Looking Inward Is Fundamental in Our Cultivation

(Minghui.org)

Looking Inward Is Fundamental in Raising Our Level

In 2002, we were planning to intercept the television broadcasts in our local area. The authorities found out that the store sold us the equipment and followed the delivery person, and many practitioners who were coordinators and technicians were illegally arrested. This was the worst incident of persecution in our area. We were under tremendous pressure and felt paralyzed, and our materials production site stopped functioning. I was released in less than a year from the forced labor camp. Our production site was the only one in the area, and practitioners who were responsible for searching information on the Internet also stopped working. No one knew what to do. Several practitioners asked for my advice even though I had never been a coordinator. They offered to make fliers and discs and share their knowledge of the computer and operation of the Internet. It was really great that these practitioners took the initiative to operate the truth clarification materials production site despite the severe suppression.

A female practitioner in her 20s said to me, “Uncle, I know how to access the Internet and download the information. Just let me know what you need.” I asked her if the police were monitoring her residential area. She replied, “Undercover police monitor the building every day. But I can still come and go. I won't turn on any light, and I'll use a flashlight to help me log onto the computer and download the information on the disc. It won't be a problem.”

Being selfless, she offered to obtain information despite the strict police surveillance. Although I was worried about her, I was very moved by her determination. She succeeded many times in getting the information. During those days, many practitioners came to me for advice, and I wondered if I was capable of being a coordinator. But how could we wait when practitioners were being persecuted and sentient beings were waiting to be saved? Encouraged by other practitioners, I let go of my worries and concerns and chose to cooperate with them to validate Dafa.

One day I asked six practitioners who were enthusiastic and capable to meet at a practitioner's home. I said to them, “You all know about our situation. I'd like to know if we can work together to coordinate things in our area.” They replied in unison, “Yes, we should definitely work together.” After seeing their determination and confidence, I divided the tasks among ourselves, which included operating the equipment, downloading information, transporting materials, conducting sharing experiences, etc. Because everyone was proactive, it took only two weeks to get our material production site up and running again.

Despite the severe suppression, practitioners were still able to step forward, take the initiative to coordinate Dafa projects, and quickly restart the operation. This was due to Dafa's mighty power. Master had already paved the way for our cultivation paths. We only needed to have the wish and the thought of wanting to be responsible to Dafa and save sentient beings. Master asks us to let go of self and be kind on our cultivation path.

As one of the coordinators, I have encountered many problems and xinxing conflicts. Each occurrence was an opportunity for me to elevate. I was able to look inward, let go of self, and not look at the problem superficially. When I thought of the Fa and our one body and not of myself, my heart and the environment were thus transformed.

After a female practitioner in our area died as a result of being persecuted, I met with other coordinators to discuss how we could use this case to expose the persecution and clarify the truth to others. One of the coordinators didn't show up and caused a few practitioners to miss the meeting as well. I wasn't sure if we could continue with the meeting with so many practitioners missing. I didn't know what to do.

I later thought it was probably because this practitioner disagreed with me on certain issues. I thought I shouldn't blame her and should visit her instead. We arrived at her place and asked if we could share with her, but she refused. At the time, I knew I shouldn't look for practitioners' mistakes, but I didn't know what my mistakes were either. I took a step back, and said, “It's alright if we don't share. Why don't we study the Fa together,” and she agreed. A practitioner handed me the book when it was my turn to read. Because I still had the feeling of being wronged and was not feeling good, I was not able to read out loud. Another practitioner took over and continued.

After spending some time studying the Fa, I said, “I'm having a hard time coordinating. If anyone capable is willing to take over, then I'll step down.” One practitioner responded, “We do not choose a coordinator. Do you want to coordinate or not?” I wasn't too happy to hear that, but I tried to restrain myself and not start a conflict. No one else said anything. Then I added, “Let's find someone else to be the coordinator. We should not let Dafa projects be affected.” Another practitioner responded, “Why don't you coordinate for the time being until we find the right person to replace you?” We concluded our sharing without any results. Before I went home, I asked the practitioner who disagreed with me to come to my place to share, and she agreed.

The practitioner came the next day, and I sincerely said to her, “Please point out my mistakes. I will correct myself.” After seeing my sincerity and honesty, she replied, “I do have a few things to say. Think about what you promised initially.” I thought about it but couldn't remember anything. I asked her if she remembered what I said. She continued, “When we first agreed to coordinate the projects together, you said that we should discuss things first. Then you went ahead and did several things without asking us.” I replied, “I remember now. I noticed several young practitioners were very proactive and did things quickly, so I just let them take care of things without discussing with anyone else. I know I'm wrong, and it's not your fault. My apologies! From now on, I will discuss with everyone beforehand. I should have honored our agreement.” Her attitude changed immediately, and she said, “I'm older and not as efficient as the young practitioners. They are very proactive and quick. If we change things around, we might affect their motivation. Just let them take care of things. We should not delay Dafa projects. I will work behind the scenes and adjust accordingly.”

She was tolerant, kind, and understanding, and was able to let go of self and correct herself immediately. These are characteristics of a cultivator, and I was happy for her. I realized that, with every Dafa project we do, we should calm down when we encounter conflicts. We should not focus on searching for the source of the problem, but take a step back and look inward instead. When we let go of self, try to prevent losses for Dafa, think of other practitioners, and rectify the fundamentals, then things will improve quickly.

As Master said, “We say that when you take a step back in a conflict, you will find the seas and the skies boundless, and it will certainly be another situation.” (Zhuan Falun) If we are unable to look inward amidst conflicts and try to measure things with ordinary people's standards, then it will be difficult to step out of humanness. In fact, the emergence of these conflicts allows us to elevate in our cultivation. If we can overcome them, then we are on the path to divinity.

Fundamentally Changing Our Human Notions

I can usually do well with practitioners, but not as well as when I'm at home. Sometimes I'm not even aware of my attachments and therefore am unable to overcome them for an extended period of time. I realize now that this is because I have not gotten rid of human notions and have failed to think of myself as a cultivator. However, once I recognized this, I was able to elevate quickly.

On one occasion, I was the first one to obtain a copy of the Shen Yun Performing Arts DVD. Coincidentally, many my relatives' children were at my house. My married daughter was pregnant at the time and was staying with me. I said to her, “You should all watch the Shen Yun DVD this afternoon.” My daughter responded immediately, “Dad, Mom already asked us to study the Fa this morning, and I'd rather watch other television programs this afternoon.” I replied firmly, “No! You should watch Shen Yun. So many people around the world are not able to see Shen Yun. I just got this DVD, so you should watch it this afternoon.” Without a further thought, I turned on the laptop and began to play the DVD. My daughter, sitting in front of the laptop, turned her face away. I asked her, “Why don't you watch it?” She said, “I don't want to.”

I got furious and barked at her, “Turn your face around.” Although she turned her face, she was crying quietly. I forgot that I was a cultivator and didn't think I had made a mistake. I said to her, “Is Dad not treating you well? Many children don't know the facts about Falun Dafa and don't have the opportunity to watch the Shen Yun DVD. I recorded their latest performance for you. Am I not giving you the best? Why can't you appreciate it? If you think that I'm wrong, then go back to your own house.” I then left the house.

I came home in the evening and noticed that my daughter was not there. I asked my wife where she was, and my wife replied, “You don't know where your daughter went? She left already.” (My daughter lives in Qingdao.) I realized I was wrong. It must have been because of me that my daughter left. I immediately discovered many attachments – competitiveness, resentment, holding stubbornly to my own opinion, not looking inward amidst conflicts, not looking at things from another person's point of view, failing to consider others first. Apparently, “selfishness” was behind all these attachments, and I also lacked compassion.

As soon as I found my mistakes, I asked my wife where our daughter was. She said, “She is probably at the airport.” After a brief discussion, we decided to call her and ask her to come back. She was at the airport when she answered the phone. I said to her, “Why did you leave? It was my mistake, and I shouldn't have treated you like I did. Please come back.” She didn't say a word and began to cry. She said, “Dad, it is not your fault. I shouldn't have acted like I did. What you did was for my own good, and I'm sorry.” I said, “Please come back. I'm a cultivator, and I know I was wrong.” She said, “I have already bought the ticket and probably would have to pay more to get a refund. Since I have already paid for it, I might as well go home and relax for a while. Both of you have not been in a good mood lately. I'll come back in a few days. Is that all right?” I agreed with her.

I remember when I was a child, my sister once joked with me, “When you grow up and marry a girl, don't forget about Mom.” I thought my sister was insulting my character so I whipped her with a belt. My mother saw that and said to me, “Your sister is only joking with you. Why are you whipping her?” She spanked me and I cried. I felt that I was being wronged. Previously when my mother spanked me, she would always console me afterwards to make me feel better. But she didn't console me this time, and didn't say anything to soothe me. I stood in the corner of the room from the evening until the next morning, until my mother came to comfort me.

I've always had a willful and defiant personality. Today, in front of the Buddha Fa, when Dafa is spread in the human world, I must truly change myself. I can now admit my mistakes in front of my child, something I could have never done before I began to cultivate. But I can do it now, and with calmness. Master said, “This means that if you want to change, you have to change yourselves from deep down within, from your very nature. Only that is true elevation and true transformation.” ("Teaching the Fa at the Assistants’ Fa Conference in Changchun") This time my behavior changed, because I earnestly changed from within. I realized that, no matter what environment we are in, instead of focusing on the right or wrong of the problem, we should look inward and change ourselves, and that is fundamental in our cultivation.

Dafa Disciples Are One Body

In recent years, I have been studying the Fa well with practitioners, doing well on my cultivation path, and paying attention to the attitude of Minghui on important matters. During the beginning phase of the Fa-Rectification period, Minghui asked Mainland Chinese practitioners to establish as many materials production sites as possible across China, and make each site more personal and on a small scale. Therefore, we tried to spread the sites and allow practitioners to walk their own path. This is safer, and, more importantly, it allows more practitioners to step out of humanness and participate in validating the Fa.

Generally speaking, practitioners in our area possess good technical skills, and they have mastered a wide range of technology. As soon as practitioners learn new skills, they become our Fa instruments to help us to slay the bad elements. Many years ago, in order to establish materials production sites, we conducted five large training classes taught by practitioners who were professional in the technical field. As the number of projects increased, more practitioners in our area learned the new skills, and practitioners from other areas often came to get training. We also drove to other areas and trained practitioners and helped them establish their own production sites. One area was a county-level city that did not have a production site. The practitioners there didn't even know how to log onto the Internet. They often asked their relatives who lived in our area to bring them the materials on their train rides. This went on for many years, until a practitioner brought up their situation. We bought two laptop computers and two printers for them. A practitioner stayed with them until they were trained.

A practitioner who lived outside the area to the east of Shanhaiguan had to travel across that area to find help to set up the computer system, and there was not much she could do if the computer had problems. She heard about our practitioners' technical skills and traveled to our area. She asked a vendor, “Do you know anyone who practices Falun Gong in this building?” He gave her instructions, and she found us. At first there was no production site in her area. However, after her training with us, many production sites sprung up in her area in just a few years.

Another practitioner traveled 1,000 miles to our area to learn the technical skills. At first, she didn't even know how to use the computer mouse. We patiently taught her everything, from how to use a mouse to how to make the materials. We even trained her to maintain and fix the computer equipment. She is now responsible for operating the production site in her area.

We have also paid attention to different aspects of Dafa projects. For example, in order to maintain our Internet security, the Minghui website published an article on March 16, 2011. The article gave a graphic tutorial on how to delete a CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center) certificate. It suggested that practitioners delete or stop using the CNNIC certificate. Once we learned about it, we got rid of it from our computer system and browser. We made a mirror and shared it with other production sites. In less than a month, the computer systems in our area were all updated.

For the past few years, we didn't just validate the Fa in our area, but we helped to coordinate with practitioners in other areas as well. Rain or shine, nothing stopped us from fulfilling our responsibilities. When we traveled to other places, we ate on the road, and sometimes it was just a piece of bread and a bottle of water. Occasionally, we would drive into the ditch, and other times, our vehicle would slide backwards on a snowy slope. We didn't give up because of the difficulties. One time we got lost on our way home on the national highway. As we were trying to figure out the direction, we saw a man ahead of us. When we drove closer, we noticed he was a tall man, in his 80s. We asked him for directions, and he told us to go back in the other direction. We wondered later, “What was an old man doing in the middle of the highway, late in the evening?” Master was helping us find our way home.

For the last ten years of Fa-rectification, practitioners in our area have done a good job cooperating with each other and discussing things together. Master gave us a golden key, and whenever we encountered problems, we would use this golden key to open our hearts. Not only should we cultivate well, but we should also cooperate well with one another to save more sentient beings. It is our wish to consummate and return home with Master.

Thank you! Please kindly point out anything that is inappropriate. Heshi.