined to practice cultivation."

Many profound principles are revealed in this statement. It is an important reminder to every real practitioner. Dafa, the Great Law, can turn all real practitioners into good people who are unanimously recognised as such by regular human society. Yet, if practitioners hold the nature of an enlightened being in one hand and human nature in the other, or practice Dafa today and carry out Dafa work without a practitioner's mindset the next day, that is to say, when they are not consistently practising, how can they say they are really practising Dafa?

The uncultivated side of a practitioner is human. If, before practising Falun Dafa, we lacked refinement and self-discipline, and if we didn't pay much attention to self-control after practising Dafa, then the notions fostered in the human world, the contaminated thoughts, and those same attachments would be revealed in our words and behaviour. For example, in China, traditional values have been greatly diminished in society. Many Chinese people have become very rude and ignore personal hygiene and exhibit disorderly conduct. They often do not exhibit rational thinking. They either follow other people or are deliberately confrontational. They have become used to struggling, and dare to hurt other people in order to protect themselves or to gain a political advantage. They seek opportunities and use tricks, instead of working hard, to try to gain without making any effort, and have no respect for social virtues. In Western societies, many people give more weight to form and pay less attention to the inner meanings of things. They tend to view things more superficially and from the angle of individuality. They over-emphasise the value and pursuit of the individual. All these tendencies, developed over the course of our lives, can become exposed if we slack off in our cultivation practice and requirements for ourselves. People will see such problems in individual practitioners. To a practitioner, the purpose of exposing one's problems is to provide an opportunity to get rid of them as soon as possible. If instead of eliminating them, we try to cover them up, or even try to paint them as good, it will only have a negative effect when validating Dafa.

Many people only get to know Falun Dafa through the words and behaviour of practitioners. On the one hand, even if we cannot do everything well under every circumstance, the practitioner's good intentions and sincerity in trying to improve themselves and the continuous improvements they are making in different stages of their cultivation, also confirm that "Falun Dafa is great." If some ill-intentioned people or narrow-minded people attempt to attack Dafa based on practitioners' shortcomings, each and every practitioner should explain to them in a calm and proper way that the deficiencies aren't a result of practising Falun Dafa. Rather they are a reflection of one's shortcomings in cultivation and in not fully meeting the requirements of Dafa. However, as a practitioner, we are always striving to make improvements in ourselves.

If we can open up and pay attention to different issues, and if we honestly check to see whether we meet the requirements of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, then we will be able to constantly find our shortcomings and reveal better and better qualities. Such cultivation will display the mighty virtue of Dafa. As a result, we can make up for the deficiencies we had in the past in validating Dafa and in our personal cultivation.

Terms:

1. Fa - Law or principles, the teachings of Falun Gong.
2. Zhuan Falun - A book containing the principle teachings of Falun Gong, simply translated as Turning the Law Wheel