My Understanding of Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts

(Minghui.org) Sending forth righteous thoughts is very important, and it is one of the three things that Falun Dafa practitioners must do well. It has been difficult for me to stay focused during the entire time of sending righteous thoughts, and my mind has wandered. After continuously sending forth righteous thoughts for a long time, I have gained a better understanding that I’d like to share with you.

Getting Rid of Attachments

I know from the Fa that people’s minds aren’t calm because they have too many attachments. For example, I was hot tempered and often became angry about life and work. When something bothered me, I could not stop thinking about it even when I sent forth righteous thoughts. When I realized I had strong anger, I sent forth righteous thoughts to calm myself down. 

Many things in life seem unfair and make people angry. But as practitioners, enduring hardships and repaying karma are part of our cultivation. In addition, I found that it is the most difficult thing for me to maintain my xinxing in front of the children. So I paid more attention to remaining calm while educating them. With continuous Fa study and xinxing cultivation, I was gradually able to remain calm no matter what happened. In addition, I became more easy-going and paid attention to not saying anything too directly if it was hard for others to accept.

Strengthening Righteous Thoughts

Although strong attachments did not interfere with me as much, there were still some small messy thoughts that affected me. I imagined using a bomb to blow up the interference and my mind became cleaner. If it continued, I would think of Dafa music to override it. Although I could not achieve true tranquility, at least I used one thought to replace and eliminate all other thoughts. Sometimes when I suddenly remembered something while sending forth righteous thoughts, I reminded myself not to hurry. I needed to finish sending forth righteous thoughts first. 

Sometimes I really wanted to say something, especially while exchanging experiences with other practitioners. I realized this was caused by my attachment of showing off and I reminded myself to cultivate my speech well. Sometimes when my thoughts went too far, it appeared as if someone knocked on my forehead lightly. Maybe Master Li (the founder of Falun Dafa) was giving me a hint. I immediately cut off all the chaotic thoughts and concentrated on sending forth righteous thoughts. I kept eliminating the thoughts that interfered with me and rectifying them, but it was still hard to completely focus.

Reflection of One’s Abilities

Master said,

“When one chants the Buddha’s name, one must do it single-mindedly with nothing else in mind until other portions of the brain become numb and one becomes unaware of anything, with one thought replacing thousands of others, or until each word of “Buddha Amitabha” appears before one’s eyes. Isn’t this an ability?” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)

I understand that the ability to focus does not only depend on my effort. My brain is mine and needs to follow my direction. If it does not listen to me, I need to reinforce it. Sometimes when I could not sleep in the middle of the night, I sent forth righteous thoughts for as long as two or three hours. Gradually, my mind became cleaner and clearer. Although I could not completely achieve tranquility while meditating, my cultivation gradually continues to improve.

I cannot see the energy I send out or the effect of sending forth righteous thoughts. However, I imagined that when I fully concentrate on sending forth righteous thoughts it’s like I’m carrying a bowl of water. As soon as I lose my focus, the water will spill. My mind must fully focus on the bowl. Master asked us to focus our minds on the word “Mie” (“eliminate”). My understanding is that all my focus should be on the word “Mie,” even the character “Mie” should appear in my mind. Sometimes my mind becomes very calm and I’m in tranquility. Time passes quickly, but I know I’m awake and I do not fall asleep.