(Minghui.org) Our Fa-study group recently finished reading all of Master's works in succession, and subsequently had new understandings of the Fa. I feel my understanding of the Fa has deepened and is clearer.
Cherishing the Group Fa-study Environment
We have read Master's lectures given overseas after 1996 many times in the past. However, when we read them again this time, we discovered that we came to truly understand them better. After studying these lectures, one of the older practitioners from my practice site enlightened to the understanding that our cultivated side should come out as well to help rectify the Fa and the human body, including all its cells in our dimensional fields. After this enlightenment, he instantly felt that his energy field was strengthened. When he sent forth righteous thoughts and practiced the exercises, he felt especially calm.
As far as putting our hearts into studying the Fa, there appear to be differing degrees of dedication. Some practitioners are very dedicated and focused on the study. You can see that the person is wholeheartedly submersed in the Fa, and no outside noise can interfere with him. However, other practitioners, including myself, have interference and thought karma when studying the Fa. We have to change our sitting postures frequently as we are reading. After the “20th Anniversary Fa Teaching” was published, some practitioners were shocked and felt the urgency, while others were numb and indifferent. Such a state reflected the difference in our enlightenment qualities, and how well we put our hearts into Fa study.
In real life cultivation, we have managed to pass some tests pretty well, while others have not done so well, or are even slacking. Through sharing with other practitioners, our understanding of the Fa becomes more clear. I now realize why Master has asked us to study the Fa together and form a solid cultivation environment.
Eliminating Our Human Notions
In the past few days I have tried to calm myself down during Fa study. When I read the following in Zhuan Falun, I was startled, and suddenly understood another layer of meaning of the Fa:
“As long as a person’s body has qi, he is at the level of healing and fitness and is not yet a practitioner.” (Zhuan Falun)
“As he always loses de, his appearance is all black. With a large field of karma and great loss of de, he will become black inside out. Were the person who steals qi to find himself experiencing this change and realize that he is giving de to others by doing this foolish thing, he would not do it at all.” (Zhuan Falun)
I understood the passages by recalling that in the past, when I had a dispute with my wife, my thinking was always grounded on my human notions. When I told her, “I am doing this for Dafa, and as my fellow practitioner, why don't you support and understand me?” I then felt anger towards her. Actually, at that time both of our xinxing levels and enlightenment were at the level of qi.
When a conflict comes, it is supposed to be a good thing, because we can raise our xinxing, better understand the Fa principles, eliminate our karma, and upgrade our levels. But time and again I have missed opportunities to upgrade myself. I have instead treated myself as a human being, feeling wronged, unfairly treated, and uncomfortable.
I am very regretful whenever I think about it. These conflicts were great opportunities to raise my level, but I treated them with human notions.
One of my colleagues said something bad about me in front of others a few days ago. At the time this happened, I perceived it as an opportunity to raise my xinxing. Thus I didn't fight with him. However, after it was over, I didn't feel good about him, and didn't want to talk to him when I saw him again. Did I do what Master asked me to?
“Instead of being angry with him, you should thank him in your heart and thank him sincerely.” (Zhuan Falun)
After this incident, I realized that I was not in the state of a real Falun Dafa cultivator, and that I haven't yet reached the standard of a Falun Dafa disciple. My low xinxing was an involuntary manifestation of my deeply-rooted human notion of fame and sentimentality. It showed that I hadn't studied the Fa well, and hadn't eliminated my human notions.
After I Heard of the Passing of Practitioners
We had a Fa conference in our local area a few days ago. The coordinator said, “Several practitioners have experienced serious sickness karma, and a young practitioner died due to persecution by the evil old forces.” He went on to tell us how this practitioner had worshipped Buddhas from other schools, and the kind of tense relationship he had with his family before his death.
When I heard the story, I was silently counting the number of practitioners who had died of persecution in our local area. There had been over a dozen since the persecution began in 1999. Why have so many practitioners' lives in our local area been taken away by the evil old forces? From the perspectives of the Fa, I understand that this happened not only because these fellow practitioners had loopholes, but also reflected our inadequacies as a whole body in our region. A practitioner's death is our loss. Why have the evil old forces succeeded in taking away practitioners' lives? Reflecting on my past experiences, whenever I heard of a practitioner experiencing serious sickness karma, my first thought was that he must have a loophole. At first, we all went to his house and helped him find his loopholes, and sent forth righteous thoughts for him. When we didn't see any positive changes in him, we began to blame him and felt helpless. As I now see it, this kind human of notion that we had was not in line with the Fa principles, and this was the main reason why the evil forces dared to persecute the practitioners. We must realize that when a practitioner suffers from serious sickness karma, he is amidst the tribulation. In order to step out of such a tribulation, he must have righteous faith in Master and the Fa. How can we blame him while he is suffering from the tribulation, and keep throwing bad substances to interfere with him in his dimension? Although he might have a loophole, the old forces have no right to persecute him, because his path is arranged by our Master. In “Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference,” Master said,
“The next person's things are your things,1 and your things are his things.”
Practitioners who are not in the tribulation should measure their behavior against the Fa, purify their minds, and then send forth righteous thoughts to clear away the evil forces' persecution of their fellow practitioner, because Master wouldn't acknowledge it, nor should our Falun Dafa disciples. Amidst the tribulation, if we all meet the standard of Falun Dafa, all of the evil will be eliminated and whisked away like ashes.
This is just my recent understanding. Please point out anything inadequate.
