FALUN DAFA India Newsletter for April 2013

FALUN DAFA - INDIA
TRUTHFULNESS - COMPASSION - FORBEARANCE

Newsletter for April 2013

Click on the below-mentioned, numbered subjects:

Welcome

What’s Happening?

Looking Inward Shouldn't Stay Merely on the Surface

Understanding the Meaning during Fa Study Is Most Important

My Understanding of “Zhen”

My Cultivation Experience in Fa Study and Sending Righteous Thoughts

Breaking Through the Test of Life and Death by Looking Inward

Talking About the Position Given to Fa Study

1. Welcome: Welcome to the April 2014 Falun Dafa India Newsletter.

In this issue, we have a compilation of experience-sharing Articles gleaned from Clearwisdom 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?: Practitioners from Bangalore were invited by a school where Falun Dafa was introduced some years ago to conduct the 9 Day Video Lectures. The first few days, most students of the tenth grade have shown keen interest and have been alert through the Lectures. The Headmaster is also attending the lectures since he got a lot of health benefits and a better understanding of ‘sickness karma’. The students know the significance of Righteous Thoughts and are willing to go through the 9 Day Lectures even though they might have to come to School on a Sunday and Monday is a public holiday when the city celebrates a grand Festival.

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3. Looking Inward Shouldn't Stay Merely on the Surface By a Dafa disciple in China

(Minghui.org) After sharing with a few practitioners recently, I discovered a trend. There are quite a few practitioners who have issues in their cultivation that are hard to rectify or areas in which they are not very diligent. They experience similar tribulations again and again, causing these practitioners to linger at the same level for a long time. Even a slight improvement takes a lot of effort and feels difficult.

It's not that these practitioners are not looking inward. However, oftentimes, the process of looking inward seems to stop at the surface level.

Many practitioners think, “A long as I have looked inward and identified my attachment, Master will help me remove it.” Therefore, they have lowered the requirement for themselves.

In the process of looking inward, they don't actively change their human mindset and unrighteous behavior that results from the attachments. Instead, they rely on Master's help to remove the core issues that are supposed to be addressed and cultivated away by them.

They have not actively controlled their human attachments. In effect, they have not set strict requirements for themselves according to the standards of the Fa. They stumble again and again when faced with similar tribulations and do not truly elevate. When the next tribulation comes, they cannot make it through and still do not know how to cultivate.

Just looking inward on the surface is not enough in cultivation. We need to be able to find the attachment and then remove it through cultivation. In this way, we can truly transform to become a divine being.

The most difficult issue in cultivation is how to change ourselves, which includes changing our mentality, notions, perspectives, and standpoints. We must change ourselves to the point where we can let go of grievances, adjust our own state of mind, and control our emotions.

We must maintain calmness, compassion, and harmony, and remember our holy mission at all times. We must also have strong righteous thoughts of saving sentient beings. That is our responsibility and what we need to do to meet the standard of the Fa-rectification.

As cultivators, we cannot merely use looking inward, which is the magic tool in cultivation, on the surface level. In the process of looking inward, we should genuinely reinforce our righteous thoughts and rectify behaviors that are not aligned with the Fa.

We must change our selfish mentality of considering self-protection as the first priority. We need to learn how to think of others first and put ourselves in their shoes. We should evaluate ourselves based on a broader perspective. To be responsible for the sentient beings of the universe, we must evaluate things from a high realm.

There are fundamental differences between human and divine beings. A being's thoughts reflect that being's true realm. When a cultivator is tolerant of others and places salvation of sentient beings first, he is not selfish anymore. He carries the power of righteousness, the power of Dafa. What he says can touch people's hearts and change them. He can then play a bigger role in saving sentient beings and a righteous role among fellow practitioners.

The more a cultivator is purified by Dafa, the stronger his cultivated side is and the less he is restrained by his human side. He can then have stronger divine powers.

The gaps in cultivation levels among practitioners are expanding. Genuine cultivators must be diligent. How long can this period of human-divine coexistence last? Don't leave any regrets for the future, when the truth is revealed!

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4. Understanding the Meaning during Fa Study Is Most Important By a practitioner from China

(Minghui.org) During sharing between fellow practitioners we often hear the following questions and replies:

“Did you study the Fa today?” Reply: “I did.”

“How many lectures did you cover?” Reply: “ One (or two or three).”

When I first heard this, it seemed quite normal. Reflecting upon it further, it appears that the number of lectures covered has been equated to diligence and advancement in cultivation. Over the last ten years I thought this was the correct interpretation. Indeed, this kind of view, once accepted, becomes important. Practitioners reading less than one lecture a day are afraid to say so, while those who read two or more lectures are looked upon with admiration.

Over time, practitioners decide each day how many lectures they want to read. The focus is on completing or exceeding the desired number of lectures, i.e., quantity instead of quality.

I did try to change the lack of emphasis on quality but was not very successful. In September of 2012 I read the article, Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa, 2011 and the following statements,

“Do you know what has become of Fa-study in many places? In some areas it has lapsed into a formality. When some people readZhuan Falun they are not concentrating, but rather, thinking about other things, and not able to focus their attention on cultivation. It thus amounts to wasting time. And not just wasting time—instead of it being the time when they are to be elevating, they are using their minds to think over issues and things that they shouldn’t concern themselves with, and thus, not only aren’t they elevating, but on the contrary, they are often dropping in level. If you don’t study the Fa well, there are many things you will not be able to do well.”

Actually, I read these statements before but didn't see their importance. This time I realize that the purpose of Fa-study is to understand its meaning and put the ideas into practice. With this realization, I no longer rush to cover more pages. Instead, I read slowly to understand the material. The time I spend each day is still the same, and I feel a lot better with this approach. Understanding what I am reading is now the focus. I do not care how many lectures I cover. If a fellow practitioner asks, “How many lectures have you read today?” I just say, “I have spent several hours studying.”

Not getting the meaning of the Fa can be caused by one's own distraction. For example, while reading the Fa, a practitioner might think that drying the clothes outside might not work to-day because it might rain, or she needs to finish reading earlier because she has an appointment with a friend, etc. Allowing these random thoughts to flow interferes with the Fa-study and prevents the mind from being quiet.

As Dafa disciples, we must be prepared to give up distractions before and during Fa-study. If something has to be done, get it done before Fa-study. A quiet mind is needed during Fa-study. Otherwise, the real meaning behind the words cannot be ascertained.

In my view, there are two requirements to acquire the meaning of the Fa: one, we must focus on the meaning of the Fa, not the number of pages read, and two, we must let go of distracting thoughts. These problems are self-created and we should plan ahead before studying the Fa.

I recommend reading slowly to make sure we know the meaning of what we are reading. Reading quickly may force us to focus on reading itself instead of the meaning of the words. If we are reading by ourselves and did not get the meaning of a paragraph, I recommend reading the paragraph again to get the meaning. This is important. Do not be afraid to read slowly.

Pronouncing every word clearly is also important, especially during group study, because both you and your fellow practitioners are studying the Fa. A clear pronunciation also helps to get the meaning of the words. However, you must not be thinking about how well you do or how fellow practitioners view your reading. These thoughts are distractions. Just focus on reading and getting the meaning of what you read and you will be surprised at what you have learned.

This is just my personal view about Fa-study. Please point out anything that is not proper.

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5. My Understanding of “Zhen” By a Falun Dafa practitioner from China

(Minghui.org) I planned to distribute some truth-clarifying materials on my way to work today. Last time I walked down a certain road, I saw a policeman staring at me and I became very nervous. Today I didn't want to take the same road and wanted to walk on another road. But I found there was a problem with me. I felt nervous because I was afraid and had some concerns. I realized that my “concerns” and “fear” were against the universe's characteristics. The word “Truthfulness” came into my mind. I suddenly realized that my hesitation and fear were signs that my belief in the truth was not firm enough.

Master said:

“Wavering is also a type of attachment, an attachment of being unstable—it’s also an attachment.” (“Suggestions Given at the Beijing Falun Dafa Assistants Meeting” from Explaining the Content of Falun Dafa).

Suddenly I understood a layer of the Fa: in the universe, if beings only assimilated to “compassion” and “forbearance,” that was not enough. We should be true to our basic nature and free from the influence of outside evil, low level substances, and deviated elements. That is also the cornerstone for the eternal existence of life in the universe. During my cultivation in this lifetime, there must be cultivation factors in this regard. This is a process to test whether a being can uphold the truth, stick to his righteous belief, not be confused by false external images, and not waver or be influenced by human attachments and notions. It is a process of seeking “truth” in cultivation.

My mind suddenly opened up—as a matter of fact, the human world and everything at the lower level are not truth. Because of our own attachments due to selfishness, fear, and other concerns, we have made them real. Those things are generated in lower level spaces and human beings become more attached to them once they exist. If we regard our attachments as our true selves, this is not cultivation of “truth.” Only when we break through acquired attachments and notions can our true nature be revealed and we can then return to our true selves.

I came to understand this layer of the Fa. We should firmly believe what Master said:

“This is because the principles of Dafa prohibit it, as the nature of the universe governs everything.” (“A Brief Explanation of Shan” from Essentials for Further Advancement)

Master was teaching his disciples to keep their true nature and return to their original true self. I knew theoretically that attachments and notions were not myself. But I didn't realize that they were actually the obstacles that prevented me from assimilating to the universal characteristics of “Truth-Compassion-Forbearance.” The process of eliminating them was the process of protecting my future life from deterioration and destruction. I regarded falsehoods as reality and acquired notions as myself, and they then governed my mind and actions. How could I cultivate truth?

I realized that all hindrances, tribulations, karma, and interference of any kind are caused by ourselves. They come into being because of our attachments, wrong notions, and understandings, and we must get rid of them in our cultivation. We have to free ourselves from acquired notions and deviations. With Master's help in the Fa rectification period, we can really change the defects in our innate, original life. That is assimilation to the universe's characteristics and assimilation of our indestructible body to the universe's truth. Then we can become immortal.

I quickly eliminated the notions that had interfered with me. Now I only listen to Master and do the three things that Master requires us to do. I became steady and sound in my heart. I no longer wavered or hesitated. I sent forth righteous thoughts while I walked. I cleared out my bad thoughts and the interference from other dimensions. I was able to complete the job without any hesitation.

This is my understanding of the Fa principles on my level. The Fa principles of “Truth-Compassion-Forbearance” are harmonious. That is my understanding of “Truth.” Please point out anything inappropriate.

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6. My Cultivation Experience in Fa Study and Sending Righteous Thoughts

(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners! I have summarized some of my cultivation experiences and would like to share them with fellow practitioners.

Fa Study

When I study the Fa, whether it’s Zhuan Falun or any of Master's lectures, I often experience a sudden enlightenment and a heat wave inside my body. However, my human side may not be clear about the exact understanding I came across. When I study the Fa, every cell in my body is very excited. While reading, I can feel a warm energy flowing inside my chest; afterward my chest is filled with warmth. Some words and sentences frequently appear totally new to me, and some words stand out. A while ago, after I studied Master’s lecture, “The Ultimate Objective of Clarifying the Truth,” I started intensively cleansing myself of atheist and Communist Party culture influences.

Sometimes when I study the Fa, I am given hints on the attachment I need to let go of and that particular attachment immediately goes up in flames. One night I was helping with the newspaper and after I sent out the article, I had some spare time. I decided to study the Fa, so I read Master’s new lecture “The Ultimate Objective of Clarifying the Truth.” When I read it the second time, it hit me that I have a deeply hidden attachment, namely “wanting acknowledgment from others.” This attachment was hidden very well, and I almost confused it with my own personality. When I recognized it, I suddenly understood that in everyday life or when I do things to validate the Fa, my motive often stems from this attachment. As soon as I came to this realization, I could sense this attachment being ejected from my body and going up in flames. At the same time, I felt that my bodies in other dimensions were rapidly expanding into the universe and growing far and wide.

As long as I remain calm while studying the Fa, I can see the Fa’s principles and can feel that Dafa is changing me. When I run into problems, I will be able to think of Master and remember the Fa, I can gradually look within and appreciate the wonderful feeling of improving my xinxing, and truly experience “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Zhuan Falun)

Fa study is a cultivator’s primary responsibility and is unconditional and without pursuit. Master’s Fa is given to our true selves but not to our attachments, notions, or the selfish “me.” Only when we continuously let go of our attachments, notions, and self, and truly study the Fa, will the Fa's principles be revealed to us. If we cannot see any Fa principles when studying, we must have a problem somewhere. When we are driven by our attachments and want to get something from Dafa, the Fa's principles will not be revealed to us.

Our cultivation and Fa study is not for ourselves. When the Fa unfolds a certain level's principles to us, the corresponding sentient beings in that level will be saved by Dafa. Sometimes when I study the Fa, the Fa's principles will manifest and I will know how to do things to validate the Fa. For example, when I sell Shen Yun tickets, the Fa principles will guide me on how to sell the tickets. When I work as a reporter covering Shen Yun, when I study the Fa I understand how to cover Shen Yun. In everyday Fa study, the Fa naturally gives me hints on my attachments and I naturally understand things I didn’t understand before.

Cultivating Oneself Well and the Mighty Power of the Fa Will Manifest

My third eye (Tianmu) is not open. But whenever I look within, miraculous things happen. The moment I identify my attachment, the Fa will display the manifestation of the attachment at a certain level. When I send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the attachment, I can see it being eliminated.

For example, the attachment of comfort in one dimension is a pile of worms: some are black, some white. I suddenly understood why in Chinese people say “lazy worms.” Laziness is indeed a pile of worms. The attachment of fear in one dimension is rats. The place they live in is very dark. Not letting go of fear is just like living in dark shadow. Lust is as filthy as manure. To live with lust is like living in manure. The attachment to self is much bigger than ordinary attachments and is a black substance that dusts the entire cosmos and is the source of all attachments. This selfish substance is very stubborn. When I first began to eliminate it, I could only knock down a corner. The rest covers the cosmos like black asphalt. This is what I see at my level.

Once I went to sell Shen Yun tickets, and I stood in front of our display trying to find people to talk to. The other two practitioners who were part of the team loved sharing and stood behind talking. I was not happy. I thought, “I’m working so hard—why do you have so much to talk about?” Once I became unhappy, I knew I had a problem. I started to search within and identify why I was unhappy. When I searched deep inside myself, gradually I found and saw a dark being inside my body. When I’m doing things to validate the Fa, this being also gets involved. But it is selfish and not the true me. It got upset when it felt that the practitioners’ sharing affected it. Having found this false “me,” I started to suppress it and send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate it. When I talked to people to introduce Shen Yun again, the practitioners stopped talking and were obviously sending forth righteous thoughts. I felt so ashamed. This dark, false me had been hidden in me for so long. If fellow practitioners' talking had not disturbed it and helped me to identify it, it might have continued to affect me for a long time. How could I validate the Fa like that? It took me a week to completely eliminate it.

One day when I was at work and not very busy, I decided to check my emails. I saw practitioners were discussing an issue on the Internet. One practitioner had written a long sharing. Even though I read it from beginning to end, I still didn’t understand what it was about. I got impatient and thought: “What are you talking about? I spent a lot of time and still didn’t understand what was being said.” Then I asked myself: “Why do I get impatient? Was it the other practitioner’s fault or was there something wrong with me?” I started to look within. I was fortunate, because at that time when I studied the Fa I had enlightened that I needed to get rid of my self-centered pattern of thinking. When I asked myself if this was related, I suddenly understood that I needed to be compassionate when I evaluated situations. As soon as I came to this realization, I felt a sense of relief, as if a burden had been lifted. Immediately, I saw my heart’s capacity and my body in other dimensions very quickly expanding and dashing through to a huge distance in the universe.

It’s now my habit that whenever I run into a situation and my heart is moved or when I feel uneasy, I look within myself and I no longer look outward. Whatever I run into, I search inside myself to see where I was wrong and use the Fa to evaluate myself and to see where I have some hidden attachments. I no longer judge what’s right and wrong based on superficial appearances.

I experienced the wonderfulness of looking within and gradually understood what it means to cultivate the inside and pacify the outside. Everything in the human world is an illusion. When our hearts change, the outside world will change. A selfless cultivator only uses Dafa to evaluate himself. If everyone could do this, our environment would change.

Righteous Thoughts

Once I increased the intensity of my sending forth righteous thoughts to cleanse myself, suddenly, I split open a mixed attachment. It contains fear, attachment to comfort, and lust, and these three attachments were wrapped up and held together by a layer of skin.

As soon as I split them open, I eliminated them one by one. After I cleaned out one layer, I saw there was a black dot in front of me. I used righteous thoughts to dash forward and entered it. Once I entered, I saw that dimension was another place filled with filthy stuff related to those attachments. Although lust is very dirty, it's superficial. They were quickly eliminated after a few levels of dimensions. Fear and attachment to comfort are much more microcosmic and fill up more dimensions. The dimensions filled with fear are extremely dark and a bunch of rats live there. The dimension occupied by attachment to comfort is filled with black and white worms that made me very lazy and want to enjoy a worldly good life. The dimension occupied by lust is filled with manure and maggots and is extremely filthy. I spent a whole day cleaning these things out, dimension by dimension. I was ashamed when I realized that so many of my dimensions were covered by these filthy substances and that I still carried them, was interfered with by them, and yet felt good about myself. I truly understood that if we don’t cultivate ourselves well, we cannot validate the Fa and save people.

I work at an airline and I take care of distributing The Epoch Times there. When I first started, I noticed that not many papers were taken, and some boxes were barely touched. Other newspapers had been put in our boxes, and they looked very messy. I thought: “Who opened this site? Not many people read our paper, so why do I spend so much effort on it? Let me talk to the coordinator to reduce a few boxes. I think one will be enough.”

Afterward, I started to think: “Is it that the newspaper is not good, or that the distribution box is not good, or is it me who has the problem?” I realized that the problem was that I didn’t take my job very seriously. Every time I distributed the paper, I just placed the papers there as though I was completing a task. How could I save the beings there if I behaved so recklessly? I started to eliminate the thoughts that complained about the paper and the paper distribution boxes and started to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the factors that prevented people from reading the paper. The results were remarkable. Shortly afterward, the papers were all gone. Some boxes that were rarely touched are now always emptied. Now I have increased my distribution volume by one more stack of newspapers.

I can clearly feel that as I improve in Dafa, the power of my righteous thoughts is also stronger and stronger. Recently when I send forth righteous thoughts, I feel as if I’m sitting in a vast universe, and my righteous thoughts are endless and boundless.

If We Cultivate Ourselves Well, the Power of the Fa Will Manifest

I was a reporter during Shen Yun performances. When I interviewed an audience member during the first show's intermission, he said something negative, and I immediately knew that I must have some problems. So when the second half began, I quietly looked within. I noticed that my entire being was very numb and I didn’t quite get the performance. I knew I was being taken advantage of by evil factors, so I examined my attachments one by one to see which one was interfering. I had just eliminated several attachments earlier that day and I sent forth righteous thoughts to clear them out again. Afterward, I decided that I wouldn’t pay attention to them anymore. I told myself: “I’m a Dafa disciple. I’ll just do things according to Master’s requirements. I want to fulfill my responsibility as a Dafa disciple. I must humbly fulfill my responsibility according to Master’s arrangements.”

After the performance, I stood by the door. The first person I approached was an audience member I wanted to interview, and so was the second person I approached. Then I saw a few Chinese students nearby. Just as I decided to interview them, a man came over and said I had just interviewed his friend and he asked when he could read our paper. When I asked if he wanted to be interviewed, he was pleased and got ready for the interview. I found that he was also someone I wanted to interview. After I finished interviewing him, I turned around to look for the Chinese students, but I saw that they had left. When I turned back again, I saw them coming out of the washroom and were just about to pass by me. So I basically did not have to move from my spot, and I was able to interview people one after another. The last Chinese student I interviewed was very excited. She said she cried from the beginning of the show. She could feel the purity and the energy of the performance and her words were very touching.

The third day of the Shen Yun performances, my lips became very dry and it hurt whenever I tried to open my mouth. I realized this was interference trying to stop me from doing interviews. I started to look within and send forth righteous thoughts. I felt a big difference when I sent forth righteous thoughts with the Shen Yun reporters’ team, as if I was placed in a vast universe. I understood that I’m only a particle within this boundless Dafa body and only when the particles are organized well will they display Dafa’s mighty power. I immediately let go of the attachment to “I’m a reporter.” The result was that the interviews went extremely well that day. I interviewed a total of 7 people and they all had been touched by the show. Writing the reports was also easy. I felt that I was as clear as the air and there were no obstructions. Anything I wanted to write, I was able to write very quickly without much effort.

One time when I went to sell Shen Yun tickets, I got up late and left only after doing the exercises. Nevertheless I wasn’t in a very good state and I was muddle-headed. After I arrived at the shopping mall and installed the equipment, I discovered the credit card machine wasn’t working. I tried to open it a few times but failed. Another practitioner was supposed to come, but he did not show up. I knew I had a problem. So I looked inward to see where I might have loopholes. I saw my attachment of dependency, something in the shape of a large dark-blue rock in northern China. My attachment was a mixture of dependency and laziness. After I found the attachment, I started to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate it.

I told myself, “I can sell tickets even if I’m alone, and I won’t miss a single person. Master has arranged for people to come and buy tickets here today and I want to bring them all to the theater to see the show.” I totally ignored the credit card machine and stopped thinking about when the other practitioner would come. I started to talk to people about Shen Yun while sending forth righteous thoughts. It was very easy: people came one after another. I found a stream of compassionate energy coming out of my heart and fill the surrounding area. When I was talking to people about Shen Yun, this energy automatically flew to that person. It was very natural and easy for me to talk to people, and their response was also very good. I forgot about myself and only remembered that Master arranged for me to sell tickets there and I wanted to bring all those predestined people to the theater.

When I sell tickets, I usually send forth righteous thoughts all the time, recite the Fa, or look within. Oftentimes, as soon as I identify my attachment and eliminate it, I can sell tickets right away.

When we do Dafa projects, should we use human methods and contemplate the work using human notions? Or should we cultivate ourselves while doing the work, look within, give up our human notions, use a cultivator’s righteous thoughts, and remember our responsibility to save sentient beings to guide us? Whether or not we cultivate ourselves well and humbly follow Master’s plan, give up the attachment to self, and give up our attachments and human notions will bring about different results. When our thoughts and mindset conform to the Fa’s requirements, the power of the Fa will manifest. Our wisdom and ability given by Dafa will transform any pressure or difficulty into opportunities for us to save sentient beings.

Always Be Grateful to Master

Being grateful to Master is my biggest cultivation experience. Everything comes from Master and all glory should be attributed to Dafa. Forever remembering Master’s mercy in recreating us is a righteous thought. The true me starts to wake up while being buried in notions and attachments. The true self is immensely humble, immensely grateful, and determined in front of Dafa.

I feel a sense of happiness while being cleansed by Dafa on my journey to reach selflessness. “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” Everything is a true manifestation of Master using his enormous Fa power to do Fa-rectification and salvation.

Once while driving to sell tickets, I started to recite the Fa. Tears welled up in my eyes when I recited Master’s “Stirred by Reflection:” “After the adamantine will is fully tempered, True thoughts dissolve all, The whole sky is clear.” I understood what happiness is. For me to be personally taken care of by Master during Fa-rectification is the perpetual honor and happiness of a living being. I cried tears of joy and gratitude all the way there.

A being reincarnating in the mortal world for tens of thousands of years, filled with karma, is cleansed by Master, a lost being who forgot her mission is awakened by Master, a selfish being is purified by Dafa. Master has given us the best of everything, yet He doesn’t want anything in return. How can I return Master’s mercy? Let me turn my endless gratitude into a determined heart and let go of all attachments.

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7. Breaking Through the Test of Life and Death by Looking Inward By a Practitioner in Mainland China

(Minghui.org) In February of this year I experienced serious illness. I could only eat porridge because my dentures did not fit and thus, I was unable to chew. Soon, I began to feel quite fatigued. I tried to deny any interference and continued to participate in Falun Dafa projects. However, as time went on, I felt very tremulous and had no energy at all. I only wanted to sleep. I was sleeping for several days without any food or drink and experienced significant weight loss. Everyone was surprised to see the decline in my health. I was too weak to speak or stand up and developed a fever. My family and fellow practitioners were very worried. My son was about to send me to the hospital, but I refused to go. Some practitioners thought that if the pain was beyond my capacity to bear, then I should go to the hospital. I realized, however, that I should not have thoughts like that. My thoughts should be righteous and strong! Teacher said: “True cultivators have no illnesses.” (“Explaining the Fa for Falun Dafa Assistants in Changchun” from Explaining the Content of Falun Dafa) Teacher also told us, “This is because once you assume that you are ill, your xinxing level will be as high as that of everyday people." ("Cultivation Insanity" from Zhuan Falun).

I am a true Falun Dafa practitioner and I believe Teacher and the Fa. I decided to follow only this thought and Master's arrangement for me. However, my situation did not improve. Fellow practitioners joined me in sending righteous thoughts. I did not want to waste their precious time, since they were so busy helping save sentient beings. They reminded me that we are “one body” and that my issue was also their issue. Fellow practitioners told me that I might be the one suffering from interference and health issues, but actually, this was not only my problem. We all needed to look inside ourselves to find out why the evil is able to take advantage in this situation.

I kept looking inward and found that I had many attachments such as jealousy, showing off, aggression, complaining, and zealotry. I have practiced Falun Dafa for over ten years, but I didn't truly cultivate. I separated studying the Fa from cultivating my moral character. I considered participation in Dafa projects to be cultivation.

Teacher said, "The biggest problem we have now is the one I just talked about. That is, when you fail to cultivate yourself and look within." ("Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference") Teacher told us that, “For a cultivator, looking within is a magical tool.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference”)

I didn't utilize this “magic method” and thus felt guilty and untrue to Teacher and Dafa. I have so many attachments! How can I go home with Teacher? I studied Teacher's article, “To the European Fa Conference”, with other practitioners. I read it three times. I felt that I was one of the practitioners Teacher mentioned in the article. I have cultivated for so many years, but I actually didn't look inward and get rid of attachments. Instead I looked down on others who were trying to cultivate and involved myself in conflicts with them. If others offered opinions different from mine, I treated them quite badly. Sometimes, I complained about other practitioners and didn't want to continue doing Dafa projects with them. I stayed home to practice. If I am not validating Dafa, am I a true Dafa practitioner? Doing nothing is equal to not cultivating. I asked myself, did I want to be a true Dafa practitioner? I should complete my tasks! Other practitioners persuaded me to eat something and to deny any interference in my cultivation. I forced myself to have something to eat and gradually the situation changed for the better.

I kept one thought in mind--I am a true practitioner and I definitely can follow Master and go back to my real home. I will work hard and put all my energy into cultivation of Dafa. My children are all married and I live alone and so I should be able to concentrate on cultivation. I must use all of my time and energy to do Dafa work and cultivate myself well. During the past 10 years of the persecution of Falun Dafa, I have done everything other practitioners have asked while working on various projects. I gradually became a coordinator. I did many things by myself and developed attachments to doing things and became selfish. I insisted that others must listen to me and follow all my requirements. Thus, many conflicts occurred and I failed to consider why these things were happening. Where were the gaps in my character and moral understandings? Were my attachments being targeted? I believed that I was always right, and that it was someone else who was responsible for the conflicts. This attachment was so strong that I was unable to find my weakness. Thus, I also began to have conflicts with my family. I didn't meet with other practitioners for sharing. I didn't follow Master's requirement to “search inside yourselves first when problems arise” (Teaching the Fa at the Assistants’ Fa Conference in Changchun, July 26, 1998). I missed this opportunity to cultivate myself. I felt unbalanced and complained a lot. I felt that this was actually a jealousy attachment which should be eliminated immediately or I would fail in cultivation.

Selfishness blocks improvement. This is a principle in the old universe and of the Chinese Communist Party culture. I worked in an office and was used to being contemptuous and self-centered. I criticized other people if I didn't agree with them. Other practitioners are like a mirror. If I see their weakness, I should ask myself why I saw it and if I have the same problem. I should look inside first. If I have the same issue, I should get rid of the attachment. If I don't look inside, there will be conflict and the entire body of cultivators will be affected. This will negatively influence all practitioners improving together. Looking inward is a key point. Looking inward can help us do the three things well and follow Master home. I should consider all practitioners as a whole and deny the evil.

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8. Talking About the Position Given to Fa Study Yu Yue

(PureInsight.org) I have a similar understanding as the practitioner who recently shared their understanding on the Clearwisdom Website regarding how we should position Fa study. Master said in “Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference”: “You cultivate in a state of delusion, and cannot see what the book of Fa is truly like. When you truly do manage to see it, words will be inadequate, simply powerless, to describe it. I have told you before that behind each word lie Buddhas, Daos, and Gods, tier after tier. Nor can you grasp what it meant when Master said that everything has been compressed into the book of Fa, for at this time you cannot, with your human thoughts, fathom that sentence.”

I thought of a scene that I saw half a year ago. In a quiet and remote corner, a Kulapati sat on the ground with his back straight, both hands holding a Buddhist scripture at eyebrow level, and read the teachings sincerely and respectfully. This scene touched me deeply. An everyday person can be so sincere and respectful when reading the Buddhist scripture, let alone we who cultivate the sacred universal Fa? We should be even more sincere, respectful, serious, and earnest when we study Dafa.

However, how did I read the Fa? Actually, in the end of 2002, I started to sit with legs crossed in the double lotus position when reading the Fa. I continued like this for a few years. My cultivation state was quite good during that period and I was very diligent. But in recent years, the external environment became more relaxed and I also loosened the requirement on myself. Often I lied down when I felt tired while studying the Fa. Especially for the two years that I tried to memorize the Fa persistently, I was almost always lying down when reciting the Fa. I was so disrespectful to Dafa and Master. How could those tiers after tiers of Buddhas, Daos, and Gods behind the Fa show me the profound Fa principles? So Master let me see the scene of an ordinary person reading Buddhist scriptures. I realized that it is very serious to be respectful to the Fa and Master. Now I double cross my legs again when I study the Fa.

Cultivation itself is quite serious. Respecting the Fa and Master is even more serious. In his signature to the letter, “To the Brazil Fa Conference,” Master for the first time added “Master” in front of his name. This does indeed have a deep meaning behind it. Shouldn’t we think about ourselves and ask: have we done well in respecting the Fa and Master?

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