(Clearwisdom.net) We all know that we need to look inward when we come across any issue. However, often our looking inward becomes distorted. Sometimes when we look inward, we find that we have not improved and feel that the problems we find are rather specious. Sometimes, when we ask others to "look inward," we are really saying, "Go and find your mistakes." And when we require that others adhere to the Fa principle of "being selfless" and "thinking of others first" of the two people involved in the matter, the speaker however shows "selfishness" because what the speaker is saying implies, "How come you are not treating me in a 'selfless' manner? You should treat me in such and such a way."
Validating Oneself Is a Manifestation of Selfishness
We have had the experience that when we have faced conflicts and studied the Fa with pursuit, we have often felt that a particular paragraph of the Fa was aimed at the other person and that paragraph talked about the very issue in question, and we wondered how come the other side could not understand this. It even went so far that sometimes both people involved in the conflict went to another person with Master's teaching and showed him/her the paragraph on "looking inward" that each had found regarding the other person.
Such phenomena is most obvious in our coordination work as one body because everyone feels they are being responsible to Dafa and they all try to resolve the issues as quickly as possible. However, when there is loss or a problem, we tend to look for who is responsible for the problem, who is in the right, and who is in the wrong. Why is it that, even when we all have made mistakes, our first reaction is to find fault with others? This is because we are still not willing to look inward and are not prepared to change ourselves according to the requirements of the Fa.
When we do things as a group to validate the Fa, there are often conflicts in which we need to improve our xinxing, and from time to time there appear losses and interference as a result of some practitioners being self-centered and validating themselves. To get at the root of these issues, we can see that all these are rooted in the selfishness of beings of the old universe. Validating oneself while doing the three things shows that we have failed to put the Fa as the number one priority.
Holding onto an attachment to oneself, always thinking "what I am doing," "what I must do," "what I want to get," "I'm cultivating," and "I want to achieve such and such" indicates that we have failed to part with selfishness all along. Moreover, when we look inward, we also base it on selfishness. The reaction has gone so far to the extreme that in order to resolve these conflicts mentioned above, we feel everyone must only talk about his/her own shortcomings. Moreover, when we see other practitioners' attachments, we feel that we must not point them out (with kindness) and focus on our own things. When fellow practitioners do point out another one's human notions, then he/she would turn around and remind them that they have not looked within themselves.
Master has made it very clear that whatever we do, we must always first of all be considerate of others. Master also taught us that we must accept criticism. Then why is it that some practitioners think that one must not point out others' shortcomings and argue that this is truly looking inward? How can we not say anything when we see problems that would affect our truth-clarification efforts and our coordination as one body? If we don't say anything, how can we coordinate? In fact, all this shows a mentality that we don't want to offend others and we don't want others to irritate us either, and we want to protect ourselves. This is why we have a warped understanding. If we don't resolve this fundamental issue of cultivation and if we do not let go of the attachment to selfishness, we cannot be Dafa disciples.
Some coordinators say that they feel hindered by doing the coordination work. Indeed, the more one emphasizes one's own opinions and mixes in personal elements, the less mighty virtue one has, and as a result, things will not be done well. If one can let go of oneself, discard one's own notions and personal elements, he will find that things will get done better and be more liable to succeed.
We must relinquish selfishness through cultivation in the process of truth-clarification and cooperating with fellow practitioners. During this persecution, every Dafa disciple has become more clear-headed and rational and has his/her own thoughts. They have become clearer about what they are doing; they all have their own righteous thoughts, and these thoughts are becoming stronger and stronger. This is a manifestation of returning to one's true self.
Treating the Fa as Top Priority Is Truly Being Selfless
Which is bigger, the Fa or oneself? Who sets the standard, the Fa or oneself? Are we conducting ourselves according to the Fa unconditionally, or are we using the Fa for self interest? The whole conduct of the old universe made a mistake on this root issue, and the old forces have gone even further. The old forces, who are themselves targets of the Fa-rectification, have mistakenly put themselves in the position of the one who is rectifying the Fa, and because of this, they have caused enormous calamity to the sentient beings and also destroyed themselves.
What I would like to mention here is that Dafa disciples also need to deal with the issue of correctly positioning themselves in their cultivation. As Dafa disciples, Master has not only created the new universe for us, but has also given us godhood status and the enormous honor and fortune that come with that position. Everything we have is given to us by Master. Therefore, in our cultivation, we must let go of the mentality that we are "untouchable." In the face of the majestic dignity and compassion of Dafa, in the face of Master's infinite, mighty virtue and Buddha's infinite grace, isn't it a big issue if someone still thinks he/she is extraordinary?
When we truly look inward with a pure heart, then the Fa principles will manifest when we study the Fa. When we share our understandings we need to be humble and cautious; otherwise, when we are not careful or are influenced by our own attachments, what we share would include our personal things that are not based on the Fa. For this reason, please kindly point out anything impure in my sharing.
