(Clearwisdom.net) Master said,

"I also want to tell you that your nature in the past was actually based on egotism and selfishness. From now on, whatever you do, you should consider others first, so as to attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism. So from now on, whatever you do or whatever you say, you must consider others--or even future generations--along with Dafa's eternal stability." ("Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature" from Essentials for Further Advancement)

My understanding is that there is no small thing in our cultivation, and we should measure everything we say or do with Dafa principles. The side of us that hasn't assimilated to the Fa is still confined to the old universe's principles and based on selfishness. On the other hand, the new universe is altruistic. Seen from the microscopic perspective, our selfish sides still correspond to numerous sentient beings who need to be saved. As we gradually eliminate our selfish sides in the Fa-rectification process, we are offering salvation to those beings and at the same time consummating ourselves.

A recent incident allowed me to see the selfishness deeply hidden in me. I found that I tended to think of myself first in the things I did, instead of considering others first.

A group of us once gathered at a fellow practitioner's home to share experiences. This fellow practitioner ran a family business in his storefront room, and we were sitting in the back room. After a little while, his daughter (non-practitioner) opened the door of the back room and said to us, "Don't close the door. You can't hear the customers coming in." Since I didn't close the door, I paid no attention to her words. Before we knew it, somehow the door was closed again, and the daughter again opened the door and reminded us to keep it open. I still felt that this had nothing to do with me. I then needed to use the restroom. When I got back, I grabbed the doorknob without even thinking and was going to shut the door. But I suddenly realized that while "shutting door" was seemingly trivial, it actually had something to do with my cultivation. I took my hand back and returned to my seat and reflected on my action. Why did I unconsciously want to close the door? I realized that I was afraid and didn't want others to hear us talking in the back room. Shutting the door would be safer, I felt. Well, we do need to pay attention to safety, but I found my fear in this regard. When I looked further within, I dug out my selfishness. Deep in my heart, I felt that Dafa disciples' safety was much more important than the fellow practitioner's family business. What would their family think about that? Our fellow practitioner's daughter had every reason to care for her business. If our behavior left a bad impression on her, weren't we hindering her salvation? I found from this incident that my first thought was to protect myself, instead of considering others first. I started to distinguish that this selfish side is not the real me. I am a Dafa disciple and I should eliminate it and attain the righteous enlightenment of selflessness and altruism.

At the conclusion of our experience sharing, another practitioner asked me, "Do you still want to stop by my place on your way home?" I replied without thinking, "No. Is there anything you want?" As soon as these words came out of my mouth, I was ashamed to find I was again dominated by my selfishness. The first word I said was "No," and then I asked if he had anything to do. Why couldn't I consider him first and ask if he needed anything from me? It was entirely because I was selfish. I truly realized the seriousness of cultivating every thought and every action. I should always put myself in others' shoes.

Regardless of whether we're sharing experiences with fellow practitioners or clarifying the truth to everyday people, we should first think about what the Fa requires us to say or do. We can't just say or do anything at will. Instead, we should communicate with others based on their acceptance, thinking how they could learn the truth and be saved. We should be compassionate and try to see more strength from others. Only by looking within can we eliminate our omissions. Such is true cultivation that can lead to great compassion and help remove all the barriers among practitioners. Every time we are able to achieve our goal, it is because our xinxing has reached a certain level and Master gives us mighty virtue.

When I calm down to study the Fa, I see the different manifestations of and corresponding outcomes from different actions, i.e., looking within versus looking outwards and being altruistic versus being selfish.

As a matter of fact, many things that occur during our cultivation don't manifest in the human world. The elevation of cultivators' xinxing and the corresponding changes in their bodies and universes are oftentimes invisible to everyday people. Even cultivators themselves can't see every change. People can see only the righteous actions and words of cultivators.