(Minghui.org) From the time I was a child, I was known as someone who “knows how to talk.” Even after I began to practice Falun Dafa, I considered this one of my strengths. I always saw myself as a judge of others and never saw myself as someone being judged.

This warped mentality was clearly evident in my life experiences. When I asked others for help and they didn’t do things the way I liked, I would complain. When others asked me for help and I didn’t like how they handled things, I would complain. When friends invited me for dinner, I would sometimes criticize the food rather than compliment it, thinking I had the right to express dissatisfaction.

Influenced by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) philosophy of “struggle,” I constantly blamed and judged others rather than feel grateful. In my eyes, others were never as good as me and nothing they did was good enough.

Even after cultivating for over 20 years, I still haven’t fully eliminated this bad habit, and I truly feel ashamed before Master. I understand that if I don’t break free from the principles of the old universe, I cannot enter the new one. Although I put a lot of effort into trying to watch my speech, I did not have much success. Then, recently, while reciting, hand-copying, and diligently studying the Fa, I finally realized why I hadn’t improved in this regard. The issue was that I hadn’t changed my mindset. I was always guided by old thinking and notions to view issues and judge people and events, so I remained trapped within the old universe’s principles.

After identifying the root of the issue, I made the following requirements for myself:

1. Learn Restraint and Be Quiet

I began by working on this at home. If there was nothing important for me to do, I would just stay in my room and copy, recite, or study the Fa, or I read cultivation experience-sharing articles on Minghui.org. I tried not to get involved in everyday family matters or gossip. I minimized offering advice and avoided lecturing family members. As long as they didn’t do anything against Dafa, I would refrain from expressing any contrary opinions. I learned to restrain myself and to say as little as possible, because the more one says, the more likely one is to make mistakes. Silence is golden.

2. Change My Mindset and Hold Myself to the Standards of a Dafa Cultivator

If I don’t change my notions and continue to view things from a human perspective, it will be very difficult to truly watch my speech. For over 20 years I’ve struggled with this issue, repeatedly making the same mistake.

Especially when it came to key situations, even though I knew I needed to improve, I still didn’t follow the standards of a cultivator. For example, when I saw people making mistakes, even though I knew I should ignore it, I couldn’t stop myself from commenting. When other practitioners argued, I knew I should look inward to find my own attachments, yet I couldn’t help analyzing who was right and who was wrong. Sometimes when I had conflicts with people, I knew I was in the wrong, but I would still feel I had to explain or justify my actions.

These behaviors showed that I didn’t evaluate myself with the standards of a cultivator. I haven’t followed Master’s teachings on cultivating my speech. I haven’t let go of human notions, nor have I cultivated compassion that puts others first. I’ve been acting out of self-interest. As long as I remain trapped in the self-interest of the old universe, I cannot enter the new universe. This is a fundamental truth. Master taught us this at the very beginning, yet after 27 years of cultivation, I still haven’t let go of selfishness. I still failed to act as a true cultivator and do what Master asks of us. I’m now determined to learn to keep quiet and truly cultivate my speech.

3. Cultivate My Mouth in Other Regards

I’ve come to realize that watching my mouth isn’t just about what I say, it also applies to physical behavior. Matter and mind are one and the same. Take snacking, for example. For a while, I loved eating snacks, and whenever I saw any I liked, I just had to eat them. And the more I ate, the more I craved. When I didn’t have snacks, I would feel like something was missing.

Later, I started feeling sick after I ate snacks. Sometimes I had a stomachache, sometimes I had sore teeth, bloating, or diarrhea. Now I realize these things happened because I didn’t “watch my mouth” in a material sense.

Recently, I’ve been paying attention to this issue and have cut back or stopped eating snacks altogether. As a result, these abnormal symptoms are decreasing. I know this is because I’ve found the problem, and Master is helping me.

Although I haven’t yet done well with cultivating my speech and watching my mouth, I’ve come to see that it’s actually not that difficult. As long as I improve my xinxing, it’s achievable. From now on, I will make sure to limit offering advice, not gossip, not speak casually and lecture anyone, and say as little as possible (except when clarifying the truth to save people). I will show restraint and not be so attached to specific foods. If I can do all this, I truly believe I will be able to cultivate well.

This is some of my recent understanding. If anything is not in line with the Fa, please kindly point it out.