(Clearwisdom.net) For a period of time, one afternoon every week, I went to a local Fa study group to read the Fa with other practitioners. Because I went there directly after work without taking an afternoon rest, for a while as we studied the Fa, I was interfered with by the sleep demon. Halfway through the session, an invisible force seemed to stop me from focusing on what I was reading. I felt very sleepy and nearly dropped the book from my hands. As I read the Fa aloud, my voice changed and I would fall asleep. The situation had become very severe. Soon after, the evil caused trouble, but with the help of Master and fellow practitioners, I denied the interference with righteous thoughts.
A practitioner came to see me and suggested that we study the Fa together at her place, as it was quiet. She also suggested that we read one lecture of Zhuan Falun every day. I remembered an ancient saying, “Plan your day early in the morning,” so I said, “Let's study early in the morning when we are alert.” Thus both of us started a Fa study group.
I said to this practitioner, “I believe Master will arrange for predestined practitioners to join our group study.” Indeed, several days later, another practitioner that we seldom got together with came to see me. She said that she often fell asleep while reading the Fa by herself and she could not break through this obstacle. She was very troubled and asked me if there was a group study in our area. She hoped to participate in a Fa study group so that she could overcome her problem and become more diligent in cultivation. I knew that this was Master's compassionate arrangement. There are now three of us in the Fa study group.
On the first day that the new practitioner joined us for group Fa study, she stammered while reading and often missed characters, or pronounced them incorrectly. We sat beside her, correcting her mistakes and let her read slowly. I still got drowsy while reading the book and I always fell asleep while listening to that practitioner read. To overcome this problem, I decided to stand up and read. I read an article written by a practitioner who shared that at group study sessions, Buddhas, Daos and Gods in heaven come to join us. Our sitting posture while reading the Fa is very important too, and the Gods record all these things. I changed my previous position of either sitting or stretching my legs out. Instead I read the book with my legs crossed in the lotus position. When my legs hurt, I switched to the half lotus position. Thus in this environment, I gradually stopped feeling drowsy while reading or listening to others read the Fa. I uttered every character clearly and coherently. Later on, this practitioner also read the Fa more fluently and made fewer mistakes.
Sometimes, after we finished reading there was still some time left, so we would do the exercises together. When I did the sitting meditation exercise, for the first time, I experienced the state described in Zhuan Falun, “...one finds that the legs are gone, and cannot think where the legs went...”
Looking back at my twelve-year journey of resisting the persecution, I truly feel emotional. The wonderful scenes of everyone doing the exercises in a group before the persecution, appeared vividly before me. I recalled Master's writing, “His hair turned grey and His body was harmed” (“To the Original State” from Hong Yin Vol. III) and I can't help but weep. Master has borne so much for us.
These are my personal understandings. Please kindly point out anything that you think is inappropriate.