(Minghui.org)
Teacher said,
“I just told you all that you need to cherish the Fa, and study it a lot. You have to read the book again and again, and by doing this you are improving. I have infused my abilities into this Dafa. As long as you study it, you will undergo changes. As long as you study it, you will be improving. As long as you practice it to the end, you will be able to reach Consummation.” (Teaching the Fa at the Eastern U.S. Fa Conference)
In his lectures, Teacher always emphasizes the importance of studying the Fa more and doing it well. In Teaching the Fa at the Assistants' Fa Conference in Changchun, he also encouraged practitioners in his hometown to take a lead in memorizing the Fa. Since I was a practitioner from Teacher's hometown, I thought I should listen to Teacher and memorize Teacher's Fa.
Memorizing and Reciting the Fa
First I began to memorize Hong Yin, Hong Yin II, Essentials for Further Advancement and Essentials for Further Advancement II. Then I memorized Hong Yin III, Hong Yin IV, all other lectures Teacher gave recently, as well as the collected Fa teachings.
When it came to memorizing Zhuan Falun, however, I was a little apprehensive. Looking at the thick book, I wondered how I could do it and when I would finish the entire book. Finally, I made up my mind: no matter how difficult it was, I would have to complete it and store the content in my brain.
Teacher said,
“A person is like a container, and he is what he contains. If he contains Fa, he has assimilated to the Fa; if he’s filled with dirt, he is dirt.” (Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Singapore)
I made a plan to recite one page a day. Then, in a year, I would be able to recite Zhuan Falun at least once. I needed to get up very early to keep to my plan. Sometimes I began memorizing at or before three o'clock. It was quiet, and my brain was relaxed. I began reciting one complete sentence at a time. When I finished a paragraph, I connected all the sentences together. In order to reinforce what I had learned, I recited the paragraph nine times.
Sometimes I recited the Fa while I was walking, when on duty in the exam room while my students were taking their exam, or even before going to sleep. I felt that this system was a form of studying the Fa too, and my Fa-study became much more efficient.
When I started the second round of memorizing and reciting the Fa, I was still able to read the Fa daily while reciting two pages each day. Thus, I finished memorizing Zhuan Falun in less than half a year. In the latter part of the year, I kept up with my regular reading of Zhuan Falun each day. I also read all of Master’s teachings. This habit continued for a few years.
Beginning the latter part of this year, I stopped reading and instead just recited the Fa. It took me three months to complete Zhuan Falun. I can now recite around ten pages each day and finish Zhuan Falun in a month. The more I recited, the better I became, and the faster I got. I have already recited the entire book nine times, and I can finish reading all of Master's teachings once in a year.
The memorization process is also a process of breaking through my notions and improving my cultivation practice. For example, I often seek comfort, indulge in my laziness, struggle with irritation, and have the mentality of fulfilling a mission. I need to cultivate them away. The focus on recitation can help me establish undivided attention to Fa study and eliminate interference. The Fa that goes through my eyes, mouth, brain, and mind help me assimilate into the Fa, and I feel that all the cells in me are merged with the Fa. Gradually and unconsciously, I understand more and more the deeper meaning of Fa principles.
Overcoming Family Tribulations
Teacher said,
“Study Fa, obtain Fa,Compare in studying, compare in cultivating,Examine each and every deed,Accomplishing is cultivating.”(“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin, Translation Version B)
Memorizing the Fa helps me examine myself more closely in everything I do. It also enables me to remember the Fa when I encounter problems. When the Fa is in my heart, I am able to handle things well.
I had a big family tribulation in 2008. My husband lost several hundred thousand dollars, and we had to borrow a large sum of money from others. Then he had an affair and asked for a divorce. All of a sudden, the tests of reputation, monetary gain, and emotions overwhelmed me.
At the time, the “Fa Teachings at the 2008 New York Conference” was released. I repeatedly recited these teachings.
Teacher said,
“No matter what it is you have encountered as you've gone about validating the Fa, it is all, I will tell you, a good thing--and that's especially so in these years of persecution--for those things have come about specifically because you do cultivation. Those ordeals and the suffering, no matter how great or harsh you find them to be, are good things, because they take place solely on account of your cultivation. A person can eliminate karma and shed human attachments when he goes through ordeals, and through ordeals he can improve.” (“Fa Teachings at the 2008 New York Conference”)
I felt that every word in the above paragraph addressed my shortcomings, as if Teacher knew what I was going through. In fact, I did feel that he was by my side and looked after me at every single moment. He enlightened me and helped me overcome the tribulation.
When I looked inside, I found many attachments such as resentment, jealousy, fame, competitiveness, saving face, pursuing perfection, being self-centered and demanding, and so on. I used to find faults in my husband and was never happy with whatever he did. I wanted to change him but not myself. All these years, I felt fatigued, both physically and mentally, and my state hurt him a lot. Yet I never realized these problems.
Therefore, I was determined to change and use the standard of Dafa to measure myself and fix my problems. This painstaking process was agonizing because the experiences repeated themselves over and over again. I was constantly cultivating these attachments away.
Nevertheless, I made a lot of changes. I understood that my husband was also a being that Teacher wanted to save. I felt pity for him because he was harming himself unknowingly. By then, I had no more resentment or grievance towards him. I no longer felt that I had lost face because of his conduct. I corrected myself, let go of my emotion towards him, and became more compassionate.
I clarified the truth to him calmly. I told him that Falun Dafa can help people gain good health, improve morality, and rid oneself of bad thoughts. I advised him to give it a try. He was touched by my sincerity. He was surprised that I had forgiven him. He said he would no longer do bad things and wanted to study the Fa and do the exercises.
Reciting the Fa also helped me get rid of the attachment to money and helped my husband pay off his debts.
That was how we overcame the tribulation ten years ago. When I look back, I see that bad things indeed turned into good things. I was also able to let go of fame, money, sentimentality, and many other attachments.
My husband has been keeping up with studying the Fa, sending righteous thoughts, and clarifying the truth; moreover, he encourages me to study the Fa more and wakes me up in the morning to do the exercises.
Clarifying the Truth
When I used my cell phone to clarify the truth, I recited Master's Fa when dialing numbers.
“Compassion can harmonize Heaven and Earth, ushering in springRighteous thoughts can save the people in this world”(“The Fa Rectifies the Cosmos”, Hong Yin II, Translation Version A)
Reciting the Fa strengthened my compassion and righteous thoughts. I also kept sending righteous thoughts and eliminated my human mindset.
When things went smoothly, about seven people quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Some people repeatedly thanked me after they quit the Party. Some used a pseudonym, while others used their real names. People said they supported what we did and hoped that the Chinese regime would lose power soon.
I felt a strong energy field, and the more I helped people, the fewer tribulations came my way. I reminded myself not to have the attachment to zealotry, as everything is done by Teacher. It is Teacher who saves the people, and all I did was to open my mouth to talk.
I also encountered people who were reluctant to listen and therefore didn't get saved. When I faced them, I reminded myself to remember to look inside and get rid of my attachments.
Sometimes I was asked if they would receive money once they quit. At that moment, I knew that I was too attached to money and self-centered, so I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate that attachment. When people said hurtful things, I knew that it was due to my attachment of lust, and I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate the wicked demons and rotten spirits behind the attachment. When people slandered Teacher and Dafa, I was able to detect my competitiveness and disrespect toward Buddhas and Dafa. I also sent righteous thoughts to clear them out.
Some people also bullied and intimidated me or even threatened to report me to the police. A person once said to me, “I'm a policeman.” I told him, “Even policemen need to know the truth, and their lives have to be saved too!” In the end, the person quit the Party and then said he wasn't a policeman. I think it was a test to see if my heart was moved.
Finally, some people were very evil. They threatened to record our conversations and were determined not to let me speak. Sometimes I wasn't stable and showed my attachment of fear. I hung up the phone and quickly recited the Fa and sent righteous thoughts to disintegrate the attachment.
Clarifying the truth is like monks and nuns roaming around as they meet all kinds of people. One person said, “The Chinese Communist Party paid me. You betray the Party.” I replied that the Party was corrupt and that their money was actually the people's money. He said, “I agree with you. You know what? I am the one who is corrupt. So I can't quit. If I quit, where do I get my money? Don't say any more. If you say one more word, I'll report you. It's only one phone call away.” Then he hung up. I then sent righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil factors and communist spirits in other dimensions. People like this are indeed poisoned and difficult to save.
4. Strengthening Righteous Thoughts When Reciting the Fa
Teacher said,
“Actually, as for some qigong masters, they do not even know, and neither are they clear about what supernormal abilities they possess. They only know that they can do whatever they want, as long as they think about it.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
Memorizing the Fa helped me gain a deeper understanding of the Fa principles. In fact, Teacher spoke about the principles of sending righteous thoughts in Zhuan Falun; although I wasn't clear what supernormal abilities I had, I knew they were effective when I tried to use them.
During one school opening ceremony, the communist flag was about to be hoisted. As I didn't want the communist evil spirits to poison people, I stood by the window staring at the playground to send righteous thoughts to disintegrate all evil factors in other dimensions. As a result, the flag just couldn't be hoisted no matter how many times they tried. Teachers whispered to each other, mumbling that a half-staff at the opening ceremony would bring bad luck. Later they tried to fix the flag pole but somehow couldn't. In the end, they put away the flag, and the school didn't raise the flag for a long time.
In another incident, I slipped in the lobby at work and twisted my ankle badly. I thought, “I'll be okay.” It was painful, but I stood up and slowly walked upstairs. By noon, I went home and it was difficult to remove my shoes. After some struggle, the shoes were removed, and I saw my feet were swollen. I lay on the bed and tried to bear the agony. I repeatedly recited the Fa,
“When it's difficult to endure, you can endure it. When it's impossible to do, you can do it.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
During that moment, I heard my husband calling on me to cook dinner. I endured the pain, wobbled to the kitchen, and made dinner. The next day, I went to work as usual. My feet were fine within three days.
Teacher tells us that whenever we encounter something, the first thought that comes to our mind should be “I'll be okay,” which is very simple to do. This is what Teacher teaches, and it is the Fa. Of course, it is also our righteous thoughts. If we can do that, it will surely turn out to be alright. Similar things have happened to me many times, and I was fine. Under Teacher's protection, I overcame many hardships. This proves that Dafa disciples' righteous thoughts are powerful.
Teacher said,
“While you clarify the facts you have to take sending righteous thoughts very seriously, and in a timely manner purge the evil and your own problems so that you won’t be taken advantage of by the evil.” (“Righteous Thoughts”, The Essentials of Diligent Progress Vol. III)
Category: Improving Oneself
