(Clearwisdom.net)
I would like to share my opinions on a few things about experience sharing among practitioners recently.
During an experience sharing phone conference, a Dafa practitioner in China told a practitioner in Melbourne that when she was studying the Fa, Teacher pointed out to her that she should "tell others" "the method she uses to study the Fa with." They talked about how she had "enlightened" on the Fa for more than an hour. The practitioner who invited her to the phone conference made a recording of what she said, transcribed it and translated it into English. It has been circulated among the practitioners in Melbourne. I would like share my opinion on this phenomenon.
1. Is there a "method" of Fa-study?On studying the Fa, Teacher has clearly told us long ago that we should read it through with a quiet heart.
"You definitely won't enlighten to something if you intentionally seek to enlighten to it. You should take this book and just read it. It's called 'attaining naturally without pursuit.'" (Falun Dafa (Lecture at the First Conference in North America))
However, I noticed that some practitioners have "taught" others some so-called "method," asking them to "enlighten" to some man-made, "higher level" and "deeper" meaning of the Fa, step by step. The so-called "enlightenment" is actually no more than some unnecessary and incorrect associations, which result in the creation of some words and phrases Teacher has never mentioned. It contains no connotation of the Fa either. Those practitioners who bought into this method began to seek the "fastest" way as well. They think they haven't improved much in past years because they didn't know how to study or enlighten to the Fa.
For those who practice cultivation, to seek a fast way or shortcut, and to be fastidious about the Fa's details, is practicing with pursuit and intention. It is quite dangerous in the first place. Teacher has told us, "The only way to gain a good understanding of Dafa is to study it without any intention." (Essentials for Further Advancement "Learning the Fa")
2. On Making Comments on Teacher and the FaWhen talking about what was enlightened to during the Fa study, some practitioners casually mentioned Teacher, and sometimes explained, commented on and defined the Fa with personal understandings. Teacher said,
"If somebody talks about how high a level Zhuan Falun is, then he's speaking demons' words." ("Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference" -- Draft Version)
Teacher has also said,
"Whatever you have enlightened to in Dafa is no more than a tiny portion of the Fa's principles at a certain level within the boundless Fa's principles. You must never define the Fa or a part of it--not even a sentence of it. If you do that in public, the moment you utter it you will have produced sinful karma. In serious cases, the sin can be as big as a mountain or the sky--how could you then cultivate yourself?" (Essentials for Further Advancement "Definitive Conclusion")
This is a very serious issue. I hope every practitioner will pay attention to it.
3. On "Experience Sharing" and "Speech"A practitioner told me a story. An Australian practitioner thought the practitioners in a certain country had done very well in all aspects, and asked them to share their experience with her local practitioners. They let the invited practitioner sit on a bed and talk more while they sat on the floor. This practitioner immediately said that she would sit on the floor with others and stressed repeatedly that she was there to exchange experiences instead of making a speech.
The practitioner from Melbourne who told me this story thought it is crucial to cultivate oneself on the Fa at every point. We have many normal ways of sharing experience, for example, speaking at the Fa conferences and experience sharing at group studies. For emergencies, we would discuss by phone conferences. All these are normal ways. However, it isn't suitable to idolize some practitioners and treat their "speech" differently because they have done well.
We practitioners overseas shouldn't idolize the practitioners in China either. Teacher told us, "Developing any attachment will ruin you halfway along!" ("Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference") There is only one Teacher in Dafa. There is only one Fa. There are no examples in cultivation. We can't pursue anything externally. If we begin to have a certain attachment, it may end up hurting others too. Teacher has said in Zhuan Falun, "...once there is such a person, you must be sure not to regard him as a remarkable, enlightened person. This is a very serious issue in cultivation practice. Only through following this Dafa can you do things correctly."
The above is my personal understanding. Fellow practitioners, please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
March 29, 2003
