(Clearwisdom.net) Teacher has mentioned many times that we "should consider others first, so as to attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism." ("Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature" from Essential For Further Advancement) When I went to the countryside to distribute truth-clarifying material, an encounter helped me understand the meaning of Teacher's words more deeply.
Last autumn when we went to distribute informational materials in a rural area, we split into two groups and I was by myself. I quickly finished distributing all my materials and then stood by the roadside to wait for our vehicle to pick me up. After waiting for some time, I started sending forth righteous thoughts. A man of about 50 riding a motorcycle passed by me. He was possibly a village official and seemed to pay close attention to me. He returned a short while later and stopped in front of me and asked, "What are you doing here?" My heart jumped a little. My first thought was to leave quickly. I stared at him without saying a word and started walking. He caught up with me and shouted, "Stop right there. You cannot possibly escape." Then two young fellows rode up on their motorcycles. One of them asked me, "What are you doing here?" I replied, "I haven't done anything wrong." The young fellow took out some of a truth-clarifying brochure. I said, "What is that? Is it about Falun Gong? I have heard that Falun Gong is good. It is a Buddha-Fa. Those who persecute Falun Gong practitioners meet with tribulations." The older man then said, "I saw you distributing it with my own eyes. The police will be here soon to arrest you." I then went to a shack to hide and sent forth righteous thoughts.
After sending forth righteous thoughts for a while, I began to look inside. I realized it was interference. It was because I didn't have the compassion of a cultivator. When the 50-year-old man asked me what I was doing, my first thought was, "Don't bother with him. Leave quickly." It was a selfish thought. I was only thinking of protecting myself. I didn't bother with him and just walked away without saying a word. My expression was not kind, either. I only thought of protecting myself and didn't clarify the truth to him. My thinking was not based on the Fa, and I was thus taken advantage of by the evil. If I had always considered myself a cultivator and had maintained a compassionate mind, my first thought would have been to save him and not let him create more karma for himself. Then I should have answered his questions with a smile and clarified the truth to him. All beings came for the Fa. People who know the truth will only feel gratitude towards us. How could anyone report us? "Considering others first" is a divine and compassionate realm. When the evil finds no loophole to take advantage of, it will perish.
Cultivation is very serious. When we are not encountering tribulations, we feel that we are very diligent in cultivation. Only at a critical juncture will the side of us that does not meet the requirements of the Fa be thoroughly exposed. Now I have a heartfelt understanding of what Teacher said about tempering ourselves through actual practice. Teacher wants us to reach a realm of "considering others first, so as to attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism." I feel I am far from it. The Fa-rectification has reached its final stage--we need to be more diligent and not relax in our cultivation.
