(Minghui.org) I read Zhuan Falun for the first time during my 2008 summer vacation and have continued reading it ever since. However, I didn’t sense much improvement during the greater part of those 14 years. It was only in recent years, and especially in recent days, that I have come to truly understand the meaning of “reading the Fa more” and its significance.
Master said,
“… as long as you read Dafa, you are changing; as long as you read Dafa, you are elevating.” (“Melt Into the Fa” in Essentials for Further Advancement)
Before, I simply understood this to mean that, if I read the Fa more, I would improve faster. So, I read Zhuan Falun with great effort. At first, I made a commitment to read a certain number of pages each day. Later, I promised myself I would read the whole book a certain number of times in a certain period.
When I started reading the Fa for the 110th time, I felt that I still had not improved much. Although I never wavered in my belief in Falun Dafa, I sometimes doubted that reading the Fa more would make me improve faster.
My grandfather started reading Zhuan Falun several years before I did. However, he didn’t even understand the meanings of the words he was reading, not to mention comprehending the principles of the Fa. He still did not understand cultivation in the Fa-rectification period and did not understand the significance of doing the three things. My mother and my aunt started practicing Falun Dafa after I talked to them about it. Although they read the Dafa books often, they still couldn't raise their levels.
I firmly and sincerely believe that Dafa is righteous, but I didn’t know what was wrong with me or my family. Seeing that I couldn’t come to my senses, compassionate Master enlightened me: “The more your mind holds, the faster the change.” (“Melt Into the Fa” in Essentials for Further Advancement)
To improve quickly by reading the Fa more, the Fa must go into your mind. In other words, one must put the Fa into the Main Consciousness. I then realized that, although I have read the Fa for 14 years, most of the time as I read, I was thinking about something else. I paid attention only to the number of times I read the book and did not really pay attention to studying the Fa with a sincere and focused mind. I came to understand that reading the book many times did not necessarily mean that I had put the Fa into my mind.
If a true practitioner wants to assimilate to Dafa wholeheartedly and accept the teachings in Zhaun Falun completely, he/she should sincerely study the Fa with a focused mind and firmly put in into his/her mind.
My relatives could not let go of their fundamental attachments. Although they read the Dafa books, they did not understand and fully accept the teachings and did not have the desire to completely assimilate into Dafa.
The old forces arranged for many people to mix among Dafa practitioners. These people cannot truly cultivate, and they influence other practitioners. They are difficult to recognize and they themselves may not know what roles they have been playing. Only Dafa practitioners who truly cultivate and study the Fa well will recognize them and not be affected by them.
I don’t know what role I was given, but I sincerely want to cultivate Dafa and reject the old forces’ arrangements with firm determination. I nullify any arrangements I might have made with the old forces, and I am determined to follow Master unconditionally.
Many people like me, with a higher education, tend to have absorbed modern notions that can hinder us from truly understanding the Fa. To understand Master’s teachings, we should pay attention to “learning” as we read the Fa. In other words, we need to put the Fa into our minds rather than just count how many times we read the books.
People with a “higher education” tend to have relatively good memories. While I was reading a sentence in Zhuan Falun, many times the next sentence would pop into my head, and I tended to read fast without meaning to. To deal with this, I chose to listen to the audio Fa teachings. This worked for me, but may not necessarily work for others, for Master’s words stay at the same speed.
The above are some of the detours I have taken. Although I had read the Fa for 14 years, I felt that I was not really imprinting the Fa into my mind most of the time. Now I understand that “read the Fa more” means to study the Fa and put it into our minds more and understand its significance.
I hope that my understanding can help other practitioners in similar situations.
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Category: Improving Oneself
