Some Understandings about Cultivation of Speech

Today I read a fellow practitioner's article, "Be Careful about Sharing Negative Information Among Practitioners" (http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2010/1/19/114004.html). I was very moved by it. I think, just like what was discussed in the article, we should take this issue really seriously in our sharing of cultivation experiences among fellow practitioners.

I think being careful about sharing negative information among practitioners is essentially an issue of cultivation of speech and thought. It is not simply a formality or discipline of personal behaviours on the surface.

In Zhuan Falun, Teacher specifically discusses the cultivation of speech. It is necessary for us to share our cultivation experiences among fellow practitioners, but we should know well that such sharing should comply with the Fa. As far as I know, under many circumstances, we spent too much time adversely talking about ramifications like the bad cultivation status of other fellow practitioners. Such sharing rarely aims to help fellow practitioners. It is more like the meaningless gossip encountered everywhere else in society. It neither helps fellow practitioners nor does it do any good for the speaker's own cultivation. Teacher has mentioned issues like this in "Fa-Teaching Given to the Australian Practitioners." I suggest that we watch the video lecture.

I think some practitioners have became so used to speaking in this way that they can no longer sense it as a bad thing. I once talked about this with a fellow practitioner. We both agreed that we should not talk about fellow practitioners behind their backs and we should pay attention to our cultivation of speech. However, in less than minute, we again started to talk about the cultivation status of another fellow practitioner negatively. Fortunately, we realized our problem immediately and stopped.

Cultivation of speech is very important. As cultivators, we must look inside and cultivate ourselves. Are we looking inside ourselves when we talk about others? Why do we hear or see others' problems in their cultivation? Isn't it because we often have similar problems or attachments to let go of?

Teacher said,
"Some students have, throughout the course of their cultivation, always looked outward, sought external solutions, and looked for things outwardly, focusing on things such as how others are not treating them well, saying displeasing things, acting too much like ordinary people, always being hard on them, or never accepting their ideas. As a result, you have stopped doing anything that Dafa disciples do to validate the Fa, and have even stopped cultivating in a fit of anger. Do you really not realize for whom you are cultivating?" ("To the European Fa Conference")
We should measure ourselves against the Fa to see how we are doing. In compliance to the Fa, we should remind ourselves that we are cultivators, and conduct our thoughts and behaviour righteously when we talk about others.

When we see problems in others' cultivation, we should point it out directly to them. If they do not accept or understand our reminder, we still should not talk about their problems with others. Otherwise, we will add more bad elements in other dimensions, which creates gaps between us. This will not do any good at all.

I think our sharing should focus on looking inside ourselves, saving sentient beings or cooperating well. If we have to share other things, we can share them personally. Otherwise, we had better not talk about them as they are nothing more than a waste of time, and interfere with our doing the three things well.

These are just some personal understandings, please kindly point out anything improper.