Whether to Keep Our Legs Crossed While Studying the Fa

(Minghui.org) A fellow practitioner suggested that we cross our legs while studying the Fa. He believed that doing so was a process of cultivation and we should keep it up no matter how painful it might be. I remembered seeing similar sharing articles online as well. I would like to share my own personal experience regarding this.

First of all, I do like the idea of crossing our legs while studying the Fa. Keeping a good posture will make us more focused in Fa study. But here comes the question: are we practicing crossing our legs or are we studying the Fa? Of course, we are studying the Fa.

Master taught us:

“When you meditate, you practice sitting cross-legged. If you know that you can’t sit cross-legged for long, and it becomes so painful that you have to grimace, you won’t be able to study the Fa well. Studying the Fa is extremely crucial. Don’t do anything that affects Fa-study. If you say that you’re able to keep sitting cross-legged, that’s of course great! Feel free to do so while listening; it’s better to sit cross-legged while studying the Fa. Some people aren’t able to keep sitting like that. If it becomes totally unbearable for you to sit cross-legged, then you should free up your legs. Don’t wait until they become numb before freeing them up. By then you wouldn’t be able to hear anything. You’d only be thinking about not letting others bump you. You should focus on studying the Fa when you study the Fa.” (Teachings at the Conference of Changchun Assistants)

We should have a calm mind when we study the Fa. When we are in pain, our minds are not still and it is hard to study the Fa well.

Secondly, everyone’s cultivation level, xinxing, and endurance are different. Some practitioners shared in their articles that they can keep their legs crossed throughout Fa study without feeling any pain. But for some practitioners in my area, the pain was so bad that they could not sit still during Fa study, which of course would interfere with their Fa study.

For me, in the beginning, I copied others to cross my legs while studying Fa. I could only handle it for about 30 minutes before the pain got to me. My mind used to be very still while studying the Fa, but when I was in pain, my mind was not settled. I began to go through the motions in reading, and couldn’t pay attention to what I was reading. So whenever I felt the pain, I put down my legs and paid attention to the Fa study.

With the elevation of my cultivation, gradually, I was able to cross my legs for 45 minutes and then one hour without pain. Now I basically have no pain while crossing my legs in Fa study. Initially, I had to alternate my hands to hold the book. Now I am able to hold the book with both hands without feeling tired the whole time. My mind was able to stay still the entire time. I feel all these have a direct relationship with the improvement of my xinxing.

Editor’s note: This article only represents the author’s understanding in their current cultivation state meant for sharing among practitioners so that we can “Compare with one another in study, in cultivation.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)