(Clearwisdom.net) Group Fa study is one of the most important ways to help us improve as a group. Our communication and our behavior in the group environment are important factors in tempering our hearts and improving our minds.
We are making the following suggestions to help make group study more sacred:
1. It Is Important for Everyone to Come to Group Study
In "Fa-Teaching Given to the Australian Falun Dafa Practitioners," Master repeatedly told us about the importance of group study. Back in August 22 and 23, 1998, Master also told us in "Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Singapore:"
Question: In the article "Melt Into the Fa," Master said that we shouldn't spend a lot of time on discussions. Some people have interpreted this as meaning one shouldn't participate in group reading.
Teacher: "You should do group reading and Fa-study in addition to your own reading and Fa-study. Both are necessary. Don't go from one extreme to another."
We realized that group study is a necessary step for us to improve together as a group. When we study the Fa together, our speech and behavior after we assimilate to "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance" produces an environment for us to "compare in studying, compare in cultivating" and improve together. Today, new practitioners are still coming in every day. The group study environment is a precious pure land in the world, and it can rectify all the non-righteous factors and help everyone to become more diligent.
2. It Is Important That Everyone Comes on Time
Australian practitioners work on different kinds of Fa validating projects, and we also all have our own share of responsibilities in society, such as families, regular jobs, school, and other daily chores. With so many things to do and limited time, it is hard to avoid conflicts in scheduling group study. Some people cannot join; others have to leave early. To achieve the best outcome, the coordinators should optimize the time, agenda, and the discussion topics. Everyone else should overcome different interferences, coordinate with each other, and attend the Fa study in its entirety.
Today in China, many practitioners are now attending group study after they have abandoned the fear of death and established ultimate righteous thoughts. They call their group study time "rock solid." This cultivation meeting of future Gods, Daos and Buddhas is more important than anything else in their lives. Attending group study becomes an essential part of their cultivation in today's Fa rectification process.
In comparison with the practitioners in China, how do we measure up? Can we do better?
3. It Is Important That Everyone Dresses Formally for Group Study
As Dafa disciples of the Fa Rectification Period, we should put forth our best image. Since we are cultivating in society, we should pay attention to our appearance. Especially during our sacred group Fa study, shouldn't we put on our best attire? We do not have to dress elegantly, but we should be clean and neat to show our respect to Master and the Fa. Some practitioners even bathe and change clothes before coming to group study.
Maybe some practitioners would say, "After a whole day's work, I have no time to change." Some may think, "Why bother?"
Let us imagine the following scenario: If you are going to an expensive banquet in the evening, what would you do? And on Sundays in church, people dress and behave formally.
In comparison, we Dafa disciples in the Fa-Rectification period are the most fortunate lives in the entire universe. Have we done our best to deserve this honor?
4. It Is Important That Everyone Treasures the Group Study Environment
The group study environment has a direct influence on the quality of Fa study. Although the situation in Australia is different from that in China and other parts of the world, the cultivation standard for every disciple in Australia is equally strict.
We currently still notice some problems:
A) During group study time, the coordinators provide seating for everyone. But some practitioners ignore the arrangements and sit where they feel like, and once seated, they are reluctant to move. The coordinators have to repeatedly remind everyone to sit closer to the front.
We know that when Master taught the nine-day lectures in China, some new practitioners occupied seats for friends. But after they listened to Master's lecture and accepted Dafa, they all looked inward and noticed their own selfishness. Everyone took steps to correct their behavior. By the end of the lectures, the environment had become harmonious.
Practitioners' cultivation history from the early days can teach us a good lesson. What have we learned?
B) Coordinators responsible for facilitating group study have asked some practitioners to help improve the quality of the group study by doing such things as writing short sharing papers or making constructive suggestions. But it is hard to to have this happen.
Some practitioners refuse to help because they are too busy with other projects; some have not put too much thought into it; some refuse because they are not diligent in cultivation; maybe some of us are lazy; others do not trust their own abilities; and some try to avoid conflicts with other things in their life. The list goes on.
Master told us in "Abandon Human Attachments and Continue True Cultivation" in Essentials for Further Advancement:
"Whether you can abandon your particular human notions is a major test that you will have difficulty passing, yet you must pass. After all, as a disciple truly practicing cultivation, you must abandon these attachments since you can never reach Consummation without abandoning these notions."
The articles written by practitioners based on their understanding of the Fa are a powerful weapon to defeat the evil. Their suggestions based on Dafa principles are an effective tool to break through the arrangements of the old force factors. We should all pay attention to this.
C) Group Fa study time is an invaluable time for everyone. We really would like practitioners to prepare a script before they speak. When we study the Fa with a pure heart, when we try to improve our understanding of the Fa, when our xinxing reaches a new level, Master's fashen or other righteous gods will reveal more principles to us at that level. But we also find it difficult to express ourselves using our own language. In addition, the part that hasn't been fully cultivated is partitioned off instantly. Therefore, in order to accurately and briefly express our new understanding, we are better off writing down what we want to share. Writing is also a good process for polishing, elevating, and looking inward to improve our understanding. A script will give the coordinator a good idea of the time required.
Dear fellow practitioners, Dafa will rectify the human world soon, and every second is precious. Let us walk our every step on the right path and look inward for our own attachments. Let's cultivate together and improve as a group.
Please correct me if you see anything inappropriate.