(Clearwisdom.net) Teacher said in "Digging Out the Roots" (Essentials For Further Advancement),
"What I would like to tell you is not whether this incident itself was right or wrong. Instead, I want to point out that this event has exposed some people. They still have not fundamentally changed their human notions, and they still perceive problems with the human mentality wherein human beings protect human beings."
I found myself among those mentioned by Teacher who still have not fundamentally changed their human notions. For a long period of time, I treated other practitioners' attitude toward me with a human mentality. Whenever other people pointed out my shortcomings, I would react by pointing out their own shortcomings. I even found myself an excuse -- as a practitioner, I should let others know their shortcomings to help them improve.
When I calmed down, I realized that other people's criticism toward me was in fact targeting my attachments that I had been clinging to. However, instead of seizing the opportunity to remove my attachments, I focused my mind on contemplating how other people thought of me. Now I know that it is not other people who have problems. I am the one who needs to improve. I should not blame others for being harsh towards me. Instead, I should thank them for helping me see my own attachments.
Once I changed my mindset, I did not feel that bad. I should think of others first and be strict with myself. Whenever there is a problem, I should always look within first. Evading problems can only make things worse. I should dig out my attachments, face them and get rid of them.
