(Minghui.org) After studying the Fa one day, my younger brother, also a Falun Dafa practitioner, asked me, “How do you study the Fa? Do you simply read it without much thought, or do you try to understand Master’s teachings as you go through it?”
I responded, “There are moments when I grasp the meaning as I read.” He then asked if I ever paid attention to the subheadings. I paused, realizing that despite studying the Fa since childhood, I had never actually focused on the subheadings in Zhuan Falun.
Concentrating on studying the Fa had been challenging for him. During group Fa study, he often found himself absent-minded and dozing off when it wasn’t his turn to read. He thought, What if it were his first time studying the Fa? He would open the book and read the table of contents first. So he opened the book and read the table of contents. The subheading “What Has Teacher Given to Students?” caught his eye. This sparked a sudden eagerness to discover what Master has given to us. With newfound enthusiasm, he delved into Master’s teachings as if he had found a precious treasure.
After he told me this, I felt awakened and began to assess the status of my daily Fa study. My brother continued by saying, “Tonight, as I studied the Fa, I began by reading the subheadings and then read with focus. I realized that I had not truly taken Master’s teachings to heart. I never thought about what upgrading xinxing was. I used to think that cultivating one’s character merely meant having a good temperament. However, when I read the subheading ‘Improving Xinxing’, and read about a practitioner who didn’t seek compensation after being hit by a car, I realized that cultivating one’s character extends far beyond the temperament of ordinary people. It encompasses a much broader and profound meaning.”
Master said:
“The Fa can guide you to improve at different levels. The book, Zhuan Falun, is a book that enables you to practice systematically, so it is of utmost importance.” (Teachings at the Conference in Australia)
Master also said:
“Zhuan Falun is what I have given to people for spiritual practice, as it is the systematic teachings. Other things that I have said are merely explaining Zhuan Falun and are supplementary to it.” (Lecture Given at the Conference in Sydney)
Many practitioners studied the Fa eagerly when they started practicing, even staying up all night without sleep. Why are we slacking off now? I have also found that many practitioners encounter disturbances when studying the Fa. Some people doze off, some are absent-minded, while others read as if completing a task. When faced with challenges, they struggle to recall Master’s teachings, and repeatedly make mistakes. This is something Master does not wish to see.
Some practitioners can remember their role as practitioners when interacting with ordinary people, but at home, they often forget this. Elderly practitioners complain about a lack of respect from the younger ones, while young practitioners feel misunderstood by the elders.
When encountering problems, we should all look inward and measure everything against the Fa, allowing for genuine improvement.
Every sentence in Master’s Fa holds infinite connotations, and we should pay attention to each one. Similarly, subheadings are the same. So we should be attentive to them as well.
As a child, I always enjoyed reading practitioners’ articles about the days when they followed Master to introduce Dafa to the public. One of the articles mentioned that when Master helped two sisters eliminate their karma, Master asked each of them, “Are you okay?”
It turned out that the one who confidently affirmed that she was fine could indeed walk easily again. However, the other sister, who didn’t initially believe that Master could cure her, took a longer time to heal.
This example left a deep impression on me at a young age. I understood that when we encounter problems, our initial thoughts are critical.
I went out with my siblings the other day to tell people the truth about Dafa, and came across many police officers at an intersection. We were afraid. Then my sister, also a Dafa practitioner, whispered behind me, “It’s okay, just send forth righteous thoughts.”
The police approached us, reminding us to pay attention to safety, and left. When we returned home and told other family members, we recalled that our minds were clear, and we were simply focused on sending forth righteous thoughts.
Many crowds have formed in recent years to complain about the downturn in the economy and the various government crackdowns. Some practitioners joined in, expressing dissatisfaction with various things. My family runs a business, and my mother often voiced concerns about the decline in business.
Master said:
“Everyone knows that among our Dafa disciples, there are businesspeople and even ones who are involved in big business. They are cultivators, and they are good people in their workplaces. They don’t lie or deceive people, yet their businesses do very well. They also don’t devote themselves like everyday people—to the point of not being able to eat or sleep well—but they all do very well in business matters. This current period of economic recession especially highlights what distinguishes cultivators. Extraordinary things like this will come about when a person reaches the standard for cultivation.” (Teachings at the Conference in Australia)
We shouldn’t be worried about the daily ups and downs like ordinary people. When faced with such challenges, a practitioner’s immediate thought should be to examine the state of our own cultivation—whether it is time for improvement, and if there are attachments to be removed.
I shared this understanding with my family and pointed out that my mother shouldn’t continually complain. As we collectively looked inward and dedicated ourselves to cultivation, our business improved. We are immensely grateful for Master’s protection.
It is true what Master said:
“We have said that good or bad comes from a person’s initial thought, and the thought at that moment can bring about different consequences.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
The parents of a new practitioner didn’t allow her to practice Dafa, so she cherished every opportunity to visit her aunt, who was also a practitioner. When she went to her aunt’s home, she dedicated all the time she could to studying the Fa. She had a strong desire to meet other practitioners at school, so her aunt advised her to ask for Master’s help.
We got in touch through a practitioner who knew both me and this new practitioner, and we were attending the same school. Meeting each other brought immense joy. We shared our experiences in cultivation. Words can’t express the profound connection we felt—only deep gratitude to Master.
I was touched when I witnessed this practitioner’s profound devotion to Dafa. Reflecting on my cultivation, I felt I was so lucky. My entire family has been practicing Dafa, and my parents taught me to read Master’s lectures since childhood. My grandmother, also a practitioner, used to take me to visit practitioners to share our experiences. Those days were sacred and meaningful. However, as we grew older and were more influenced by society, we gradually slacked off. Sometimes, we hesitated to study Dafa, even when our parents encouraged us.
As I gazed at the new practitioner in front of me, whose eyes were glowing at the mention of Dafa, it felt like looking at a reflection of my younger self—bathed in the teachings since childhood. Together with my younger siblings, we diligently memorized the Fa. Confronted with bullying when I was in kindergarten, I recounted the incidents to my parents at home, asserting confidently, “They’ll lose their virtue if they curse, and I won’t be foolish enough to fight back.”
Reflecting on this, I realized that this feeling was both distant and familiar, and it would be wonderful if everyone could cultivate as if they had just begun.