(Minghui.org) As a Falun Dafa practitioner, I have been doing all that I can to help save sentient beings, but I struggled with time management.
I was working on projects for New Tang Dynasty Television (NTD TV) at night and during the day I took senior practitioners to do outdoor exercises and raise awareness about Falun Dafa and the persecution in China.
Both efforts were so time-consuming that I felt I could only focus on one at a time. But eventually I found that I could actually do both. By putting priority on following the cultivation forms that Master provided for us, I have become very efficient. My work quality improved and I now have plenty of time.
Doing Exercises Outdoors
I attended a 5 p.m. meeting for NTD TV work. When I was assigned an article to write, I conducted an interviewing in the evening. I then started working on the article at 3 a.m. after sending forth the righteous thoughts. I had to finish and submit it by 7 a.m.
On the days I didn't have an article assignment, I picked up senior practitioners and brought them to our local library. We did the exercises there and explained Falun Dafa to people who were interested. Then I took them home. Though the exercises took only two hours, I spent over five hours on this because I had to taxi the senior practitioners.
On the days that I had an assignment, I stayed at home to take a rest first. Then I did exercises at home. On days like this, the senior practitioners would go to places near their homes on their own to do the exercises. Because they only spoke Chinese, they couldn't answer questions when people asked about Dafa.
I felt that I had to be with them, so I decided to go to the library with them every day. I left home at 9:30 a.m. and got back home after 3 p.m. every day.
Amazingly, I had enough time to do everything after this change. In the past, I sometimes felt tired and couldn't finish Fa study or even housework. But now, not only do I not feel sleepy, but I also have enough time to study Zhuan Falun and clean up my home, before the 5 p.m. meeting.
I realized that doing the exercises outdoors is the cultivation form set forth by Master. Because I followed this principle of the Fa, I ended up having plenty of time and energy.
Participating in Group Fa Study
Participating in group Fa study in our area was another challenge for me. If I attended it, I had to leave right after the NTD TV meeting. I had to pick up and drop off other practitioners, so it would be after 11 p.m. when I got home. I could sleep for only a few hours before I got up to work on the NTD TV article.
Twice, I tried skipping the group Fa study. However, the extra time it allowed me didn't make my work go more smoothly. The first time, the interview didn't go well. The second time, I couldn't record the interview and I became very sleepy, eventually becoming late in submitting my article.
I then realized that group Fa study was important because was the cultivation form that Master had given us.
Master told us:
“Think about it, everyone: For several thousand years, cultivation methods in Buddhism have been in those forms. How can it still be Buddhism if someone alters it? Cultivation methods are for serious cultivation of Buddhahood and they are extremely complicated. A tiny change will cause a mess.” (Lecture Four, “Guanding,” Zhuan Falun, 2014 Translation)
“Cultivation is a very serious matter. It can’t be done carelessly in the slightest. You can never arrive at a level unless you meet the standard for that level.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Canada”)
I decided that I should not miss any group Fa study.
I tried to do the interview in the afternoon if possible, so that I wouldn't be late for the group Fa study, or have to leave early. I became clear in my thoughts. If I couldn't do the interview before the group Fa study, I was able to finish it after I got home. The interview and writing used to take me eight hours, but now I can finish them in as little as four hours.
Staying Conscious during Meditation
I was very diligent when I first started practicing. When I sat in meditation, I could quickly enter into tranquility.
After a while, I started to slack off. Gradually I would become muddle-headed or even fall asleep during the meditation. I reminded myself that I needed to be clear-minded to cultivate myself, but I still didn't improve much.
Recently I realized that it was because I didn't treat Dafa with a sacred heart and with full attention, as when I just started. I adjusted my attitude and focus, and now I am always clear-minded during the meditation.
Master told us:
“...in cultivation you must be serious, and that is the most basic guarantee for you as a cultivator.” (“Fa Teaching at the New York Fa Conference on the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of Dafa’s Introduction to the Public”)
We should be diligent and serious in everything that we do.
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Category: Improving Oneself
