How I Changed an Antagonistic Relationship with My Neighbors

(Minghui.org) My upstairs neighbor's little boy was very naughty. There was never a minute of quiet, and I often heard him smashing things. My family has lived here for a few years and, during that time, our living room ceiling was damaged by water.

The water came from a leak in the neighbor’s kitchen, which also damaged the walls and ceilings of our bedroom and family room. In addition, these neighbors often didn’t go to sleep until two o’clock in the morning, which kept me up. Even after I told them about the disturbance, they did not seem to care.

Sometimes I went upstairs and knocked on their door, but they just ignored me. I didn’t lose my temper or yell at them and just spoke to them kindly. I thought, “What else can I do?” I then spoke to the manager of the building. He talked to my neighbors, and they promised him they would pay attention to the noise. But nothing changed. Even worse, the parents often fought with each other. It was very noisy!

I didn’t have a quiet environment to study the Fa or to do the exercises. I had insomnia and couldn’t get up early in the morning to send forth righteous thoughts or do the exercises. I started to resent my neighbors and blamed them for being neither considerate nor kind. It made me angry. I didn’t think about this based on the Fa—I was preoccupied with ordinary human thoughts.

Wouldn’t this be a good opportunity for a cultivator to improve xinxing?

Master Li Hongzhi said, “Everything has its karmic relationship.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)

Wasn’t it obvious that this was demonic interference? My compassion had been eclipsed by my resentment. My demonic nature got stronger. I said bad things about my neighbors and dropped to the level of everyday people. I realized that I should send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the interfering factors behind this.

I frequently sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate these bad factors, but it wasn’t very effective. I began to look inward: Maybe I owed something to the neighbors in the past, so I had to pay back the debt in this way. Or perhaps there were other attachments that I hadn’t yet abandoned.

Aren’t we following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance? I had to learn to be tolerant, but I couldn’t tolerate them! My heart was always moved and I got irritated. It was exactly what Master described:

“But normally when a problem arises, if it does not irritate a person psychologically, it does not count or is useless and cannot make him or her improve.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)

By reminding myself of this teaching, I felt ashamed and realized that I had such a resentful mind; how could I succeed in cultivation? As a cultivator, I have to let go of everything!

I went to apologize to the neighbors and said, “In the past, I said things I shouldn’t have. I had a bad attitude, and my words were harsh. Please forgive me. We are neighbors. It’s said that neighbors are more helpful than distant relatives. We should take care of each other!”

They could sense I was sincere and told me that they would be more mindful of the noise. They also said that they would be happy to help me with heavy work or things I can’t carry.

Since then, I have been thinking of my neighbors with a compassionate heart. I didn’t ask them to fix the damage caused by the water leak. When I prepared delicious meals, I often shared with them. Sometimes, when I experienced physical tribulations, they cared for me and helped me buy groceries.

Our relationship has improved a lot. I can still sometimes hear them disciplining their child, and he can still be noisy. But after all, he is just a little boy! So it no longer bothers me.

Without resentment, my relationship with the neighbors has improved. I clarified the truth about Falun Dafa to them and also helped them to quit the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations. I really appreciate them for helping me to improve my xinxing. I now have a deeper understanding of what genuine cultivation is.

Master said, “For a cultivator, looking within is a magical tool.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. IX)

When we genuinely look inward, things will always change for the better!