(Clearwisdom.net) As the Fa-rectification progresses and practitioners' understanding of the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance deepens, many practitioners have started memorizing the Fa. In order to assimilate to the Fa better, we should maintain clear and clean minds and concentrate on the Fa, so that each word of the Fa shows up before our eyes.
I had done very poorly in this regard. Although I had been setting aside a time dedicated to memorizing the Fa every day, I treated it like an everyday activity of memorizing an ordinary book. I paid attention only to speed, and felt quite content as long as my daily goal was met. Because my mind wasn't clean, I constantly peeked at the clock to calculate my speed, and felt quite anxious if I couldn't finish in time. As days went by, the activity seemed to form into a mechanism or a living being, and as soon as I started memorizing the Fa, it was as if my mind was being controlled by something. I became very anxious. With such a "getting-things-done" mentality, and an unsettled mindset, how could the deeper meanings of the Fa be shown to me? How could I assimilate to the Fa? So, as time went by, my state worsened. I became more and more distant from the Fa, and my righteous thoughts weakened.
In my understanding, the purpose of memorizing the Fa is to more deeply assimilate to the Fa, cultivate ourselves and remove attachments. However, if our motivation is not pure, or includes bad thoughts, then we will not only fail to improve our xinxing, but also develop and strengthen our attachments. Moreover, studying the Fa with such an unclean mind is ultimately disrespectful toward Master and the Fa. This, in turn, will give the evil an excuse to persecute practitioners, and could result in big losses for ourselves and the greater body of practitioners.
This mindset has occurred many times in China. In every incident, it took a long time (about six months or a year) for the practitioner and a whole body to recover and return to a normal cultivation practice state. If this wrong approach repeats itself, it can severely affect validating the Fa and saving sentient beings.
While memorizing the Fa, we should maintain a heart of compassion and kindness, which is required of Dafa practitioners. Isn't assimilating to Dafa the goal we all want to achieve? Therefore, we must maintain calm minds, drive out impure thoughts, have a strong main consciousness, take speed and quantity lightly, focus on the quality of the Fa-study, and assimilate to the Fa.
Some practitioners have said, "I will memorize the Fa, and bring the entirety of the Fa with me at consummation." I do not necessarily agree with this. In my humble understanding, the Fa has always existed and is the fundamental force that creates the new cosmos and everything in it. The only thing that Dafa practitioners can do is to assimilate to the Fa. Even at the time of consummation, we can only assimilate to the part of Dafa that forms one of dozens of thousands of cosmic systems. I don't believe there is a way for a practitioner to assimilate to the entirety of Dafa of all existence. In addition, memorizing all the words in Zhuan Falun doesn't necessarily mean one has assimilated to the Fa.
Only when our minds are pure enough, and we have met the standards of the Fa at higher levels, will the deeper meanings of the Fa be revealed. Therefore, we will not obtain the Fa at high levels if our minds are not pure, regardless if we have memorized all the words.
What is the state of assimilating to the Fa then? My understanding is as one's xinxing grows higher, the mind becomes purer, and the body is healthier and more energized. As the process continues, we understand the Fa principles more clearly, our righteous thoughts become stronger, and practitioners can validate the Fa and save sentient beings more actively. This memorization process is a better way to keep up with the progression of the Fa-rectification.
This concludes my personal understandings at the current stage.
