On Evaluating People

My colleagues told me that the two managers in the company where I had just been employed were very nice. After working for some time in the company, I also thought that the managers were quite generous. Compared to the owners of some other private businesses, they were much better. So I started telling others that the managers were nice. As a result, I began to run into trouble with the managers. I had been conscientious in my work, and the trouble I encountered all turned out to be a misunderstanding. I was quite baffled and felt wronged. Of course, as a Dafa practitioner, I knew I should conduct myself according to a high standard. Although I was able to maintain my xinxing (heart and mind nature, character) most of the time, I found that I had failed to cultivate my speech. My appraisal of others without grounds brought me trouble.

When I was listening to Master's lecture today, I came to understand what happened. My colleagues praised the managers because they evaluated people based upon personal interests. For example, if the manager didn't argue with me over trivial things and was not so strict with me, I would say he was good because I benefited. Also, in everyday society people have their own opinions about things. If another person agrees with me, I may say he is good person. Such standards of evaluation are common in today's society. However, as a practitioner I had adopted similar thoughts and praised the managers. This brought me trouble.

Dafa practitioners should adopt Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance as the sole criterion to discern good and bad people, including fellow practitioners and everyday people. In fact, measured with this standard, everyday people have deviated far from the standard of human beings, and there are few truly good people. Then why do we often claim someone is a good person? Because we are judging people with the ordinary society's distorted standard. We fail to regard them as sentient beings to be saved and aren't focusing on saving them.

In fact, measured by the standard of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, we will find that only genuine practitioners are truly good people. Master told us that clarifying the truth (about the persecution of Falun Gong) was an act of grand compassion. So many fellow practitioners work hard to clarify the facts, and they have eliminated their attachments, been unmoved by all sorts of interference, and suffered hardships that an everyday person could not endure. All of their deeds have complied with the standard of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance at different levels. We should recognize our respected fellow practitioners as the good people.

Dafa practitioners should treat sentient beings with compassion. For example, when we clarify the truth, we should not be bothered by the other person's behaviour. When we contact people, we should not pay too much attention to their social positions, abilities, or income levels. If we are bothered by these things, we are lowering ourselves to their level. Human beings are quite insignificant in the universe. Master cherishes us because we today are part of Fa-rectification, and we are able to cultivate ourselves to be higher beings. When we clarify the truth to people, instead of judging them according to their social status, abilities, or income, we are offering them the opportunity to be saved. We should be very clear about this.

Realizing this, we will learn to measure ourselves and others using the criterion of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and we will be able to better position ourselves and everyday people and not be moved by ordinary society. We will be able to appreciate the fine quality of fellow practitioners, eliminate the gaps among practitioners, and do the three things (study the Fa [the teachings of Falun Dafa], send forth righteous thoughts and clarify the truth about Falun Dafa and about the persecution to the world's people) better.