Looking Inward Helps to Remove Barriers

Practitioners understand the need to cooperate with each other. However, our thinking and actions sometimes prevent us from doing so, but we may not aware of them because we do not look inward. One day while studying the Fa with a fellow practitioner, I realized that whenever our thoughts fail to align with the Fa, we create a barrier that prevents us from cooperating well.

When I was doing the second exercise with a fellow practitioner one morning, she had difficulty raising her arms and started groaning. I found her groaning irritating, so I altered my position and turned my back to her. I thought that she did not cultivate well and was not willing to let go of her attachment to jealousy. I believed that this was the reason why she felt ill. Although I sent forth righteous thoughts for her recently, I truly believed that she was a burden to me. As I was dwelling on these negative thoughts, her groaning became louder. Suddenly, I realized that my thoughts were dark substances and were being added into her dimensional field, and were the source of the barrier between us.

Teacher said:

“All of what you encounter and meet with owes to factors that are present within your expanse. If you can have sufficient righteous thoughts, you can then be towering and massive within your expanse and suppress any bad things that might exist there.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting”)

I realized that what had happened to her was because I needed to improve. I should look inward for the reasons why we encountered difficulties when working together. By not doing this, the old forces were able to persecute her even more. Instead of looking at her shortcomings, I should have looked at myself, find my negative thoughts towards her, and replace them with compassion and tolerance. To my surprise I noticed impatience, selfishness and conflict residing in my mind. I realized that cultivation means looking to improve myself, not others. This practitioner had actually helped me to understand how to look inward and realize the true meaning of cultivation.

When I understood what I did wrong, I felt ashamed and turned back around to face this practitioner. I said: “We are one body. Your problem is my problem. No one can separate us or dare to do so.” She replied in a firm voice, “I am strong. I can finish these exercises.” She forced herself several times to raise her arms to the correct position. After some time she was able to do so and her pain was gone. She was overjoyed and I was moved to tears by the power of looking inward.

After this incident, I became truly aware of the importance of cooperating with each other and why Teacher reminds us so many times about working together and cooperation. In the past, I did not understand the true meaning of cultivation and our local group of practitioners was not able to work as one body. I for one, did not participate in group Fa study. When a fellow practitioner was arrested, instead of sending forth righteous thoughts, I blamed him for not doing a good job in cultivation. I felt the same way for fellow practitioners who showed symptoms of illness. I also looked down on elderly practitioners who had limited education. Indeed, I had been looking outwardly and created barriers, instead of cooperating within our group.

Fellow practitioners, let us begin to form the habit of looking inward. This is the only way to form one body. A strong one body will be able to crush any old force elements and rotten demons.