Please Try to Be Accurate When Practicing the Exercises

(Minghui.org) I recently found that the movements of a fellow practitioner were not accurate when we practiced the exercises together. Upon seeing this, I patiently pointed out the needed corrections to the practitioner. For the past few days, I have been thinking about this issue.

Although I was introduced to Falun Dafa in 1998, I have not paid much attention to studying Master Li’s works, and I only started to learn the exercises in 2014. In essence, I am still a new student. Since I have not been diligent in cultivation, my initial thought was, “How dare I find fault with my fellow practitioners?” I later realized that as long as what I communicate is beneficial for cultivation practice, I should not have such thoughts.

Therefore I have written some of my observations, in the hopes that it will help the larger group of practitioners.

While practicing the standing exercises, many of us have accurate movements. However, some practitioners are adding in movements such as scratching when feeling uncomfortable somewhere, or shifting their clothes. Some even talk to one another. These are very serious problems. We are Falun Gong practitioners. If we are not strict with ourselves while doing the exercises, we are not respecting the practice taught by Master:

Regarding the first set of the exercises “Buddha Stretching a Thousand Arms,” Master said:

“At the core of Buddha Stretching a Thousand Arms is stretching of the body. This stretching unblocks areas where energy is congested, stimulates the energy in the body and under the skin so that it circulates vigorously, and automatically absorbs a great amount of energy from the universe. This enables all of the meridians in a cultivator’s body to open up from the start. When you perform this exercise, the body will have a special feeling of warmth and of the existence of a strong energy field. This is caused by the stretching and opening of all meridians throughout the body.” (Chapter II in The Great Way of Spiritual Perfection)

About the third set of exercises, “Penetrating the Cosmic Extremes,” Master said:

“The purpose of this exercise is to mix and merge the universe’s energy with the energy inside the body. A great amount of energy is expelled and taken in. In a very short time, the practitioner can expel the pathogenic and black qi from his or her body and take in a great deal of energy from the universe, enabling the body to be purified and to quickly reach the state of 'a Pure-White Body.'” (Lecture IV in Falun Gong, 6th Translation Edition, 2014)

I realized that if our movements are not correct when doing the exercises, we will not achieve the effect that Master wants us to achieve. So, we should seriously think about the issue: Are all of our movements accurate when we do the five sets of exercises?

I have also found that some practitioners’ movements are not correct, and even the numbers of movements they should do are not right.

For example, during the first part of the third exercise “Penetrating the Cosmic Extremes,” we are required to move our arms up and down in opposite directions, nine times each. Some practitioners are adding or subtracting one round.

Master said:

“A genuine cultivation way is always passed down from a prehistoric time. It has been preserved from quite a remote age and has successfully cultivated numerous great enlightened people. No one dares to change a bit of it. Such a thing can only take place in this Dharma-ending Period of ours. These things have never occurred throughout history.” (Lecture Three in Zhuan Falun)

“For several thousand years, cultivation methods in Buddhism have been in those forms. How can it still be Buddhism if someone alters it? Cultivation methods are for serious Buddha cultivation, and they are extremely complex. A tiny change will cause a mess.” (Lecture Four in Zhuan Falun)

“During qigong practice, you always pitch in some bad thoughts. How can you say that you will emerge from the practice with good things?” (Lecture Five in Zhuan Falun)

Master states these issues so clearly in Zhuan Falun, but why have we failed to guard the integrity of the exercises? What has caused us not to be serious in this regard? I believe this is caused by our lack of respect for the Fa.

Of course, the vast majority of our practitioners perform the exercises well, definitely well. So those practitioners who are weak in this regard should pay attention to this. For these practitioners, I have a suggestion: As part of our Fa study, we should diligently study Master’s teachings on how to do the exercises.

We were able to do everything well during the severe conditions in 1999 when the Chinese Communist Party began the brutal persecution. I believe that we practitioners will correct all these weak points and do better in our future cultivation practice.

This is my shallow understanding at my level; please correct me compassionately if there is anything incorrect.