(Clearwisdom.net)
As Fa-rectification period Falun Dafa disciples, the responsibility we have and historic mission shouldered by us are enormous and important. Every day the tasks we have to accomplish to validate Falun Dafa are numerous and demand great effort. As a result, the requirements for us are very strict. While doing the three things well, I understand that we should at the same time do the exercises every day, so that we can do better to validate the Fa and to harmonize with the Fa in order to truly elevate ourselves. During this special period of Fa-rectification, enduring and persisting amidst all sorts of tests and cultivating ourselves are what will enable us to meet the standard of cultivators.
The period before July 20, 1999 was the period of personal cultivation. Our cultivation during that period was actually to lay a foundation for today's Fa-rectification period. During the Fa-rectification period, we not only have to do well in validating the Fa, but we also need to handle our family life and jobs well. Therefore, our time is tight. After finishing doing one thing, we often need to do another; all day long we are so busy and rushed that we take care of one thing and lose sight of another. Thus, it is even more so that we should we practice our exercises well in order to have ample energy to properly do our Fa-validation work. Therefore, I would like to remind practitioners who do not practice the exercises or who have not practiced the exercises for a long period of time to understand from the Fa the importance of doing the exercises, to immediately correct yourselves and make up for how you have not done well in this respect.
Some practitioners do not practice the exercises due to the following reasons:
1. They do not have strong enough faith in Teacher or Falun Dafa; they do not have a clear understanding of the principles of the Fa. In "The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa," Teacher has already explained clearly the principles of the Fa that cultivators must practice the exercises. Teacher has also stated the importance of practicing the exercises. Fa-study, cultivating our minds and practicing our exercises are inseparable. Only by putting these into actual practice can we do better to play the role of Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples in our efforts to validate Falun Dafa, save sentient beings, clarify the truth and send righteous thoughts. In the different periods after July 20, 1999, in his Fa-lectures Teacher has many times given us the important guideline of doing the three things well and also practicing the exercises. I hope practitioners who have not yet taken the exercises seriously will please calm their minds and study "The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa" and Teacher's later lectures. In order to do what should be done, and to do it better and better, we must understand things from the principles of the Fa.
2. Another reason is the pursuit of comfort, which leads to being lazy and reluctant to practice the exercises. Some practitioners are quite able to endure hardship when they do Fa-validation work; yet, as soon as they go home, they feel such a great sense of relief that they would lie down or sit down for a while or go shopping, and they just would not practice the exercises no matter what. They postpone it day after day, and as time goes by they form a habit. When fellow practitioners get together, they seldom talk about this kind of problem, and they think that everyone is like this. When a practitioner shows the state of "eliminating sickness karma" for a long period time - which seriously interferes with Fa-rectification work - he or she will only then find the cause; yet, it has already created unnecessary losses and a negative impact. There are even more serious cases: some practitioners deviated from the Fa because they did not practice the exercises for a long time and did not validate the Fa; as a result, they lost their lives. This kind of loss has an even greater impact. This is the result of not being able to take one's cultivation seriously, which in turn prevents everyday people from understanding Falun Dafa and interferes with and hinders our most essential thing: clarifying the truth to save sentient beings. I have come in contact with many practitioners who have been very diligent in the many different aspects of Fa-validation. In their experience sharing, they said that time was fair to everyone: everyone has 24 hours in a day. How we utilize our time depends on what we consider our priority. We can precisely squeeze time from our sleep and rest in order to practice the exercises, because practicing the exercises provides even better rest. This statement looks simple, yet it has profound meaning. It is by gaining a higher understanding after we are able to break through ourselves and let go of the deviated notions in our cultivation that we are able to reach this state. How many fellow practitioners are still not able to make breakthroughs in this aspect? If you are really able to do it, it will truly be the manifestation of a different realm. Don't let up because of your own laziness and don't end up eternally regretful because of the pursuit of the temporary comfort of everyday people. Therefore, you must get rid of the attachment to pursuing comfort. You should immediately make up what your have not done well before and try your best to catch up.
3. As soon as they want to practice the exercises, some practitioners are interfered with. As soon as they start practicing the exercises, they think about doing this or that; or someone comes looking for them with some issues; or the phone starts to ring, or there are other forms of interference. The goal is to stop you from practicing the exercises, and you even think that this is natural. When you are not able to practice the exercises for a long time, then it really becomes so natural for you; that is when the evil starts to persecute you. Why don't you send righteous thoughts to eliminate this interference when that happens or discuss it with fellow practitioners? If you truly search inside yourself, you will find the fundamental cause. It is because you are selfish and your mind is not tranquil that you are interfered with. These kinds of practitioners should calm their minds to study the Fa in order to improve their understanding of the Fa.
4. Some practitioners are attached to sensations. They heard fellow practitioners talk about different states experienced while practicing the exercises, so they wondered why they did not have those sensations. "I have also practiced the exercises for so many years, how come I have nothing?" He becomes discouraged; he doubts or becomes jealous of fellow practitioners' remarks. It is because he has developed attachments and developed curiosity to look outward that he is not allowed to experience those sensations. As a result, some practitioners lost confidence in practicing the exercises because they were not able to experience sensations after practicing the exercises for a long time. They in turn became reluctant to practice the exercises or did not practice the exercises for a long period of time. These kinds of practitioners should take this issue seriously. Cultivation is actually about gaining things naturally without pursing them.
There are still many practitioners who do not practice the exercises when they are busy with their work. Practitioners in the countryside especially show a greater tendency toward this. Between the two words "cultivation" and "practice" they only pay attention to "cultivation" and ignore "practice." Accordingly, their energy potency will be blocked, which would directly affect their sending righteous thoughts. If you don't practice the exercises, the energy you send out when you send righteous thoughts will not be strong or may even be very weak; as a result, you will not have the power to eliminate the evil. Therefore, we as practitioners should persist in doing the exercises in order to do the three things better. In our cultivation, we should have the courage to endure hardship so that we are worthy of the title of Fa-rectification period Falun Dafa disciples.
