Click on the below-mentioned, numbered subjects:
- Welcome
- What’s Happening?
- Not Moving One’s Heart and Righteous Thoughts
- What is Behind the Inability to be Tolerant
- My Realization Regarding Looking Within
- Recognize the Importance of Doing the Dafa Exercises
- The Issue of Strengthening Our Willpower
- Breaking Through the Attachment to Comfort and Eliminating the "Sleep Demons""
- 1. Welcome
Welcome to the March 2007 Falun Dafa India Newsletter.
Starting with this issue, we will have a report of events and happenings of various Dafa activities all over India.
In this issue, we have a compilation of experience-sharing Articles culled from Clearwisdom and Pureinsight that always shine through because of their insights and fine quality of sharing. It is important to read the Clearwisdom, Pureinsight and other Dafa sites. We make an effort to select Articles from the Archives which people don’t go back to and are relevant even today. Contributions are welcome from practitioners.
Heshi! Hope, you like the selection of Articles and gain some new insights!
Note: "All the contents in this newsletter - except for quotations and excerpts of writings of the founder Mr. Li Hongzhi - are only ideas and experiences of practitioners and do not represent Falun Dafa in itself."
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- 2. What’s Happening?
Some practitioners have suggested that they would like to know about Dafa activities and happenings in various parts of the country. They were saying they feel inspired and also feel like they are part of it even if they are not physically present.
From this issue, we will keep you posted about the events and happenings. We request practitioners from all over India to inform us about any special events or activities so that we can include it in this section. Please let us know at least two weeks before the newsletter goes online so that we can include it.
In Bangalore, the efforts to introduce Dafa in schools continue unabatedly. On the last count more than 35 schools have introduced Dafa to the students as well as teachers.
A local TV channel in Bangalore conducted interviews with practitioners and telecast a 10 minute capsule covering the practice, the Books and the principles of Dafa and about Master.
A Reporter from Epoch Times was in Bangalore and he conducted workshops with some journalists and also had interactions and exchange of ideas with the clergy.
The Reporter from Epoch Times had also visited Mumbai and conducted a 2 day workshop with practitioners on Reporting and the different tenets of ethical journalism.
Mumbai practitioners held a 4 day Art Exhibition in one of the city’s Art Districts, in an open-air pavement gallery. Since the gallery is strategically located in a busy area, the practitioners got opportunities to clarify the truth to thousands of passers by. A practitioner from a distant town in North India had also come to help out and her fluency in German and French was invaluable in clarifying the truth to German and other European tourists coming to the Max Muller Bhavan, located close to the pavement gallery. A lot of the artists who make their living in the Art District were keen on learning the exercises and picked up the exercises remarkably fast. Many people wanted to buy the paintings and were a little disappointed when told they were not for sale! A lot of Art students showed keen interest in the paintings and were touched by the quality of aesthetics in the paintings. Next, we are planning to have the Art exhibition in Art Colleges and other colleges.
The junior Wing of the Rotary club known as Interact had an annual school-meet, where there were about 800 students from the Secondary section. We were asked to introduce Dafa to the students and teachers. Some teachers from the schools in New Mumbai were keen to introduce it in their schools.
The Human Rights Department of the Mumbai University had invited us to make a presentation. A small introductory talk was followed by the Real Story VCD. Some people from the Children’s Rights organizations were keen that we make another presentation in a different Forum. The Petals of Peace project was presented and the video shown. Most of the people were very touched by the plight of the orphaned children in China and wanted to sign petitions.
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- 3. Not Moving One’s Heart and Righteous Thoughts
Mei Yu
I came across a situation in the early days of my cultivation: During a group sharing session, one practitioner pointed out the shortcomings of another practitioner, who then instinctively defended herself with angry words. A young female practitioner sitting next to me whispered to me: “See, her heart moved.” I wasn’t aware of the deeper meaning of those words at the time. But as my cultivation progressed, those words echoed again and again in my mind.
As I made progress with my cultivation, I gradually came to see that everything we encounter is a cultivator’s xinxing test. When one’s heart moves in a conflict, he is in the wrong no matter whether he was responsible for starting the conflict in the first place. When something happens to a person that appears to be unjust according to the reasoning of ordinary people, it is actually a very good thing for a cultivator. It is because the goal of cultivation is to let go of all kinds of human sentiments and desires. In the end, one should reach the state where no matter what happens, he is able to maintain a tranquil and calm heart.
The “not moving of one’s heart” means not reacting to earthly things. It’s completely different from cold indifference and self-centeredness. After ordinary human attachments are eliminated in cultivation, the righteous thoughts of benevolence and forbearance are born in their places. Such righteous thoughts bring a lot of benefits not only to ourselves but also to other sentient beings. Ordinary human thoughts come from attachments and originate from selfishness and sense of self. Under such a mindset, it is difficult to see the essence of matters clearly, and the resulting words and actions lack rationality and wisdom. When a cultivator gradually lets go of ordinary human attachments, he is able to view things truly from the outside looking in and can see the essence of the matter with just one glance. The resulting words and actions are filled with rationality and wisdom and are void of bursts of emotion. Under such a state, what he says is much easier for others to accept.
Letting go of the attachments of an everyday person is a slow process and can only be accomplished a little at a time. No matter what we encounter, we should not just look at how they appear on the surface. We should think about the reasons why the events take place and ask ourselves the following, “In which areas should I make improvements since this event has taken place? What is the underlying attachment that makes me unable to accept it lightly? What self-serving attachment do I have that makes me unable to develop righteous thoughts of benevolence and tolerance?” If we are able to examine ourselves every single time and develop it into a habit, the progress we make in our cultivation will surely be very fast. If we get stuck at the level of the ordinary people and think we ourselves are right no matter which way we look at things, we will remain at the same level. As a result, our righteous thoughts will become weaker and weaker, and the evil will take advantage of it and cause interference. If such a situation is allowed to continue, it brings benefits neither to ourselves nor to others.
Lately, when I tried to memorize “Further Understanding” by Teacher, I realized that the process of cultivation is the process of removing our demon-nature and expanding our Buddha-nature. Strong attachments come from our demon-nature. Dealing everything with the righteous thoughts based on “Truthfulness Compassion Forbearance” comes from our Buddha-nature. Each time, when we allow ourselves to develop the notions of an everyday person, we are actually allowing our demon-nature to emerge and are regrettably missing out on another opportunity for cultivation. If one does not eliminate one’s demon-nature completely, it is hard to become a Buddha, let alone save sentient beings.
[PureInsight.org]
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- 4. What is Behind the Inability to be Tolerant
Written by a Practitioner in China
Teacher keeps telling us in recent lectures that we have to be tolerant and compassionate, but sometimes I still fail to do well. I summarized the reasons why I fail to be tolerant, and I found that when practitioners that are generally thought to cultivate well don't behave well in certain aspects (maybe it is just my subjective notion), I was not able to be genuinely tolerant to them, especially when it was related to me. Though it appeared to be nothing on the surface, my heart was indeed moved: How could I behave like that? I really should do better! Teacher said,
"Some students show their attachments, but some students don't, they keep them inside and they are incredibly attached."
(Explaining the Fa During 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference)
When I dig to the root, I find that this is a manifestation of my attachments of jealousy and selfishness. When I point out the problem to other practitioners, I feel I am responsible for them and trying to help, but in fact there are already too many impure things mixed into it. The attachment is so deeply hidden that I am not able to feel it from the surface if I don't dig deeply to the root. When I stick to things that I don't want to be touched upon, I react even more strongly. When I noticed this, I started to consciously eliminate it.
When some practitioners show such obvious attachments and don't pay much attention to it after I kindly point it out to them, I would think, "How can you be like that? Master Li has made it so clear, why couldn't you just follow Master's teachings?" Even my words and tone become not so polite and rather intolerant. The reason is that I always use Fa to check others, rather than to check myself. I didn't think why his attachments had been shown to me. Even if I don't have this kind of attachment, do I have other kind of attachments? When I point out other practitioners' attachments, do I really look at issues from their perspectives? Do I speak completely out of compassion and free of any personal notion? Do I use the Fa-principle that I understand at my own level to require others? Master Li said,
"A God isn't affected by anything."
(Explaining the Fa During 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference)
Why is my heart always moved?
In addition, every Dafa disciple cultivates under the watch and protection of Teacher's law bodies, and Teacher has said,
"I have no other requirements for you. I have never said that you have to do well in such and such extent. It's always been you yourself handling things."
(Explaining the Fa During 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference)
Then what reasons do I have to tell other practitioners what to do? How well have I myself done? Teacher tells us to look inside ourselves. When a problem emerges, how much effort have I spent to look inside myself? How much effort have I spent to check others? Teacher tells us to be tolerant and compassionate. How well have I followed this teaching?
After I experienced some things and fell down several times, I reflected on myself.
To be genuinely tolerant is a natural reflection of one's cultivation realm. Sometimes I didn't do well, but I knew I should act according to Master's requirements in the Fa. I have already been more and more able to see the shining aspects of every practitioner and also feel at ease with my wishes after letting go of various attachments and bad thoughts.
I am a Dafa disciple in Fa-rectification, and Teacher has told us what kind of magnificent honor this is. The important work that we are doing to offer salvation to all sentient beings and the perfection of our own paradises all have high requirements for upgrading our mind states. With the Fa, with the help of fellow practitioners' articles published on Clearwisdom and help from practitioners around me, I realize some of my own deviations and impurities and get the chance to rectify myself. Thank you!
The above are just some understandings of mine. If there is anything inappropriate, fellow practitioners please kindly point it out and rectify me.
(Clearwisdom.net)
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- 5. My Realization Regarding Looking Within
By a Dafa practitioner in China
Teacher points out in lecturing on the Fa that cultivation practice is to cultivate one's heart. When conflicts arise, one needs to look inward and constantly discard attachments. I realize that as a practitioner, looking inward for attachments is as important as our daily bread. We practitioners need to take it as something important that we must do conscientiously everyday. People in ancient times are said to check their conduct three times a day. As practitioners, we should do even more so to make it our daily assignment to look inward to see what attachments we have not yet abandoned.
For the last six months, I paid more attention to looking inward whenever I had some free time (e.g. on the way to and from work) to see if I still had attachments not yet discarded. Because I was conscious of myself looking inward everyday, during Fa study or reading articles in Clearwisdom.net, I was often being reminded of what kind of attachment I had. After I discovered the attachment and discarded it, I experienced the jubilance of the upgrading of my xinxing level, and felt so blessed to be practicing cultivation. It is exactly like what Teacher said:
"Cultivation practice itself is not difficult, and neither is upgrading one's level itself difficult. It is because they cannot give up the human mind that they call it difficult." (Zhuan Falun)
But half a year ago, I did not have that kind of joyful feeling because I did not actively search within myself for attachments on a daily basis. Instead I looked inward only after I encountered some conflict. It was passive, and it was challenging to let go. I experienced the meaning of
"Toiling the body does not count as suffering, Cultivating the heart is most excruciating." (Hongyin)
Later I realized that I should not be this passive all the time and must actively search within. After putting this into practice for half a year, the situation changed radically. There was no pain now as looking within has become part of my daily routine.
"For cultivators at different levels, the Fa has different requirements"
("Non-Omission")
I start to realize that even though each practitioner is at a different level, the Fa requires of him to abandon all attachments at that level without omission to meet the requirements of that level. If every practitioner could meet the requirements at his level, there would be no loophole for the evil to exploit. We would be able to save the sentient beings better and fulfill the mission as Dafa disciples.
Around July 20 this year, the evil once again stepped up their persecution of Dafa practitioners. Some practitioners informed me that the evil had already been following me only that they had not yet taken any action, and that I needed to be more careful. During Fa study later, Teacher hinted to me that the evil would not come. I also realized that by having righteous thoughts and actions, abandoning the attachments, and meeting the Fa's requirement at my level, the evil would have no hole to exploit.
Fa-rectification has reached the final stage, every practitioner needs to pay attention to searching within for attachments, and see if we have "cultivated until no attachment is left." If tomorrow the Fa rectifies the human world, have we met the standard for consummation? Have we saved all the sentient beings that put their hopes in us? (Even if we still have only one attachment, there will be many lives in our corresponding cosmic body that get eliminated.)
(Clearwisdom.net)
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- 6. Recognize the Importance of Doing the Dafa Exercises
Many fellow practitioners know that we must never ignore the three critical tasks while we validate the Fa. We value studying the Fa, clarifying the facts and sending forth righteous thoughts. However, I noticed that many practitioners, myself included, did not pay attention to doing the exercises, especially the first four sets of exercises. We seldom practiced them. One day I did the Falun Standing Exercise by chance. A large portion of psoriasis like skin rash on my thigh disappeared, and the under skin bleeding symptom also went away. Only then did I realize that neglecting the practice of exercises was also an omission. The old forces will exploit every one of our omissions. If we do not put to practice what Teacher taught us, then they would use this as the pretext to disrupt and to persecute us.
Teacher stated in his "The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa,"
"The exercise movements are necessary for transforming and cultivating these things. The exercises are part of the harmonization and perfection in our Dafa. So Dafa is a comprehensive mind-body cultivation system. It is also called "The Great Consummation Way. This Dafa thus requires both cultivation and exercises, with cultivation taking priority over the exercises. A person's gong will not increase if he merely does the exercises and fails to cultivate his xinxing. A person who only cultivates his xinxing and does not perform the exercises of the Great Consummation Way will find the growth of his gong potency impeded and his original-body (benti) unchanged."
There was also this paragraph in Teacher's "Lecturing on and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference":
"Question: A number of students have devoted themselves entirely in the Fa-rectification. They neglect eating and sleeping, and rarely do the exercises. As a result, some students who aren't very busy don't do the exercises, either. Doing the exercises doesn't appear to be very important to them.
Teacher: All of you sitting here, listen up. Did you all hear that? You must do well the three things that Dafa disciples should do well. You need to do the exercises. As long as the day of Consummation hasn't arrived you need to do the exercises, you need to study the Fa, and you need to do the Dafa disciples' three things. Definitely."
I like to remind my fellow practitioners via the Clearwisdom website that doing exercises is also part of the Fa. Every practitioner who had reached this far knew how to do it ; we just had to follow the Fa to accomplish it. This is also a part of how genuine Dafa practitioners assimilate to the Fa.
(Clearwisdom.net)
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- 7. The Issue of Strengthening Our Willpower
By a Dafa disciple
In order to vigorously strive forward in cultivation and in Fa Rectification, a practitioner must strengthen his willpower. As Master said in the Jinan Lecture: "Sincerity is a prerequisite if you are to rectify your heart." (Chapter III, Cultivation of Xinxing, Falun Gong)
For a new practitioner, lack of a strong willpower may easily cause him to be hindered by postnatally acquired human notions, thus preventing him from going on with cultivation.
Lack of a strong willpower may also lead the practitioner to be dictated to by various attachments such as the pursuit of comfort, fear and laziness, and hence fail to step forward in clarifying the truth.
Furthermore, a practitioner needs to have a strong willpower when studying the Fa and doing the exercises, or he or she can be easily lost in busy daily life. Without a strong willpower, a practitioner could feel sleepy when studying the Fa or his mind might wander when doing the exercises or sending forth righteous thoughts; thus he might fail to achieve complete tranquility or accomplish the effect of righteous thoughts. As Master stated in the Changchun lecture: "You fall asleep while studying the Fa, you fall asleep while reading the book, and you also fall asleep while doing the exercises. You haven't even broken through the beginning stage yet. It's about willpower!" (Lecture at the Assistants Fa Conference in Changchun 1998)
Without a strong willpower, we may also harbor our demon nature when overcoming tribulations and we may unintentionally give people a negative impression of Dafa practitioners. Therefore, from now on, all practitioners should try to strengthen their willpower in cultivation, Fa rectification and truth-clarification. The above is my personal understanding. Please point out if there is anything improper.
Lastly, let us remember Master's article "Righteous Thoughts and Righteous Actions":
"A Great Enlightened Being does not fear hardship
Having forged an adamantine will
And with no attachment to living or dying
He walks his path of Fa-rectification openly and nobly"
(Clearwisdom.net)
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- 8. Breaking Through the Attachment to Comfort and Eliminating the "Sleep Demons"
By a Falun Dafa Practitioner in Jilin City, Jilin Province
I was under the influence of "Sleep Demons" for quite some time, as I had an attachment to comfort. I worked long hours, from half past seven in the morning until five o'clock in the evening. After getting home I would take care of the cooking and the laundry, then I would help the kids with their homework. With all this accomplished I usually felt tired and sleepy. As I had not practiced the exercises in quite a long time, I would tire very easily.
When I picked up a Falun Dafa book I would feel very sleepy after reading only a few pages. As for sending forth righteous thoughts, I found that even more difficult. Sometimes I would even fall asleep when I tried to send forth righteous thoughts. Twelve o'clock midnight (Beijing time), when practitioners all over the world send forth righteous thoughts together, I would get up feeling dazed with sleep and finish hastily. Sometimes when I was awakened by the alarm clock, I would turn it off and go back to sleep. In doing so I even made excuses, telling myself that my job was too hard, so it was okay for me not to get up at midnight. Gradually the intention to send forth righteous thoughts at midnight seemed to fade from my mind. As for doing the five sets of exercises, I would consider it good if I managed to do one set in a week or ten days. I especially disliked doing the second set and felt it was extremely hard to hold the wheel in all four positions. Whenever I thought of practicing the exercises I would tell myself to go to bed to have a little sleep first and do the exercises later, the usual result being that I slept straight through until morning, without studying the Fa or practicing the exercises.
The precious time Teacher has given us to save sentient beings was being wasted. Clarifying the truth about Falun Dafa to people was even more difficult for me. Whenever I met people who could not understand the Fa, I would show my impatience. I thought that they could not be saved because they had poor enlightenment quality. Actually, I sincerely wished to cast off all of these bad thoughts. When sleepiness came, however, my attachment to comfort would coax me to sleep for a while. I knew that this was the result of not studying the Fa enough. In this way I drifted further and further away from Teacher's requirements. I even worried that I was one of those who was arranged by the old forces to play an adverse role in Fa-rectification. However, whenever I thought that way, my original nature would not fully accept it.
I came to realize the seriousness of the problem and I asked myself, if I continue like this, won't it be like going in the opposite direction of the righteous Fa-- Then Teacher published the article "On Reading Weathering the Storm." After reading the article I could not stop crying and enlightened to the fact that cultivation is a very serious undertaking. We are suffering through hardships and we are very busy, but this is the path of human beings becoming Gods! Hardships embody mighty virtue. I knew I couldn't go on like that. Even if I did continue like that, who would be most pleased-- It would be the old forces. They just wanted to drag down practitioners like me who aren't diligent. Suddenly I thought of the true meaning of "under Buddha's infinite grace." Those sentient beings who had entrusted their greatest hopes to me are waiting for me to save them, and the people who have predestined relationships with me are also waiting for me to save them! Yet I was still driven by these "sleep demons" and the mentality of seeking comfort, and I didn't want to be diligent-- I was determined to totally deny these arrangements made by the old forces; those are part of the persecution that I would not accept. I must nobly and righteously walk the path of cultivation arranged by Teacher.
When the righteous thoughts became ever stronger in my mind,
"Indestructible righteous faith in the cosmos's Truth forms benevolent Dafa disciples' rock-solid, Diamond-Like Bodies, it frightens all evil, and the light of Truth it emanates makes the unrighteous elements in all beings' thoughts disintegrate. However strong the righteous thoughts are, that's how great the power is."
("Also in a Few Words," Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I found the "sleep demons" disintegrated instantly. Now I go to bed after midnight every day, sometimes as late as 2:30 a.m., and I still go to work the following day and don't feel tired at all. I study the Fa and practice the exercises diligently. Now I myself get to say when I go to bed.
In cultivation our thoughts have to be righteous, not human. My cultivation path is very ordinary, not like other practitioners whose cultivation paths are glorious and splendid. The reason I wrote about the "sleep demons" is to tell fellow practitioners who are still controlled by them to pay attention to this issue. Teacher arranges the path of our cultivation. When we are able to resist the bad thoughts we are actually strengthening our righteous thoughts and the evil is indeed powerless.
(Clearwisdom.net)
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