Actually, the issues do not exist externally but within you. When your inner mind is pure, you will see a pure world externally. On the contrary, when your inner mind is defiled, you will see a defiled world externally. It is liken to a person wearing a pair of tinted glasses, when the tint is yellow, he will see all things in the external world appeared yellowish. Actually, it is you who are wearing a pair of glasses tinted with your own lust, hatred, ignorance, ego and suspicion, that you saw the shortcomings of others without realizing your own problems.
As long as you continue to find faults in others, you are actually the one at fault. Do not find fault in others for you will not be able to free yourself from the cyclic existence. If you remain egoistic and short-tempered, you will jump high, scold and humiliate others madly when your problem is being pointed out by others; that clearly demonstrates the sense of hatred in you. So, I think it is very important for us to look inward for self reflection.
A cultivator should practice the teachings of Compassion and Emptiness. Although the quality of both Compassion and Emptiness exists in us, it is obscured by our own karmic obscurations accumulated since time immemorial. That is the reason for one not being able to free himself from the cyclic existence. If you continue to find faults in others and accuse others of being wrong, but never do self reflection and realize your own mistakes, it only reflects your own problems. So, I hope you will remember this point: we must learn and practice with humility.
No one dares to claim that he has read the vast collection of Buddhist scriptures (三藏十二部). What had been recorded is only a small fraction of the Buddha’s teachings; Sakyamuni Buddha actually had much more to say. So, please learn with humility. Do not get agitated and scold others when others try to give you constructive feedback. That is not the right behavior of a cultivator. A cultivator is a humble person. When others point out your mistakes, you should thank them instead. If a master or a spiritual guide point out your mistakes, you ought to be even humbler but not get angry. If I pointed out your ego, you become angry and scold me from head to toe, you are just a commoner. Frankly, you don’t even understand the basic teachings of Buddhism. So, be a true cultivator and observe the precepts strictly, if you want to make it in your cultivation. Do not just pretend to be a cultivator when your inner world is completely dark. I hope you will heed my advice.
