A Young Practitioner Looks Inward

Time flies. Thirteen years have passed, and I've grown to be a young Falun Dafa practitioner of the Fa-rectification period. On my cultivation path, I looked inward when I ran into conflicts with my classmates, teachers or parents, and I found my attachments.

I arrived one morning a little later than usual. A boy came over to harass me. He said, "You stole money from me yesterday. Give it back!" I ignored him and read my book. He demanded, "Hurry up! Give it back!" I was not moved by him and continued to read. He got bored and left. When I returned home from school, I told my mom about this. She praised me, and I felt very good.

That same boy came over to me again a few days later, saying, "You stole money from me yesterday." I was not moved at first, but then I got irritated later and retorted, "No, I did not steal your money!" He grinned slyly and taunted, "Yes, you did." I got anxious and started argue. "No, I didn't! Go find it yourself!" I shouted angrily.

My friends immediately came over to comfort me. One of them said, "You put up with him last time. Why not this time?" I was awakened immediately. That's right. Why did I
pass the test last time but not this time?

I searched inside and was shocked when I recalled my mindset the other day. When I talked to my mother, I had such a strong impulse to show off and of zealotry. I was thinking, "See, I passed the test! How wonderful! I have such good character." This was a very unworthy thought. Then why didn't I eliminate such a thought? Why did I keep it? The reason was my attachment to showing off. I wanted to show off how well I had done compared to others, so I didn't eliminate it. Then I thought, "Did I go too far when I argued with that boy? Should I apologize to him?"

After I arrived at school the next morning, I told the boy, "I should not have shouted at you yesterday. That wasn't right. Even though you were teasing me, I should not have treated you with no respect." He smiled and hung his head.

I realized from this incident that showing off is very harmful, as it may develop the attachment to zealotry or the pursuit of comfort.

Actually, no human attachments are good. They are there for us to get rid of. When we keep on cultivating, we will get rid of them and we will improve our character. Whether at home or in school, we should make use of every opportunity to improve our character. Conflicts with parents, teachers, or classmates are essential cultivation opportunities. We look inside in conflicts to find our attachments. Then we get rid of those attachments and improve our character. This is the key.

When we have conflicts with ordinary people, why not search deeper inside ourselves? Why not keep Master's teachings in mind? If we don't keep Master's teachings in mind, there is no law to guide us. How can that be allowed? In a more serious case, one will be go one's own way and refuse to take any advice.