How can I return to my own practice when I keep comparing myself with others or feeling jealous?

Return your attention to whether you are improving. Other people's circumstances, resources, and abilities can teach you something. But continually asking why they have something you lack can leave only resentment, while you forget the work of your own that remains before you.

This is what it means to say that those who overcome themselves are strong. You once became angry in a situation but can now understand the other person a little better. You once felt dissatisfied but are now happier and more at ease. These are forms of growth. A fellow practitioner also shared that spiritual practice is a long journey, not a pursuit of others' admiration. There is always someone more capable, so comparing abilities has no end.

Master Ji Gong has said that people have different life stories, trials, and wishes. Some care about money; others hope for a partner. Naturally, what they receive is not identical. After an experience, look back at what you did well and what could still be adjusted, keeping your attention on what you can learn.

I compare spiritual practice to doing assignments. People's capacities and what they can bear differ, so their questions differ too. Someone else's harder assignment does not mean you must do that one. Doing the work suited to your own level first is what brings your own learning.

For example, your questions may be easier, and you score eighty after completing them. Another person can bear more, receives harder questions, and also scores eighty. In this comparison, both can reach the same destination. The point is to learn according to your own level. You need not envy someone whose mission appears larger or feel your own portion is unimportant.

When others give money and effort to charity, do not think only that their wealth and connections naturally make it possible. Discussing news about medical-supply donations, what moved me was the willingness to give. Having resources does not necessarily mean being willing to use them to help. Appreciate it, learn from it, and consider what you can contribute now, rather than keeping your heart fixed on what you lack.

When seeking to understand your spiritual origins, also examine what you are pursuing. Is it understanding the direction of practice, or finding out how powerful your backing is so others will think you impressive? Being told a special identity before you have any personal understanding differs from walking the path and gradually understanding for yourself. Practice still requires grounded learning.

Dao Shun shared once insisting on arguing everything through whenever convinced of being right. Later, Dao Shun tried considering the other person's position and asking what winning would accomplish. Gradually there was less desire to confront and more energy for adjusting one's own attitude. This was progress Dao Shun noticed in daily life, shifting the focus from winning and losing to personal change.

A life that looks glamorous also has sides you do not see. Growing up under a family's reputation and public attention can be difficult. Something you occasionally enjoy for its novelty may not interest someone who lives it every day. Learn from others' strengths while cherishing the life you already have, rather than envying appearances alone.

A fellow practitioner used a change of environment as an example. In familiar surroundings, you may feel you are doing well, then discover much more to learn in a new place. A gap can help reveal what needs strengthening. My concern is not who is more capable, but whether these experiences help us see problems and become willing to adjust and keep learning.