How to Correctly Look at Practitioners Undergoing Tribulations

Recently, some problems have occurred in our area. We lost a site that we were using to print materials exposing the persecution that is taking place against Falun Gong when some fellow practitioners were arrested. They are suffering serious persecution. Teacher told us during a recent Fa teaching,

"...once you take up Dafa, whatever it is you encounter--good or bad--it is a good thing (applause), for it came about only because you cultivate in Dafa." ("Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005")

We certainly don't acknowledge the persecution. The problem is how we should look within and improve ourselves. We should truly treat other practitioners' business as our own, and help those stuck in tribulations to deny the persecution and rescue them as soon as possible. We should improve ourselves together as a whole body by looking at our individual shortcomings.

In examining our response to tribulations, I found the main problems to be practitioners not looking at their own shortcomings and discovering the omissions of the whole body. The first thoughts that often come to mind are judging our fellow practitioners' shortcomings and the seriousness of the situation. Some practitioners were earnestly exposing the evil. Some kept sending forth righteous thoughts, but the effect was limited. We know that problems occur when practitioners and the whole body have omissions. Every one of us must take our part of the responsibility. We just can't seem to make good use of these opportunities to look within and upgrade ourselves as a whole body. On the other hand, we put too much emphasis on one practitioner's shortcomings, and this kind of negative field gives the evil too big of an excuse for persecution. The evil will say, "See? All the Dafa disciples know that he has shortcomings. My test will strengthen his righteous thoughts by persecuting him. Am I not right?"

It's true that the arrested practitioners should truly look within themselves. Every practitioner should be finding their own shortcomings during their tribulations. We should actively dig out the big problems behind those tribulations and take notice of any problems within ourselves.

I remember an article from "Minghui Weekly" that described one practitioner's state of tribulation. She could hardly pull herself together. Everyone pointed out her problems and criticised her mistakes, which almost made her lose confidence in cultivation. Only one elderly female practitioner encouraged her by saying, "Do not be afraid, you can surely make it." This encouragement inspired her to return to Falun Dafa and start all over again. Undoubtedly, "...cultivation is up to you, gong is up to the master."( Zhuan Falun) Real change is up to Teacher, but only when we upgrade ourselves to that level can Teacher act on our behalf.

I experienced the same situation as she did. There was a period of time when I couldn't make it through the tribulations due to my attachments. I couldn't calm down to do study of the Falun Gong teachings, the exercises or to send forth righteous thoughts. I couldn't do well in truth clarification and I became very worried and anxious. Many times practitioners solemnly pointed out serious problems, thereby exerting a lot of pressure on me. I found that my attachments seemed to appear every day and everywhere. I didn't feel like a practitioner at all. There seemed to be no way out, but only a vicious circle. The more I didn't study the Fa (law or principles in Falun Gong) well, the more anxious I became. A practitioner, who everyone thought was less diligent in cultivation, went to another area to share cultivation experiences and upgrade her level of character and understanding. She helped me by silently sending forth righteous thoughts and then telling me what she saw. I felt like nobody had ever helped me that way before.

Certainly, the practitioners who know me also spent time and effort trying to help me. They truly wanted to help me, but I didn't feel that they did it in the right way. Now it seems to be a big omission for us as a whole. First, we seldom look within and always look outward at others. Secondly, we unintentionally put too much emphasis on fellow practitioners' attachments. We need to restrain thinking that won't have the effect of helping others in the end.

Teacher told us in, "Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles":

"Cultivate yourselves. I don't want the environment Dafa disciples have to become one in which people point fingers at each other. I want the environment to be one in which everyone can accept criticism and at the same time look inside themselves... Improvement for a cultivator definitely doesn't result from finger pointing, nor does it result from my criticism of you as your Master or from your pointing fingers at or criticising each other. It comes from you cultivating yourself."

In fact, practitioners in many areas, who are more diligent in cultivation, are practising in this way. However, I think practitioners in our area seem to be stuck in criticising situations and can't move forward. Practitioners attached to fear don't do anything when problems occur. Practitioners with less fear are able to do something, but only focus on finding problems in the practitioners involved. They even treat it as the most serious factor of the persecution. How can we negate the old forces and rescue our fellow practitioners by doing that? That's why we could do nothing when our fellow practitioners were arrested, put in jail, fined, sentenced or even persecuted to death.

Another situation happens when we hear that a practitioner was caught, or was sent to the hospital by sickness karma or became too "sick" to walk. We can all devote ourselves to sending forth righteous thoughts. When a practitioner can't pass his test or is disturbed by thought karma that he can't overcome, then he asks other practitioners to send forth righteous thoughts to help him. Some practitioners just coldly say things like, "It's one's own business to cultivate. How can you trouble others to help him?" The truth is that before he (or she) asked for help, he had tried very hard but just couldn't make it. He might have thought about asking repeatedly. He only said it out loud in despair and then received such heartless words in return.

All practitioners have different attachments. Maybe something that is not a big deal to you will be a big test or even a deadly test for him. Some requirement you cannot reach may be a piece of cake for him. That's to say we shouldn't treat and judge others based on our own standards. Perhaps you are inferior to him in some aspects of cultivation.

If we can truly look within ourselves and make up for our omissions when practitioners are caught, persecuted to death and pass away due to sickness karma, we won't remain at the same level of not being able to step forward and will no longer be left behind by the requirements of Fa-rectification.

I suggest that we practitioners as a whole totally change our thinking and make our cultivation environment one in which we can accept all kinds of criticism, where everyone can look inside and cultivate oneself. This will be a true cultivation environment. We should keep in mind Master's teaching:

"Maybe you're right, maybe not. And your being wrong might cause you to see another person's being right as being wrong, or your being right might cause you to see another person's being wrong as being right." ("Falun Buddha Fa, Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. Conference") (Provisional translation subject to improvement)

The above is my recent understanding in cultivation. I personally experienced some of the incorrect situations mentioned in this article. Please point out any incorrect points, for further improvement.