(Minghui.org) Over the past decade through discussing our experiences the members of our project realized that studying the Fa (teachings) with a focused mind and truly understanding the Fa is key to cultivating ourselves and improving.
I’d like to tell you about some of the experiences and insights the other practitioners and I had.
Why Do We Study Fa but Not Obtain the Fa?
In our Fa-study group, we often discuss this topic: How can we study the Fa to truly internalize it? We study the Fa every day, even two or three lectures a day, but why do we sometimes feel that even though we read the Fa we haven’t improved? We’ve had in-depth discussions about this for some time.
As practitioners, we all have times when we study the Fa but it doesn’t sink into our hearts, but other times we really understand it.
An obvious place to start is looking at how is attentive we are while studying the Fa. Are we feeling sleepy; skip, add, and misread words, or even skip entire lines while reading. When someone points out our mistakes we don’t realize where we went wrong. Our minds sometimes wander. Or, we keep checking the page numbers in the book, hoping to finish soon. When it’s our turn to read, we don’t even know which part of the book we’re reading.
Our minds are filled with thoughts about work, projects, or personal matters, making it impossible to focus. Although we read and don’t make mistakes, we have no recollection of what we read.
Compare this to how we feel if we’re truly attentive while studying the Fa: we suddenly feel that a sentence in the Fa is speaking directly to us; another sentence awakens us to how we should handle a situation; reading a passage and understanding another layer of meaning in the Fa, feeling a rush of warmth flowing through our entire bodies; feeling Master’s compassion and being moved to tears; feeling like we are “dissolving into the Fa,” feeling very fortunate and blessed.
So, how can we solve the issue of how to study the Fa and obtain the Fa? Based on the exchanges among practitioners in our Fa study group, we’ve summarized the following points. These are only our understandings. Our level is limited, and there may be some biases. Please take the Fa as your teacher.
Take Fa Study Seriously
There’s an old Chinese saying: “To cultivate one’s body, one must first rectify one’s mind; to rectify one’s mind, one must first be sincere.” In other words, the first thing to do is to be sincere in one’s intention so we should be sincere when we read the Fa.
Studying the Fa should be the most important thing we do each day. Nothing can compare, and we should prioritize studying the Fa.
To avoid the attachment of comfort, arrange a time every day to study the Fa with the same group of practitioners. Try to arrange our time to study the Fa when we have the most energy and few distractions. If we need to change our work and rest time to prioritize studying the Fa, we should. Before studying the Fa, try to calm down and have a clear mind, and then look for a quiet environment, mute our cell phones, turn off instant messaging software, and so on. During Fa study, we should sit with our legs crossed and maintain a straight posture.
All of this is done to be sincere and make a priority of Fa study.
Master told us,
“I’ve said in Zhuan Falun that the Fa’s principles contained in there are really extensive. You can see that countless, layers upon layers, of Buddhas, Daos, and Gods are behind each word—they can’t be counted.” (Fa Teaching Given in San Francisco, Teachings at Conferences in the United States)
We should approach Fa study with humility and sincerity: We want to absorb the Fa, be guided by the Fa and improve ourselves. This is how we can obtain the Fa.
But in reality, practitioners found that we often fail to do this. For example, for various reasons, we study the Fa when we’re tired. Instead of calming down we think about work and projects, or even take care of other things while studying Fa, or reply to text messages. We’re in a hurry to meet deadlines, so we study the Fa in a hurry, and just go through the motions. If we treat Fa study with this kind of disrespect, the Buddhas, Daos, and Gods behind the Fa will not help us. They are unlikely to reveal the more profound connotations of the Fa to us because our xinxing isn’t right.
Study Zhuan Falun in a and Coherent Way
Master told us,
“Let me tell you that although it seems that some of the parts I discuss are about supernormal abilities or other things, they all have different principles within them, and there are the states of the different requirements that one has to reach in cultivation woven throughout. You have to read all of it consecutively. Each time you read, you shouldn’t leave out one section or one word. You must read it this way. The sequence of the book plays an extremely precise role in a person’s cultivation.” (Teachings at the Conference in the Western U.S.)
We understand that after reading Zhuan Falun in order and in its entirety, Master’s great power will lay down a system of arrangements and a foundation for our bodies and our minds. We may not feel these physical and mental changes, but they are indeed taking place.
However, we’ve found that sometimes practitioners are casual about reading Zhuan Falun. They come late to Fa study, or leave early, or sometimes don’t come to study the Fa at all and don’t make up for it later. Will their missing out on reading result in problems in their overall improvement?
It’s like a huge piece of equipment which is made up of tens of thousands of parts. The entire assembly requires every single part to be complete, but if many parts are missing a few screws, will the final piece of equipment work? It would malfunction. So, each time you read Zhuan Falun consecutively and follow its sequence, it’s like adding a complete part to a large piece of equipment. This accumulates, and eventually the piece of equipment can function.
So it is essential to read Zhuan Falun in order and in its entirety.
Cherish Every Word in Zhuan Falun
Master said,
“Every word in my book is a Falun when it’s seen from a low level, and every word is a Law Body of mine when it’s seen at a high level—even the component parts are individual ones.” (“Suggestions Given at the Beijing Falun Dafa Assistants’ Meeting,” Further Discussions on Falun Dafa)
For example, when studying the section on “The Placement of the Mysterious Pass,” the following scene appeared in my mind: it’s generated from the dantian, like a balloon, leaves the dantian and gradually rises, passing through the tanzhong point, then ascending to niwan, and finally emerging from the third eye, before returning to the dantian to envelop the original infant. This process felt vividly clear.
However, when I study the Fa, if I’m not calm, my mind isn’t focused, or I read too fast, I don’t have the same experience. Especially if I or someone else misreads a word, I often find that the images disappear and I only see the words in the book in this dimension.
When studying the Fa, we should calm our minds, treat every word of the Fa as if it were a treasure, read slowly, and give ourselves time to understand the meaning of what Master is teaching us. In this way, we may gain more.
Frequent Discussion on How to Study the Fa well
As a study group, we feel that discussing our cultivation experiences is beneficial for our growth and improvement. In addition to sharing our cultivation experiences, we frequently discuss an important topic: how to study the Fa well.
Because everyone has different levels, attachments, understandings of the Fa, cultivation states, and study habits, we need to communicate with one another so we can gradually form one body.
For example, the speed of reading, the number of paragraphs each person reads, how to correct mistakes, how to handle situations where someone can’t keep up, or what to do if there’s background noise, and so on. All of these need to be discussed and agreed on, leading to a state where everyone can study the Fa calmly without being affected by various factors.
It’s also beneficial to study the Fa with the same group. Over time, everyone gets to know each other well and we can see each other’s cultivation state. This allows us to remind each other and improve together through discussion and sharing.
Is studying the Fa in a group for oneself or for the whole group? We feel that it should be for the group. Because when we consider others, studying the Fa requires us not to be late or leave early, to try not to read incorrectly, to read as smoothly as possible, and not let our own state of mind affect other practitioners.
When everyone thinks this way, a genuine Fa-study environment will gradually form, where we are considerate and tolerant of each other. The environment will, in turn, benefit everyone in it, and gradually everyone will feel that we can gain the Fa by studying and being immersed in the Fa.
Improvement Comes in the Process of Studying the Fa
I recently realized that one of the factors that causes the differences in our cultivation levels to grow may very well occur during the process of studying the Fa.
Master told us,
“This is why gods from lofty realms have said, “You have left humans with a ladder to heaven—Zhuan Falun.” (“Lecture Given at the Conference in Sydney”)
When we read the Fa, we are on this ladder. But not everyone is climbing upward; some may be stagnating, or even sliding downward. Why? This is closely related to the state of studying the Fa that I pointed out earlier.
When studying the Fa allows us to obtain the Fa, we continuously improve, just like climbing up the ladder. However, when studying the Fa makes us drowsy, think about other things, do other tasks, or be indifferent or disrespect the Fa, not only is time wasted and the Fa not obtained, but we may even begin to descend, moving downward on this ladder.
One day or two days doesn’t matter, and a month or two may not be noticeable, but over time it will become obvious. Some people attach great importance to studying the Fa, take it seriously, and continue to climb up, and their levels continue to improve.
On the other hand, some people don’t take studying the Fa seriously and lack motivation. They are stagnant for a long time or their cultivation declines. The distance between them on this ladder continues to grow, and isn’t this how the levels and realms of cultivation are separated?
Taking daily Fa study very seriously and finding ways to learn and obtain the Fa is the key to improving in cultivation.
Studying the Fa Helped Me Overcome Tribulations
Over the past six months, a practitioner family member suffered from sickness karma. I also had my own challenges. Balancing my work, project management, helping with Shen Yun, and helping my relative left me feeling overwhelmed.
One day, I suddenly entered what others describe as a “depressed” state, where I didn’t want to speak, eat, or do anything; I just wanted to cry. I had severe chest pain. I felt deeply immersed in suffering, and unable to extricate myself. I felt extremely despondent as if I had lost hope in everything.
When it was time for Fa study, I didn’t want to do it, but as I’m the person in charge of our Fa-study group, it would be inappropriate not to go online. So I reluctantly went online but kept quiet. Strangely, that day, only one other practitioner was reading. I realized I couldn’t let her read by herself, so I reluctantly opened my mouth and read with her, but my voice was very low and tired.
That day, we studied Lecture Eight, and read,
“It is hard in that you knowingly lose your vested interests among everyday people. Amidst your critical self-interests, are you moved? Amidst interpersonal mind games, are you moved? When your friends or family suffer, are you moved? How do you weigh these things? Being a practitioner is just so difficult!” (Lecture Eight, Zhuan Falun)
I was deeply shaken. Indeed, why had I fallen into such despair? Wasn’t it because I saw my loved one suffering and felt powerless to help, so my heart was moved? Wasn’t it because I was trapped in ordinary human emotions and couldn’t extricate myself? Can cultivators truly transcend suffering and overcome attachments only through trials and tribulations, thereby elevating themselves?
As ordinary people, this is suffering. As cultivators, shouldn’t we look at things from the opposite perspective? The more difficult and painful it is, the more it helps us eliminate karma and offers us an important opportunity to improve.
Why didn’t I cherish this good opportunity to improve, instead of feeling trapped in pain and unable to extricate myself? Should a cultivator be in such a state? This passage of the Fa woke me up, helping me quickly snap out of my state of despair. I am deeply grateful from the bottom of my heart!
Actually, Master knows our suffering and what we need most. I understand that the best way for Master to help us and enlighten us is to let us study the Fa. In the process of studying the Fa, Master uses the Fa to dissolve our knots, point out our attachments, tell us the direction to move forward and show us the way out of tribulations. All of this comes from the Fa. Having Master is truly a blessing!
The above are some of my insights gained from studying the Fa and cultivating myself over the past few years. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
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Category: Cultivation Insights
