(Clearwisdom.net) For the past two months, I have participated in Fa-studies at a few local Fa-study groups, and I have some observations to share with other Falun Dafa practitioners. Please kindly point out anything that does not comply with the Fa principles.
1. Not paying attention to the effect of Fa-study--It's still very popular for practitioners to attach more importance to the quantity and speed of Fa-study.
As to this problem, one practitioner has already addressed this issue on the Minghui (Chinese version of Clearwisdom) website. However, I feel that it is still a problem among local Fa-study groups. Over many years, a notion has formed that Fa-study duration should be normally two hours, with the objective of finishing one chapter of Zhuan Falun. However, sending forth righteous thoughts, talking about other things, and so on, cut into the two-hour Fa-study time. Consequently, when Fa-study actually starts, practitioners are in a rush to finish reading the chapter. Sometimes they read so fast that others can't follow, and they read so fast that they don't take it to heart. Sometimes they jump to the next line by mistake. Sometimes after they read for a while, they are even out of breath. Mistakes like missing a word, adding a word, or mispronouncing a word often happen. Sometimes when another practitioner points out a mistake, the reader is so far ahead that there is another delay in finding where he made the mistake. It's just as the saying goes, "More haste, less speed." Knowing this, some practitioners stopped correcting others' mistakes to save time. Teacher has told us many times: "Don't just go through the motions when you study the Fa." ("To the Australia Fa Conference")
"Question: Someone said that according to you, it's too slow to finish Zhuan Falun in a day and a half?
Teacher: I've never said that! I'd say that's too fast. (Applause) I told you to make the best use of your time to read the book, but that person immediately went to the other extreme. He reads, reads, reads, reads, reading with all his might, not even knowing what words he's reading. Then what are you reading? Aren't you supposed to be studying the Fa? What happened to the 'studying' part of 'studying the Fa'? If you don't even know what you're reading, how can you cultivate? You have to know what's before your eyes! You should know the surface meaning of the words you're reading. If you don't, how could it count as studying the Fa? What would be the use of reading the book then? You might as well take the book, flip through it, and tell yourself you're done. Right? Do you see what I'm saying?" (Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Singapore)
2. Just taking Fa-study as reading the Fa--thus setting aside very little time or no time at all for practitioners to share and exchange ideas among themselves.
Normally, Fa-study begins as soon as everybody arrives or at the appointed time. We send forth righteous thoughts every hour; then, when everyone finishes reading, we go home. This kind of group Fa-study is no different than reading the Fa alone at home. Sometimes the so-called "sharing" is no more than coordinators talking about something. Besides, other practitioners don't pay attention to them as they are so much into their own conversations that nobody can hear what the coordinators say. Nobody talks about how they improve their mind-nature or what they have enlightened to from the Fa or whether they have any confusion about something and need help to solve a dilemma. Because practitioners have different cultivation paths, different inborn quality, different amounts of karma, and different mind-nature levels, the tribulations and tests we run into while cultivating are not the same. Nevertheless, by sharing in the group Fa-study environment, we can help each other, harmonize the one-body, improve, and elevate as a group. Teacher also confirmed the importance of sharing in group Fa-study in his lectures as long as it's not out of show-off mentality or validating oneself. Practitioners should set aside some time for sharing. This format is also helpful for improving our mind-nature, elevating oneself, and doing the three things well. In summary, by sharing, it saves effort while achieving great results. I consider it proper to have practitioners share at the group Fa-study. This leads practitioners to pay more attention to improving mind-nature and getting rid of the inclination that cultivation is always something to do in solitude.
3. Not paying attention at all or not paying enough attention to experience sharing articles selected by the Minghui website.
It has been said that a majority of practitioners, especially those who are senior citizens, don't know how to access the Minghui website. There are also some having trouble finding the "Minghui Weekly" or getting it in time. Therefore, they lack this understanding in terms of the Fa-rectification process and practitioners' cultivation state, as well as the facts of the persecution, etc. I suggest that whoever can access the Minghui website, read it every day. If there is a new article published, announcements by Minghui editors, important sharing articles posted, or sharing articles placed at the very top of the website that are applicable to our local situations, these articles should be printed as soon as possible and then shared in one's local Fa-study group. This way, it helps keep practitioners up to date on the Minghui website and reduces the workload at the material-printing centers.
"Dafa disciples, all the way until their last step to Consummation, will be tested as to whether they can make it. There could be very, very critical tests for you all the way until you are just one step away from finishing. That is because every step becomes more and more critical to your cultivation and your tests, especially toward the end. You know, those lawless gods of the old cosmos will try to maneuver things until the very end, as long as they are still around. When you are not up to par, they will surely try to find a way to bring you down. They know that Li Hongzhi won't abandon you, so they will use all kinds of methods to make you fall." ("Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles")
Therefore, we should often ask ourselves: "Are my words and actions in compliance with a practitioner's standards? Are they beneficial or harmful to Dafa or our one-body?" I also hope that fellow practitioners that can access the Minghui website treasure the predestined relationship among practitioners and keep sharing information with those practitioners who can't access Minghui. We must work well with each other, strive forward, do the required things well, and go home with Teacher after reaching completion.
If there is anything inappropriate, please kindly point it out.
