The Relationship Between Practitioners

Hello, XX:

After we studied the Fa [teachings of Falun Gong] yesterday, I felt what we talked about was based on the true principles of Falun Gong. We could smoothly and rationally talk about where we have done well, as well as where we haven’t done well, and constructively communicate our expectations to others.

I felt especially happy to hear about one practitioners’ improvement. When she found a part-time job, even though the boss treated her well, she was able to look inside herself to see if she was avoiding the conflicts which had happened between herself and her previous boss, to see if she had failed the test. The question she put forward to everyone showed that she is really cultivating and enlightening. I felt that everyone’s answer was good, and helped her to consider the issue from the angle of the Fa [principles of Falun Gong], and was not confined to the angle of personal cultivation. She also understood this immediately.

We also talked about how we lacked motivation to move forward in clarifying the truth and offering people a chance to come to know Falun Dafa in our area as a whole body. This problem is emerging. I think that it is a manifestation of becoming more mature so that we can face the problem calmly and rationally.

We also talked about how we should be more concerned about one another. I would like to share my thinking on this issue. In the beginning, when this issue emerged, I thought it was a matter of the relationship between personal cultivation and Fa-rectification. I indeed saw my insufficient compassion and concern for other disciples. However, from perspective of the Fa [Law and principles in the Buddha School], this consideration is not the key to improvement. I think this problem would be clearer if we looked at it more deeply; the reality is that we don’t value the whole body. Especially we, the veteran disciples, do not pay enough attention to improving as a whole body; we only care about the fact that we’re busy, don’t recognise the progression of the whole body, and don’t develop righteous thoughts within the whole body. We have established a lot of contacts with other disciples all over the world, and taken part in lots of mail groups. Sharing what we’ve been doing and our understandings of the current situation is helpful to progress as a whole body, and it enables more people to melt into the overall current of the Fa-rectification.

On the other hand, I think the practitioner who raised this problem also has an element of sentimentality at the same time. My personal understanding is that the typical case of the attachment of sentimentality is to ask others (spouse, family, colleagues, fellow practitioners, etc.) to treat me just as I want to be treated. However, we should not have this sentimentality as we are practitioners and hold ourselves to a higher standard.

There are practitioners in different states of cultivation, and practitioners who started to cultivate after the evil persecution began. When viewed from the perspective of the Fa, our daily lives or cultivation are minor in the overall situation of the Fa-rectification. However, our daily lives and cultivation will also affect the overall situation of the Fa-rectification. Everyone has surface human notions which haven’t been assimilated to the Fa. Therefore, in the current circumstances, if we don’t place some emphasis on this problem, it will cause some losses. For example, when a certain practitioner lost her job, we all thought she would adjust well by herself and throw herself into the Fa-rectification again. We were not considerate of her and as a result she felt upset. As practitioners of Falun Gong we must be considerate of each other in all regards and have compassion to all sentient beings, not to mention our fellow practitioners

In Fa-rectification, there is also the existence of complicated factors, such as interference taking advantage of sentimentality and notions which haven’t been removed by these practitioners; the attachments are then reinforced, restrain the practitioners, and prevent us from acting as a whole body. Therefore, we should indeed pay more attention to this, not show our consideration to other disciples in an overly sentimental way but exclude the factors that are used to stop us from acting as a whole body. As disciples encounter the difficulties in their personal lives and cultivation, they also have to search inward, and not allow any loop- holes to be created which can be taken advantage of, as well not providing any excuses for the persecution.

When we met outside on Sunday, we talked about the problem that two disciples have in renting a house together, I felt you are still intolerant of your fellow practitioners in some ways. I was surprised when I heard that you suspect that someone envies you, but you have not searched inward immediately. My personal understanding is that when you suspect others of envy it is also a manifestation of jealousy, and even more complicated.

Please correct me if I have shared anything incorrect. Everything is meant whole-heartedly so that we can improve together.

Translated from Chinese at
http://www.yuanmingeurope.net/articles/200212/15324.html