(Minghui.org) Local practitioners recently had different opinions about how to treat a practitioner from another area. We all looked inwards, and some of us shared that they found they had an attachment to idolizing that practitioner. I would like to share what I learned from this. I hope it will be helpful.

I liked to be with this practitioner as much as possible. I'll call her “Amy.” Amy's celestial eye was open. Sometimes she shared with me the beautiful and sacred scenes she saw from other dimensions. She also described the manifestation of her gong when she did the exercises.

At first, my mind was very open without any pursuit. I was curious and thought it was really good. It proved that what Master said was all real! Even though I could not see these things myself, Amy saw them. It strengthened my belief in the Fa.

Gradually I started to idolize Amy. She told me the principles she had enlightened to. I had never heard of them from other practitioners, nor had I enlightened to them myself. I believed she cultivated well since she could enlighten to such high level principles.

I thought I would learn more if I followed her. Maybe some day I could enlighten to the high level principles as well. So I accompanied her everywhere. I just wanted to be with her. Even when she was held in a detention center, I went there, too.

It was all wrong. Along with my attachment of idolization, I would say things she liked to hear and praise her. This fed her attachment to zealotry, but I could not see that. I always took her side when she had conflicts with other practitioners. I blindly followed her and believed everything she did was correct.

Amy eventually realized that I was idolizing her rather than following the Fa. For a time she was angry with me. She ignored me and antagonized me with hurtful words. She said I interfered with her cultivation.

I felt wronged: “I do whatever you ask, how am I interfering with you?” Now I know that she was helping me to lose my attachment and walk my own path in cultivation. But I felt hurt and resentful at the time and did not know what to do.

Master's Fa woke me up. Master said:

“You should not follow or listen to him because he has supernormal abilities, supernatural powers, or because he can see some things. You will do him harm, as he will develop the attachment of zealotry and end up losing everything and having them switched off. In the end, he will stumble.” (Zhuan Falun)

I realized that idolizing a practitioner harms them. It gives them additional tribulations. If the tribulations are too much to overcome, they will fail in cultivation. If many people idolize a practitioner, he or she will be in a very dangerous situation.

The old forces then might see this loophole and take his or her life. There have been several such cases in our area. They all did very well in terms of clarifying the truth, but, in the end, they fell.

Idolizing an individual and not following the Fa also harms oneself. When you rely on others and want to take shortcuts in cultivation, it is as if you are letting them control you. Eventually you will lose your righteous faith and start to doubt Master and the Fa.

As a result, you won't be able to cultivate. He or she is also a cultivator. It is unknown whether one can succeed in cultivation. It is not like things in everyday society, where a friend might help you reach your goal; that could never happen in cultivation.

Many attachments like jealousy, zealotry, showing off, pursuit of consummation, and breeding demons in one's own mind are hidden behind the attachment of idolization.

When I was with Amy I felt superior, looked down on others, and refused to listen to different opinions.

To get rid of the attachment of idolization and not following the Fa, we need to study the Fa more and get rid of the attachment of pursuit. We should spend more time reading the Fa a with pure heart. Now, whenever I encounter a tribulation and want to ask for Amy's opinion, I recall Master's words:

“The only way to gain a good understanding of Dafa is to study it without any intention.” (“Learning the Fa” from Essentials for Further Advancement)

Afterwards, I feel calm and can handle the tribulation as a practitioner. Since I got rid of this attachment, Amy is no longer annoyed with me.

Actually, we do not need to idolize anyone. We are all practitioners and need to cultivate according to Master's Fa. We should treat practitioners with compassion, regardless of whether they demonstrate their strengths or weaknesses. We should kindly point out their shortcomings and correct ourselves based on the Fa. That should be a common goal. If we do this, we will advance in cultivation much faster.