(Minghui.org) In recent years, many practitioners have been trapped at home given several factors, such as the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) “knock on the door” and “zero out” persecution campaigns, the CCP virus outbreak, as well as arrests of practitioners. I understand that group Fa studies in some areas have stopped for a long time. I am always approached by other practitioners asking to join our Fa study group, which takes place at home. The place is not spacious and there are already nine practitioners who regularly attend the group reading. We cannot accommodate more practitioners as it is not safe. I encourage these practitioners to start their former study groups again.
Master said, “The environment is created by you, yourselves, and it, too, is essential for your improvement.” (“Environment,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
During the destruction period of the cosmos, social chaos emerges, one after the other, and tries to attack a practitioner. It is very important to have a cultivation environment, a pure land, which helps accomplish our mission. I feel anxious when I see practitioners around me in a state of disunity. I only went to school for two years and even then had to take a break due to illness. Consequently, I struggle with writing. It took me several nights to come up with a draft of this article, and practitioners needed to polish it. I sincerely hope practitioners don’t slack off. Find the drive that they had when they first began to practice Dafa, and move forward diligently until reaching consummation.
Why is it that some Fa study groups break up at the slightest change in the external environment? Based on what I know of the state of groups around me and 18 years of experience in our group, I would like to remind practitioners to pay attention to personal cultivation. Cherish the cultivation environment given by practitioners, and be strict with your words and actions. Fa study groups are a place for cultivation and improvement, not somewhere for practitioners to meet and chat about personal affairs.
We study the Fa two to three times a week in our group and no one brings their mobile phone. If there are any changes in the schedule, we inform everyone at the study session or, in special circumstances, go to the practitioner’s home to tell him or her about the change. It might require an extra effort, but suffering is part of cultivation. I have never asked for a practitioner’s contact number in 18 years.
Didn’t Master say that the phone is a surveillance device? We often read reports published on the Minghui website about practitioners being arrested because their phones were tapped, so why shouldn’t we be careful about such things? Haven’t we learned many such lessons? Being responsible to oneself is being considerate of other practitioners.
With the ongoing persecution in China, it is not easy to sustain a group environment to study the Fa. Some practitioners worry that without a mobile phone, their family members may not be able to contact them and get anxious. In these years of persecution, which practitioner hasn’t been through the situation where their family initially had misgivings about Dafa, and later became supportive of their faith? It is simply a matter of getting used to things. If you put the Fa and safety first, can’t you resolve such a small matter?
We usually study the Fa for half a day. If we begin at 1:30 p.m., the practitioner who is hosting the session at her house will be on guard half an hour before people arrive to open the door for participants so that they don’t have to knock. People usually arrive within half an hour to avoid disturbing the hosting practitioner should they arrive early.
The door is promptly closed at 1:30 p.m. Everyone is punctual. In the end, people leave the house one at a time. No one talks to avoid attracting a neighbor’s attention thereby protecting the Fa study environment. This is also a manifestation of every practitioners’ character and cultivation state.
Yet there are some groups where people chat about other things before the study begins and after the study. They talk loudly without consideration of neighbors and the surrounding environment. The old forces in other dimensions are watching for opportunities to exploit these gaps.
We mainly study Zhuan Falun and read other lectures every week. When we read Zhuan Falun, we recite Lunyu together. We make sure we respect Master and the Fa. Books are not simply put down anywhere. When practitioners read, they keep a straight back and neck and hold the Book Zhuan Falun with both hands. Everyone takes his or her turn to read a paragraph. If someone misses a word, adds a word, or reads a word incorrectly, other people would remind them. The practitioner would correct the mistake and read again. We study the Fa with a focused mind.
After an hour we send righteous thoughts, making sure our palms are held upright, and our minds are clear. We remind each other to follow the requirements on sending righteous thoughts published on Minghui. Everyone can feel a powerful energy field and they treasure this environment. They look forward to attending the session every week. If there is something at home they need to attend to, they try to reschedule it so as not to miss the session because it would be considered a loss.
However, I know that in certain groups, there are many people and they take turns to read a page. Those in the back fall asleep, while those in the front are reading. If a practitioner makes a mistake in reading and other people correct him, he would be annoyed. Practitioners who read briskly dislike those who read slowly thinking it is a waste of time and they could read more at home. People come whenever they feel like it, frequently arriving late and leaving early. After putting down Zhuan Falun, practitioners start to chat about family affairs. They become drowsy, and their hand is not upright when sending righteous thoughts. No one points out these shortcomings and will not accept it when people correct them. Fa study groups like that tend to split up and stop indefinitely whenever the persecution becomes intense.
Our Fa study group has been operating for 18 years. We persist in studying the Fa together regardless of sensitive dates, “door-knocking,” “zero out” persecution campaigns, or the CCP virus outbreak because this is what Master would want us to do. Furthermore, everyone felt that they gained a lot, and so they cherish this environment.
There are practitioners aged 40 to 70 in our group and everyone puts their skills to use. Some clarify the truth about Dafa face to face, distribute and produce Dafa informational materials, and also print notes with messages about Dafa. Others download sharing articles published on the Minghui website, send lists of people who have quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), print Master’s latest articles, and prepare greetings to send to Master during holidays. Everyone has a computer and if conditions permit, some even installed NTD television, ensuring that practitioners can watch the Shen Yun performances during the Lunar New Year.
There are elderly practitioners looking after grandchildren. They did very well in the past. They went out every day to clarify the truth face to face and saved people. After they had grandchildren, they became trapped at home and don’t come out at all. Taking care of grandchildren shouldn’t stop one from saving people. I have been looking after my grandson since he was born. When he was little, I carried him while I talked to people. As he got older, I took him out holding his hand. Elderly men and women going outdoors to enjoy the cool breeze in hot summers or to soak in the sun during cold winters loved to talk to my grandson when they see how cute he is.
My grandson is a Dafa disciple and he loves going out with me to clarify the truth. He even cooperates with me and greets people, calling them grandpa and grandma affectionately. Elderly people are naturally thrilled by his greetings and I can then strike up a conversation. I chat about family affairs, get to know their situation and gradually tell them about Falun Dafa. I help them see through the evil nature of the Party, awaken their conscience, understand Dafa is good, and get them to quit the Party.
My grandson is always quiet when I clarify the truth and often says, “Go and save this person.” Afterward he even asked, “Is he saved?” When I answered yes, he is happy. Children like him are born into our families to obtain the Fa. We cannot let them affect our cultivation and start to live like an ordinary person. We should raise them well, guide them and walk out to do what Master asked us to do.
It is very easy to approach people and start a conversation when you have a child with you. Many of those elderly people who go out on hot days to catch a cool breeze or take in the sun in cold winters are Communist Party members and high-ranking officials. We cannot miss out on this group of people in our truth clarification.
We made it despite pressure amid 18 years of ups and downs. We can only do better in the little time that is left. Quickly make amendments if there are faults and mistakes. The evil cannot touch one who is completely aligned with the Fa.
Pay attention to safety, act with righteous thoughts and actions. I recall one time when just before the 2019 Military World Games held in Wuhan, about 7 or 8 officials from the political and legal affairs committee and neighborhood community came to my house to force me to give up Dafa. My husband who was ill got so scared he begged me to sign the papers and practice at home secretly. I sat on the sofa and looked at the officials for one minute.
Suddenly a voice told me “do the exercises.” I stood up at once and raised both hands with a strong force to do the second set of exercises. I said to them loudly at the same time, didn’t you mention doing the exercises? I will show you today what it looks like. Do you think doing exercises like this would bring the downfall of a country? Is Falun Dafa such a threat to the nation that you have to come and harass us frequently? They were shocked. One of them said, “Is that how you practice Falun Gong?” After that, they left.
Of course, there are still areas where we have to improve. I introduced some of the things we have done well in this article so as to encourage other practitioners to come forward and share their experiences and understandings on this topic. I sincerely hope practitioners can study the Fa together in a group and form an indestructible body. When this and that campaigns are launched to persecute us, will they be effective? It will be quickly eliminated.
The above is my personal understanding. Please kindly correct me if there is anything contrary to the Fa teachings.