(Clearwisdom.net) I recently gained some understandings about practicing the Falun Gong exercises after a discussion with other practitioners. I am writing this to share with fellow practitioners.
1. Studying The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa, and always realizing that Falun Dafa is a great cultivation way of both mind and body
In the past I didn't practice the exercises a lot, and I even found excuses and reasons for not being diligent. Even though I knew that Falun Dafa was a cultivation way of both mind and body, I had not realized this point from the bottom of my heart. I thought that it would be fine as long as I could strictly cultivate my xinxing. I even regarded doing the exercises as a burden. I sometimes practiced as if I was just going through the motions, and usually didn't pay much attention to practicing at all.
I knew that this cultivation state wasn't right, but I still couldn't overcome it after quite a long time. Some practitioners suggested that I read The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa several times. After taking their advice, I have truly understood the issue from the perspective of the Fa, and my cultivation state has also changed accordingly.
"The exercises are part of the harmonization and perfection in our Dafa. So Dafa is a comprehensive mind-body cultivation system. It is also called 'The Great Way of Spiritual Perfection.' Dafa thus requires both cultivation and exercises, with cultivation taking priority over the exercises. A person's gong won't increase if he merely does the exercises and fails to cultivate his character. Meanwhile, a person who only cultivates his character and doesn't perform the exercises of the Great Way of Spiritual Perfection will find the growth of his gong strength impeded and his innate body (ben-ti) unchanged." ("Chapter I The Features of Falun Dafa" from The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa)
"A complete cultivation practice of mind and body requires both cultivation and practice." ("Lecture One" from Zhuan Falun)
I then came to understand that my cultivation won't be successful if I don't pay attention to practicing the exercises.
2. While practicing the exercises, listen to Master's words wholeheartedly. Every sentence that Master has said is Fa.
While practicing the exercises, one should definitely use one's heart to listen to each word of Master's formulas, with a clear mind. Some practitioners don't concentrate as they do the exercises, and they don't know what Master is saying. They just do the exercises mechanically following Master's instructions. After they finish, they still don't know what movements they have practiced. If they do it this way, whom have they practiced for? Furthermore, when the exercise music is on, does it just go in one ear and out the other? This is also an issue of whether one respects Master and the Fa.
"You shouldn't lose all awareness of yourself when you do the exercises of Falun Gong. Doing so is not in line with the Great Way of Falun Gong cultivation. You have to keep your mind alert when doing the exercises. There won't be any deviation in the practice if your main consciousness is strong, for nothing will really be able to harm you. Some things might come onto your body if your main consciousness is weak." ("Chapter II Falun Gong" from Falun Gong)
As a matter of fact, I also had a serious problem with this. Once I started practicing the exercises, my main consciousness would be gone, and everything that I had experienced in my life would pop up. Sometimes, my mind also became quite busy. This was, in fact, a very dangerous situation.
"Falun Dafa cultivates a person's main consciousness. Cultivators have to consciously cultivate their minds, abandon all of their attachments, and improve their character. You cannot be in a trance or lose yourself when practicing the Great Way of Spiritual Perfection. Your main consciousness should govern you at all times as you do the exercises. Gong that is cultivated in this way will grow on your own body and you will acquire gong that you yourself can take forth with you. That's why Falun Dafa is so precious--you yourself get gong." ("Chapter I The Features of Falun Dafa" from The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa)
3. Each and every movement of the exercises contains very profound meanings, so they should be performed accurately
Some practitioners have not studied The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa for several years. I also had not read the book in quite a long time. After recently reading it again, it seemed that I hadn't seen some of the contents when I read it before. When I compared my own movements with what Master taught, I became even more concerned. Some of them were not accurate in many areas, especially the transitional movements. For some movements, I had not met the requirements at all. But I had practiced the exercises this way for almost ten years!
Some practitioners pay little attention to practicing the exercises, and they don't even like to do them. This is directly related to the inaccuracy of their movements. We should be willing to do the exercises, as when the movements are accurate, and in synchronization with the mechanisms that Master has planted, we will be in a very comfortable state. Inaccurate movements may negatively impact the external mechanisms that Master has planted, and may also make one feel tired after practicing the exercises. I feel that this is an important reason that many practitioners don't like doing the exercises.
In fact, the inaccurate movements may not only cause the external mechanisms that Master has planted to go awry, they may also cause the Falun to deform. This may be the fundamental reason why many practitioners' illnesses have not been cured after they have practiced the exercises for so many years. It is very dangerous to let this situation go on indefinitely.
When practicing each of the five exercises, one needs to not only practice every movement accurately but also make sure the transitions between the movements meet the requirements. One should carefully feel and understand the movements (however, one should not think about this while practicing the exercises), because the movements contain the meanings of Dafa cultivation. After one has gained a certain understanding of every movement, one can enter the right state and meet the requirements during practice. This is especially so because Master's reciting the formulas is the same as Master's teaching the Fa. Only after one has gained a certain understanding of the exercises will the wonderful state during practice appear.
Additionally, let me talk about something else that I encountered related to this. While watching the video of Master teaching the exercises, some practitioners made comments, saying, "This movement of Master's is a little high" and "That movement is accurate." This is not allowed. Master's movements are the standard, and practitioners just need to follow the movements. What Master has taught is the Fa, and one just needs to cultivate oneself following the Fa. There were also practitioners who said that the movements in Master's video (of Him teaching the exercises) are different from the movements that Master taught on other occasions. I feel that those who always think this way should examine themselves carefully.
Finally, I suggest that practitioners study The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa on a regular basis and carefully learn and understand each and every movement that Master has taught us. This is extremely precious. Let's remind each other that we should cherish this special historic time during which Master has personally taught us the exercises. In the future, there will never again be such an opportunity. This is a blessing for us and it is also a glory that will never occur again.
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