(Clearwisdom.net) I have noticed that I developed qing (sentimentality) after staying with some fellow practitioners often and felt quite comfortable with them. This can lead to a lot of interference, or even trouble, in cultivation. For example, I noticed that some practitioners had qing among themselves. They liked to agree with each other and would ignore the unrighteous habits or attachment others have. When they saw similar attachments in other practitioners, they felt too embarrassed to point them out.
Because of qing, the relationships between these practitioners become more and more like those of everyday people. They invite each other to meals, give gifts to each other, and do not follow the requirements of the Fa to cultivate. Sometimes, they would go to the other practitioners to borrow money or ask for help in private matters. This directly interferes with the other practitioner's xinxing. Some practitioners cannot pay back the money they borrowed, creating interference for both parties.
If the relationships between practitioners become more and more like those among everyday people, there will be conflicts. You may feel that you are nice to him, but he is not nice to you. Or some practitioners may start to envy one person or another. This eventually results in what practitioners most do not want to see - arguing, and gaps among practitioners, which create a negative impact on validating the Fa as a whole, and negatively impact the cultivation environment. Some practitioners may even stop cultivation because of this.
Therefore, practitioners should safeguard their xinxing when interacting with each other, think of others first, and look inwards more often. When you see a practitioner's gap, first look within to see where your own gaps are, then fix the mistakes right away. If we see problems in other practitioners, we should kindly point them out. Even if they can't accept it immediately, we should not have negative thoughts about them. In this way, we can truly cherish each other, develop mutual tolerance, and improve as a whole.
This is what I found in my cultivation. I wrote this to share with fellow practitioners.
Please kindly point out gaps in my understanding.
April 13, 2010