“Who Dares Let Go Of An Everyday Person’s Heart”—Truly Searching One’s Inner Self in Conflicts

(The words in the title of this article “Who Dares Let Go Of An Everyday Person’s Heart” are an unofficial translation of the title of one of Master Li’s poems from Hong Yin)

The process of daring to find one’s shortcomings in conflicts is a process of striving toward compassion and a process of continuous cleansing.

In conflicts, some fellow practitioners also said they were searching their inner selves. Whenever they started talking, they all said they had done pretty well and did not know that they had shortcoming until conflicts occurred. It sounded like they were searching their inner selves, unfortunately their assumption for searching inner selves is “they had already done so and so well.” In fact, they were not willing to face their shortcomings. Shortcomings do not occur because there are conflicts, but shortcomings are exposed through conflicts. Then shouldn’t we search inwardly?

Some people said that they were searching their inner selves in conflicts. Yet they always talked about other people’s deeds before they admitted that they have shortcomings or the attachments they have found in themselves. In fact they were blaming others indirectly. Can this be truly searching one’s inner self? Why couldn’t they bravely say that their attachments have been exposed through conflicts right from the beginning?

Some people are used to everyday people’s “reciprocity” to foster support. They always let other people say how good they are and how right they are, with the intention to leave a good impression on other people. Are they really that good? Are they truly that right? Do they really consider for other people always? If so, then how would conflicts occur? Does the elevation of standard of xinxing [moral character] depend on others to say that one is good and one is right? Doesn’t that depend on one’s practice? Then shouldn’t we look inwardly for the root of the problem?

Some fellow practitioners have not studied Fa and practiced exercises for a long time. How can they possibly deal with conflicts correctly? Let alone search shortcomings in themselves. They have not even fulfilled the basic requirements of a practitioner.

Some fellow practitioners studied Fa and practiced exercises everyday. However, when they encountered conflicts, they all wanted to keep the things that they could not let go. They said they were searching themselves, yet what they have found was skin-deep and did not matter much. They dare not or would not want to reach deep into their hearts. Why do we study Fa? Isn’t the purpose to rectify ourselves in accordance with the requirement of Dafa? Studying Fa is not like monks hitting the Bell, once today and again tomorrow. One has to compare one’s heart with the Fa. Cultivation is to use Dafa as the guidance to continuously eradicate the one’s selfishness.

Some fellow practitioners were well-considered for others all the time outside their home, yet conflicts were prevalent in their home and have not been resolved for a long time. Some live in a family that family members act like strangers and their relationships are as irreconcilable as fire and water. Some did not search inwardly for their shortcomings and demonstrate to their family members Dafa practitioners’ purity, righteousness, and kindness, but rather exerted pressure on family members in conflicts. Some fellow practitioners can give up everything for themselves, but they haggled over every ounce with their family members. They took even minor loss to their hearts. Can’t these “Hearts” or attachments lead to conflicts? These “hearts” are those things that should have been got rid of during individual’s cultivation.

Some husbands and wives both learned Dafa, yet they could not treat the conflicts in their home correctly. They did not remind each other to search their own shortcomings in accordance with the request of Dafa but rather used the means of “affection” to treat each other. Even if they search themselves in conflicts, they selected those Fa principles that can preserve their selfish hearts. What is worse, when their spouses, fellow practitioners, or family members encountered conflicts, they did not remind their spouses to measure themselves by the Fa and look inward, but in order to maintain their “affection” and interests, helped cover up and support their spouses even though they knew clearly that their spouses were not right. Some even did not search for their own shortcomings in conflicts and try to resolve the conflicts in a good way as a Dafa practitioner, but rather stirred up troubles in front of their spouses, instigating, enlarging, and intensifying conflicts. They intended to have their spouses to stand on their side in conflicts. It is good if your family members are also practitioners because they would know that it is your xinxing that has problem. If your family members are not practitioners, then what kind of negative impact would that cause on Dafa? Is this a small issue? Does this not harm oneself and others? When conflicts take place between one’s spouse and fellow practitioners or family members have conflicts with oneself, we should first think about checking to see if we have sought to find a resolution.

Examine the root of one’s problem. Why can one be well-considered in every respect outside one’s home, but not at home? Indeed, in conducting oneself well outside one’s home one can receive praises from others about how good one is. Other people cannot see how one behaves at home. Or if one really did well at home, it would touch upon many things that one cannot let go. Then one has to think about why one wanted to cultivate at the first place. Is the motivation to do good for others to say that one is good, or to do good for others from the bottom of one’s heart? If one wants to cultivate oneself, then shouldn’t one compare one’s actions to the requirements of Dafa?

Can it be true cultivation if one only works hard in the aspects that can be seen by other people but does not care about the aspects that others cannot see? A Dafa practitioner should act the same inside and outside. Whether it is inside or outside one’s home, one should do good in both situations.

One might try to shift the efforts of being well tempered outside one’s home to one’s home and see what would happen. (One must) Dare to oneself to examine oneself thoroughly in conflicts and dig deeply into one’s thoughts. After all, a cultivator wants the real elevation of xinxing, not temporary reputation on the outside.

Some fellow practitioners not only do not handle conflicts well, but rather intensify the conflicts. Some fellow practitioners, due to their better relations with one of the parties in the conflicts or because of favors given by one of the parties, always helped one side to criticize the other in conflicts. This is not good. Some fellow practitioners already had conflicts with practitioner A. When they learned that practitioner A had conflicts with practitioner B, they virtually were laughing inside and wished that they could unite with practitioner B to attack practitioner A. Isn’t this kind of thinking and behaviour dirty? We are cultivating in accordance with Dafa, not forming gangs or factions like everyday people. Think for yourself, which heart brought about this effect? Shouldn’t one search oneself?

Some responsible persons do not respect other practitioners enough. When fellow practitioners have different opinions from theirs, they just acted up without concern of others. In particular when fellow practitioners did not treat them as the “leaders” they were even more bitter. Some for a long time have treated fellow practitioners as their “subordinates.” Then, didn’t they unconsciously treat themselves as the “heads?” Wouldn’t this kind of mentality lead to conflicts? Some even used one’s position to push out, attack, or isolate those fellow practitioners who were more capable but had different opinions from them. Can these kind of behaviour be the deeds of Dafa practitioners?

To put you on the position is to let you to serve your fellow practitioners, not to let you be the “boss.” If one cannot handle conflicts well for a long time and become the “model of true cultivation of xinxing” that is required by Master for responsible persons and assistants, why not give the position to someone else? Dafa cultivation is sacred. It cannot be used by you to crowd out those fellow practitioners who have different opinions from you. If your deeds brought about many obstacles and pressure for fellow practitioners’ participation in rectifying Fa, how are you different from the accessory of the old forces? Isn’t this problem serious? Shouldn’t you look seriously for yourself, given the strong attachment?

Have those practitioners who agreed tacitly, obeyed, and watched on the side search themselves? When those things happened to them, did they put the basis of their thinking in the right place?

Some practitioners stayed away once they saw conflicts taking place and were afraid of being affected. Think about it, is this right for a Buddha? As a practitioner, when you see conflicts taking place among other practitioners, shouldn’t you try to make an effort to help to resolve it in a positive way? Shouldn’t you try your best to strengthen the cohesiveness of the whole? “When things do not concern ourselves, just shelve them” is everyday people’s selfish thought. As a Dafa practitioner, when we encounter conflicts, how should we do?

Cultivation is a serious matter; it is not a game. Any bad thing from everyday people cannot be involved in Dafa cultivation. Think about one’s self seriously. The period of rectifying Fa has reached its final stage. Examine one’s self and see whether one is close to or far from the requirements of Dafa. We all know that at present many conflicts are caused by the old forces. However, why don’t we think about why they can create this effect? If we are pure and unselfish, can the old forces bring about any effect? Can it find the environment to bring about such an effect? As long as there exists the heart of “for myself and for self,” the old forces can interfere.

What is denying the arrangement of the old forces? Following the Fa to cultivate one’s xinxing and eliminate those bad attachments is denying it. If one is not willing to cultivate oneself in accordance with the requirements of Dafa, then it is useless to talk about negating the old forces? When one has so many selfish attachments left, can xinxing be elevated simply by sending forth righteous thoughts?

If you recognize that conflicts are caused by some attachments of yours or caused by the bad effect brought about by yourself, then why don’t you find the courage to take a step further and tell others about your shortcomings and hope everyone can advance together? In conflicts, in addition to daring to truly search oneself, one also needs to be honest from the bottom of one’s heart. See what will happen if one really has the sincerity to resolve conflicts? Hasn’t Master told us repeatedly that in conflicts we must have the “mercy that can melt down steel?”

It is indeed difficult. In particular when one always wants to hold onto or is not willing to let other people know about the selfish attachments that one quietly covered up, it is difficult to dig them up. Those attachments will not let you think that they are selfish. They will let you feel that you are being responsible for something or insisting on some principles. If you think your selfish hearts are not selfish, then they have found the space for survival. The problem is this serious. Therefore, cultivation is difficult. It is even more difficult when you bring along with you a lot of selfish attachments.

The selfish heart is very cunning. It will let you know it is selfish, yet it will also let you try to protect it with various kinds of concepts that you have formed in the world. If you think that all those selfish concepts are right, then your selfish heart can openly be “unselfish.”

At present, the human society has changed. Don’t think that because you have obtained Fa or participated in something, you are (automatically wonderful like) a flower. Ponder for a while and see what is inside your every thought. Have the courage to compare yourself to the Fa. If you always use the standard of the world to measure up, then that is everyday people’s behaviour. Only the standard set up by Universe’s Dafa is truly correct. In addition, the standard of Dafa will never change with the change in society.

A person who is in cultivation can never take the principles he has understood to be the standard of Dafa. There is no limit to Dafa. It is beyond what you have recognized. Dafa has different manifestation at different levels. Shouldn’t a person who wants to cultivate himself use higher and higher standards to require oneself?

Don’t think that only everyday people will be responsible for their wrongdoings; so will Dafa practitioners. Dafa practitioners have further to be responsible for what they have done, even for their one thought they must be responsible. It is because in other spaces, it is not small thing for Dafa practitioners. Then shouldn’t one set strict requirements for one’s xinxing? Shouldn’t one examine one’s shortcomings in conflicts?

After all, if one wants to cultivate, one has to be a cultivator. In addition, if one does not cultivate oneself well, then the loss is one’s own. One will not be given a Buddha status simply for “building temples.” The reason is that the status of xinxing can only be cultivated by one’s own practice. The standards of Dafa will never be muddled through.

Those who have not truly examined themselves in conflicts in the past should hurry up and examine themselves. No matter what you said or how other people agreed with you, you will not be elevated.

Only by truly having the courage to examine one’s shortcomings in conflicts and correct oneself in accordance with the requirements of Dafa can one be truly elevated. Now matter how deep that “selfish” thought is hidden and how secretive one’s wrong doings, in other dimension they are all obvious and recorded. Therefore, hiding them is in fact cheating and slowing down oneself.

The standards of Dafa will never change. It will not elevate you simply because other people said that you are good. It will not lower your level simply because other people said that you are bad. Remember Master’s discourse on compassion: “Compassion comes from a person's cultivation, and it's not something that's acted out; it comes from deep inside, and it's not something done to show others. It's something that exists eternally, and it doesn't change with the passage of time or changes in circumstances.”

Indeed, isn’t examining oneself in conflicts the same?

In fact, the fundamental difference between everyday people and practitioners is the act of examining one’s shortcomings. However, it is very extraordinary for a person to truly dare to examine one’s own shortcomings in conflicts from the beginning to the end. It is because this is the manifestation of a true cultivation that one can master oneself.

Translated from Chinese at: http://www.yuanmingeurope.net/articles/200309/23954.html