(Minghui.org) I have been cultivating in Falun Dafa for 21 years, but it was only recently that I began memorizing its main text Zhuan Falun after making a few mistakes in September of this year.
I felt so good after talking to a woman about Falun Dafa that I wanted to show off how I, already 80 years old, was still as strong as a young man thanks to my practice of Falun Dafa. I scaled a low wall and then jumped down. Before I knew it, I felt like I was about to faint. A man passing by was startled and rushed to help me.
I knew that Master saved me and felt ashamed that my showoff mentality was causing me trouble.
Weeks later I had a reunion with my former classmates, where I saw that many of them looked really old and some had to use walking canes. I was super happy that Falun Dafa had given me a healthy and strong body.
I then took a fall on my way home. My knees were bleeding. There was a lot of sand on my face. I came to see that my attachment to zealotry had gotten the best of me at the reunion party.
I remembered what Master said in “Solid Cultivation” (Hong Yin):
Study the Fa and gain the Fa,Focus on how you study and cultivate,Let each and every thingbe measured against the Fa.Only then, with that,is it actually cultivation.
I did study the Fa whenever I had time, but why did I fail to measure myself against the Fa? I learned from the two incidents that I studied the Fa only for the purpose of studying the Fa. I sometimes even felt asleep during Fa-study or didn’t even know what I was reading.
Another passage of Master’s teaching flashed in my mind:
“That’s why although I said that Dafa is so wonderful, and although what I’ve said sounds good and you applauded when you heard about Consummation, if, on the other hand, you can’t truly cultivate yourselves, you will attain nothing. If you can’t treat yourself as a cultivator you will attain nothing. Only the improvement of xinxing counts as true improvement. Can a person fend off death just by doing the exercises daily, as if they were average physical exercises? I’d say that’s a joke. If he does the exercises every day without improving his xinxing, I’d say his practice is the same as doing your average physical exercises. But, even though it’s just a slight difference, it’s difficult for him to change. When you’ve changed and you’ve discarded human notions—when you’re able to do that—you are then a god. If you aren’t able to do that, you are a human. But could it be as easy as it sounds? Without the mental foundation established through a gradual process of cultivation, a person isn’t able to let go of everything, even if you tell him to!” (Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Europe)
I knew that the only way to ensure that I truly obtained the Fa was to memorize it.
But I was still apprehensive, given my advanced age. I didn’t have the best memory. How long was it going to take me to memorize the entire book of Zhuan Falun?
I found some articles about how other Falun Dafa practitioners had memorized the Fa. I tried several methods and found them helpful.
I reminded myself to not worry too much about the outcome. I just kept memorizing however much I could manage.
Master taught us in Lecture Six of Zhuan Falun,
“In order to gain fame, personal profit, and a little benefit, some people often brag about themselves and show off, “I’m very capable and a winner.”
I came to see that I wouldn’t have tried to jump off a wall at 80 years old if I had started memorizing the Fa much earlier. It was my showoff mentality at work.
I regret that I didn’t start memorizing the Fa earlier, but feel lucky that Master has given me time to catch up. I’ve already benefited a lot after just a few months of memorizing the Fa. My mind is much calmer and my heart is filled with more compassion. My attachments are drifting away from me.
I promised to Master that I will continue my efforts to memorize the Fa.
Category: Improving Oneself
