Letting Go of Resentment

(Minghui.org) I had harbored long-standing resentment for my two brothers, two sisters, and my brother-in-law. The root of this was they owed me money and often treated me disrespectfully. I felt it was so unfair that I built up a strong feeling of resentment.

I’ve been practicing Falun Dafa and doing the three things practitioners should do for many years, but I was not truly taking in the teachings from Fa-study. My health would sometimes be in a poor state, especially last year when I had a major car accident and almost lost my life. It was only thanks to compassionate and great Master that my life was saved. I asked myself why this accident had happened. As a cultivator, I should look inward unconditionally.

I read an article in Minghui Weekly, where a practitioner said: “How can you blame others? It’s because you haven’t met the standard. It is precisely because you did not reach the standard so others behaved the way they did; they were providing you with an opportunity to improve and creating conditions for your elevation. How can you blame others? You should be thanking them! Once you’ve truly improved and reached the standard, see if others still act that way.”

These words shocked me. I truly began to thank the people I thought had once hurt me. They were helping me improve. How could I continue to resent them? I should be grateful to them. When I thought this from the bottom of my heart, my heart was filled with compassion, as well as guilt for the harm I had caused them. My stubborn resentment was shattered.

This practitioner’s words further inspired me, making me realize: If they didn’t repay the money they owe me, it’s possible I owed them in a past life. If their taking my money is to settle a karmic debt, I don’t see why I should feel it unfair. And if I didn’t owe them, they would be giving me virtue. When we endure suffering, we can eliminate karma, and Master will transform our karma into virtue. If we treat ourselves as true cultivators and elevate our xinxing, Master would further transform our virtue into gong (cultivation energy). We would truly gain so much! All those people we once thought hurt us were actually providing us with opportunities to elevate and achieve consummation (enlightenment).

From my observations, some practitioners in my area who passed away had harbored resentment for a long time without letting go. Resentment is also linked to jealousy and desires for personal gain, which are attachments Dafa disciples must eliminate.

Master said:

“A wicked person is born of jealousy.Out of selfishness and anger he complains about unfairness towards himself.A benevolent person always has a heart of compassion.With no discontentment or hatred, he takes hardship as joy.An enlightened person has no attachments at all.He quietly observes the people of the world deluded by illusions.” (“Realms,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

We must always assimilate ourselves to Dafa’s standards so that we can continuously improve ourselves and be qualified to enter the new universe.