(Clearwisdom.net) I want to share my views related to cooperation among Dafa practitioners. Master keeps emphasizing that Dafa practitioners need to cooperate well. However, in many regions, cooperation seems to be happening to a lesser degree.
Here are my views relating to cooperation difficulties for Dafa projects outside of China. Many practitioners have normal jobs. Why is it that we work hard and finish a manager's assignments without complaints and arguments, but are unable to do the same with Dafa projects? Some practitioners may say that it is different, as we get paid in ordinary people's workplaces. Furthermore, it is the managers who assign the job, and if we do not follow the managers' instructions, we would be laid off and become jobless.
The situation is different with Dafa projects. Practitioners work voluntarily, and they do not get paid or do not get paid as much as they would get from doing ordinary people's work. Furthermore, with Fa-validation projects, when practitioners work together and do cooperate, there is no issue of one leading or managing others. Only Master is above us all. This is probably the mentality of many practitioners.
It is true that many practitioners do not get paid for carrying out Fa-validating projects. But why do we do these projects? Aren't we doing them to offer people salvation and fulfilling our own prehistoric oaths? Isn't this more important than making money? We should do these Fa-validation projects well for this reason. We do not have to manage the projects in the ordinary people's way, that is, firing someone if he or she does not do the assigned work well. Will we become more cooperative and productive under strict control, or fail to do so in a relaxed environment, absent of any strict control? We are not high school students. Isn't our not cooperating well a result of the habits we have developed under the long-time influence of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) culture? How come we only work solidly under strict controls? We should, as Dafa disciples, seriously consider this issue.
Additionally, in workplaces in China, people do not speak their dissenting views during a meeting, but only after a meeting. During a meeting, all of the attendees may agree with a decision, but after the meeting they have second thoughts, some agreeing with the decision and others not. In the end, when it is time to carry out the project, people will overtly agree but covertly disagree; thus, the project cannot be executed well. In some other countries, meeting participants discuss various viewpoints at length and may even have a fight during the meeting, but once a decision is made, all will try hard to carry it out, no matter if they are the ones who previously objected to or supported the decision. Practitioners in some regions argue heatedly, both during and after the meeting. They do not follow the coordinator's decision, or even overtly agree but covertly disagree. This situation has a negative impact on Dafa projects.
There are many principles and experiences in ordinary society. Not all of them should be flatly discarded as principles of the old universe. We should judge them against the Fa and use those that are good. Certain practitioners, after learning Dafa, no longer care about any principles in the human world, no matter if they are compassion, integrity, propriety, learning, trustworthiness, or gentleness, kindness, courteousness, thriftiness or forgiveness. They only talk about Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, as if they did not encompass all those other principles. Some practitioners even do not talk about Truth-Compassion-Forbearance and only stress what is on their minds, or if the issues are in accord with their notions. They do not judge everything by the Fa; rather, they measure everything according to their human mentality. How could this mindset be right? We are cultivating in human society and need to follow the principles in the realm of human society in our daily lives and at work. We should restrain ourselves with these principles. Master told us,
"...one cultivates while conforming to the way of ordinary people to the maximum extent." ("Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital," 2006)
It is just that we have very high xinxing and righteous mindsets. When there are no better ways, we can use the experiences that humankind has accumulated over several thousand years. Why not use them? Those that do not meet the requirements of the Fa can be corrected and perfected during our use of them; of course, the premise is that a practitioner has this ability. If we do not have this ability, we can simply use the good experiences as references, learn from them, or simply apply them. We should not act like the evil CCP, which has overthrown the old rules and destroyed the old society, and does not operate according to reason. I feel that this is also a factor that has resulted in some Dafa practitioners being unable to cooperate well. Fa-validation project coordinators or those who work on the projects faced with unsatisfactory cooperation seem to face this dilemma because they have not adopted a system or a working protocol that is in accord with current managerial principles.
Of course, some of the issues may have resulted from the following: The practitioners in charge of the projects, initially, out of their willingness to offer people salvation, either started the projects or gathered Dafa practitioners to do the projects together. It is difficult to tell who the project initiators were. Furthermore, because the practitioners carried out the projects with their own money, it was hard to tell who "owned" the projects; besides, all practitioners consulted each other before they started the projects. The project initiators simply had the wish to offer people salvation and did not consider how large the projects would become.
Later, when the projects became too large, the project initiators possibly no longer had the ability to handle the many aspects involved. Perhaps they were not good at management; they may have never learned or understood management methodologies. Now Master has taught us the Fa about major Dafa project coordinators. All the practitioners should follow the instruction of the coordinators, but those coordinators may not have managerial abilities. They may have their own difficulties to overcome. Actually, it is easy to handle. Is it right that there are CEOs or managers in ordinary people's companies? If a coordinator does not have management ability, he or she can find a practitioner who is capable of it and also enthusiastic in doing projects, and empower that person to fully manage them. The coordinator can replace that person if he or she cannot accomplish the task.
Conflicts or problems may always exist.
Master said,
"This is because the Buddha Fa is boundless. What does "the Buddha Fa is boundless" mean? It has unlimited ways;" ("Teaching the Fa at a New York Meeting" from Lectures in the United States)
We have cultivated for so many years. We should have gained much wisdom, which our human notions or attachments have hidden. I believe that Dafa practitioners can certainly resolve these minor issues, because we all came to fulfill our own missions.
I finished the article in a hurry. If there are some points that are inappropriate, please kindly point them out.
