(Minghui.org) I have been to many Fa-study groups these past years. But some of them have an inappropriate environment, so I stopped attending.
Why do I claim the above? For example, after reading one lecture of Fa-teaching, attendees began to talk about matters of ordinary people. They talked as to what happened to someone's family, that another practitioner passed away, that someone's son was accepted to a good college, that another is going to marry somebody, and so on.
They also talked about the trade war between China and the United States, the recent eruption of swine fever, corrupt officials being jailed, and confrontations between the city management and civilians.
However, if someone raised a cultivation subject, the group had nothing to say, as if there was nothing they wanted to share.
Someone may have some cultivation experience to share with the group, but after some time, no one brought cultivation to the table.
I believe that this is a very inappropriate state for a Fa study group, because it is just like a social club for ordinary people. People chat about anything and everything, but it doesn't help attendees to progress on their cultivation path.
Master has left us the environment of group Fa-study. If we turned a Fa-study group into a normal people's social club, Master must be saddened. I would rather study the Fa at home.
A group Fa-study is to improve practitioners' understandings of the Fa and enlighten to a higher level through sharing.
Human Attachments Create the Wrong Environment
Master said,
“And then there are others who lead a group and they all have a ball together, in which case, are you mistaking this for a social club? That’s human attachments at work. All sorts of human attachments do play out in the course of cultivation.” (“Fa Teaching on World Falun Dafa Day”)
Master's Fa quoted above did not make much sense to me for a long time. I felt it was about others. Now, as I studied this teaching again, I realized that Master was talking to every practitioner.
Some practitioners feel lonely at home, so they join a group to talk about matters of ordinary people. Some like to show off and often interrupt others.
I am not saying that I cultivated better and wanted to blame them. I only want to remind fellow practitioners that Master gave us the environment of group Fa-study.
Practitioners, from group coordinator to every attendee, should maintain a solemn attitude when participating in a Fa-study group. We should not talk about issues unrelated to cultivation, and treasure the time. We must remind each other and not be afraid of offending someone.
Pure Land
I remembered an experience of joining a Fa-study group in Changchun City before the persecution started.
I was on a business trip in the city so I attended a local group Fa-study. More than 50 people packed a small house. The coordinator announced the lecture number and asked if anyone volunteered to recite the Fa. Many raised their hands.
One practitioner was picked to recite the Fa, and it was almost verbatim to the book. Afterward, the coordinator asked if anyone enlightened to anything in the Fa or if someone encountered a test to share with the group.
Although the house was packed, the environment was solemn and peaceful. You could feel a strong energy field and people were eagerly sharing their understandings of the Fa. It was certainly a piece of “pure land.”
I remembered that one practitioner mentioned having trouble letting go of lust. Someone shared the understanding of lust based on the Fa. Another shared a way of letting go of lust. The coordinator also shared his own understanding of the subject. I was very impressed.
When leaving, I asked one practitioner how far he traveled to get there. He said it was more than 5 kilometers. I was surprised that he lived so far away, but he said some practitioners lived more than 10 kilometers from the group meeting place.
“Distance doesn't matter,” he said. “The environment of this Fa-study group is very good. You can discover issues about yourself and then improve upon them.”
A Fa-study group ought to have the power to attract practitioners. The power comes from an environment where practitioners can share and progress on their cultivation path. Otherwise, some practitioners will stop coming to the group and those who continue to come would have less enthusiasm to attend.
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
Category: Improving Oneself
