Learning to Look Inward One Hundred Percent

(Minghui.org) Ms. Lin is a coordinator in our area. For many years local practitioners felt that she was irresponsible in the way she handled funds, and some questioned the content of the materials she made. Because she has such a strong personality, no one ever brought it up to her.

We recently learned that Ms. Lin made materials with inappropriate content. I felt she should not post them and shared my opinion with other practitioners. However, I left the decision to Ms. Lin. When I returned home, I thought about it all night. I felt that the way I handled it was sneaky. Even though I knew that what she did didn’t conform to the Fa, I did not tell her directly. Instead I talked behind her back. Wasn't my behavior inappropriate?

I had not seen Ms. Lin for two months. Some practitioners tried to contact her but could not reach her for a long time. I was worried that she might be persecuted. I discussed the situation with another practitioner, Ms. Dai and we said we would not acknowledge the persecution. We should honestly express our concerns to Ms. Lin from the Fa's perspective.

This is the background. The following is what I would like to share.

When I thought about talking with Ms. Lin, my first reaction was fear. I was afraid that pointing anything out would damage our relationship. I was afraid she wouldn't be able to take it. I was afraid she would scold me. I was afraid she might come up with a bunch of excuses. Besides fear, there was an attachment to protecting myself. For many years Ms. Lin always strongly rejected anyone else's opinions or suggestions.

I frankly shared my thoughts and concerns with Ms. Dai. I told her that I was afraid that my words, with these thoughts and concerns behind them, might not go down well. Ms. Dai said, “We have Ms. Lin's best interests in mind. It's not easy to be a coordinator! She has continued to practice despite the persecution—isn't she great?” I agreed and said we should follow Master’s teaching:

“I often say that if all a person wants is the well-being of others and if this is without the slightest personal motivation or personal understanding, what he says will move the listener to tears. I have not only taught you Dafa, but have also left you my demeanor. While working, your tone of voice, your kindheartedness, and your reasoning can change a person’s heart, whereas commands never could! If others are not convinced deep down inside but only superficially comply, they will still conduct themselves according to their own will when no one is around to see them.” (“Clearheadedness,” Essentials for Further Advancement )

We followed Master’s teaching. First, we looked inward and made sure our motive was pure—we only wished to help Ms. Lin.

While looking inward I felt I found the reason I had not done well in my cultivation for a long time. Instead of realizing that difficulties were opportunities to improve, I always looked outward and blamed others. I usually noticed everyone else's issues and only occasionally saw my own. I felt I was “reminding” others when I pointed things out. Wasn’t I being cunning? How many cultivation opportunities had I repeatedly wasted because I kept looking outward!

I finally realized that only looking inward one hundred percent is true cultivation. Even looking outward a little bit is not truly cultivating. Only by looking inward one hundred percent can we be humble, see the truth, embody the principles of the Fa, and raise our cultivation level.

With this realization, I thanked compassionate Master for his painstaking arrangements so that we could all improve together. I thanked Ms. Dai for her kindness and thanked Ms. Lin for doing the coordination work all these years.

A few days later when I met Ms. Lin, my heart was calm—I no longer worried about how to communicate with her or how she would react. I just calmly, frankly, and kindly shared my opinion. It was really amazing! Ms. Lin quietly listened and was very calm. The whole process went well.

This article represents my understanding at my current cultivation level.