Some Thoughts about Studying and Reciting the Fa as a Group

(Clearwisdom.net)

Our Fa study group members are all over 50 years old and retired. Since we resumed group study in June 2005, we have been reciting the Fa together and have had very good results, which encourage us in our cultivation. All of us are reciting Zhuan Falun for the third or the fourth time now. We feel that our progress is rapid as a result of studying, cultivating, and reciting the Fa as a group.

I was moved by an article I read on the Minghui/Clearwisdom website and by a practitioner in my life who was reciting Zhuan Falun for the tenth time. I decided to recite it as well to put the great Fa in my brain. When I first started, it was pretty difficult, and that upset me. Other practitioners progressed so rapidly through reciting the Fa. If they could do it, why couldn't I? My tangible difficulties were that that I had a big family to take care of: helping my elderly parents with their daily lives, preparing for my child's wedding, and so on. Besides, I needed to do the three things well. Sometimes when I couldn't reach a peaceful state of mind, it would take me up to one or two hours to memorize just one sentence. I said to myself that I would keep doing this no matter how difficult it was. The first round of reciting the whole book took me one year and two months.

One day a practitioner was reciting the book at home. She came to the section "I Treat All Practitioners as My Disciples:"

"This is because true cultivation practice must follow the requirements of the xinxing standard that we have established, and you have to truly upgrade your xinxing -- then, it is true cultivation practice."(Zhuan Falun, 2000 translation version)

She couldn't memorize this sentence no matter how hard she tried, so she looked within herself to find out what she hadn't done well. She realized that she was satisfied with only having done the three things well, but hadn't done enough to harmonize her family and didn't have enough confidence to save her family members. Thinking of Teacher's efforts of saving sentient beings and us, she made up her mind to do better to assist Teacher in rectifying the Fa and saving sentient beings. Once this righteous thought of hers came out, she was able to memorize the sentence quickly, and she could maintain the full lotus position when sending forth righteous thoughts. She was moved by the power of the Fa and was very encouraged to recite the book.

Another practitioner in our group didn't keep up with reciting the Fa when she was taking care of her daughter after she had a baby. Although she still listened to the Fa on audiotape, she felt that she didn't really remember much because her mind wasn't peaceful. Half a month later, she realized that her xinxing was not as good as before. She understood the importance of reciting the Fa, so she arranged for someone else to replace her, and she could thus have time to continue reciting and studying the Fa, and also do the three things well. However, when she tried to start again, she found that she couldn't calm down at all, and she even felt sick when she tried to recite the Fa, so that she had to read first instead of reciting. She learned from this lesson that cultivation is serious and reciting the Fa is important, and the evil will take advantage of us if we don't keep up with studying the Fa with our hearts. From then on, she got up early and finished all the five exercises before six o'clock in the morning, then sent forth righteous thoughts. She would recite the Fa right after that until noon except for sending forth righteous thoughts once every hour. After reciting the Fa, she felt the energy was really strong when she was sending forth righteous thoughts. Once she saw herself standing beyond the Three Realms and looking at Earth, which looked like a tiny planet. The Falun and gong that she sent out were rushing to the surface of Earth and eliminating all the evil. In such a good state, the progress of her memorizing the Fa has been really fast, and she can finish memorizing four pages a day. Currently she is on Chapter Five of her fourth round.

A third practitioner has experienced good and bad states at different times. Through reciting the Fa, a lot of her thought karma has been eliminated. For example, she had the thought of quitting cultivation from time to time, which had strong negative effects on her health. Now she has gotten rid of these thoughts through reciting the Fa, and is doing the three things well. Lately she just finished her fourth round of memorizing the Fa.

Many of our group members memorize the Fa in the morning, which we feel is the best time. We also realize that sending forth righteous thoughts once every hour doesn't affect memorizing the Fa, but actually speeds up the progress. We recite the Fa when we are walking, working, or riding a bicycle to save time, and we feel harmonized into the Fa. Moreover, reciting the Fa shouldn't be just on the surface; one can't memorize the Fa without a peaceful mind. Memorizing the Fa can help eliminate attachments, such as the desire to shop, ordinary people's notions, and the heart of fear.

Also, we shouldn't go to extremes when we recite the Fa. Instead of how many pages we have recited, we should focus on cultivating our hearts. One fellow practitioner said, "Before I only knew I should recite the Fa and didn't know how to cultivate. Now I feel tremendous changes in both my mind and body."

I am on my third round of memorization, and I feel that I have a better understanding of the Fa. Sometimes I feel so grateful to Teacher while I am reciting that tears run down my face. Seeing fellow practitioners who are trying their best to do the three things well, and how sometimes they don't even have time to eat, I can't find any excuses not to cultivate well. Thus, I am strict with myself in studying the Fa: I get up early in the morning and go to bed late at night in order to make time to study the Fa because there is not much available time during the day. When I feel tired, I remember the "willpower" that Teacher talked about in "Teaching the Fa at the Assistants' Fa Conference in Changchun". Once I break through the tiredness, I feel energetic and am fast when memorizing the Fa. One time I finished six pages in a day. However, compared to other practitioners, I am still far from what the Fa requires. But I will continue reciting the Fa and not be disturbed by any interference. I will work with fellow practitioners to study the Fa and cultivate and do the three things well to be a qualified Dafa disciple.

The above are some thoughts about our studying and reciting the Fa as a group. Please point out anything not in line with the Fa.