Treasure Our Time and Other Practitioners’ Time

(Minghui.org) I’m 71 years old and I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1998. I would like to share my understanding about treasuring our time.

Master has repeatedly urged us to make good use of our time. Ever since I started cultivating myself, I seized every minute. I repeatedly read “Fa Teaching Given at the 2015 New York Fa Conference” after it was published, and gained a deeper understanding of time and how Master stressed its importance.

I learned that the entire process of cultivation, until the moment of consummation, is acquired from time. That’s why making the best use of time is so important, especially prioritizing doing the three things.

Cherish Time

Falun Dafa practitioners cultivate ourselves while living our everyday lives, and everything takes time. Practitioners have to make choices on how to find time to do the three things, which should be given primary importance.

Many practitioners’ children are adults. However, some practitioners need to help take care of grandchildren. It’s perfectly normal to help our children with their children, but we have to position ourselves correctly. Taking care of children is the parent’s responsibility. Grandparents help as extended family members, but shouldn’t do everything. As Falun Dafa practitioners, we shoulder the responsibility of clarifying the truth and offering salvation to sentient beings. It requires us to balance our time well and make the correct choices.

Time doesn’t stop or wait for anyone. The only way to prevent regret is to treasure every minute, put our sincere hearts into what we do, and take every step well.

Make Best Use of Time

I started memorizing the book Zhuan Falun in June 2005. After sending forth righteous thoughts at 6 a.m. every day, I memorize as much as I can until 7 a.m. The quiet mornings help me achieve better results in memorization. I have persisted every day for the past 17 years without interruption. When I find time during the day, I review what I memorized that morning.

I usually put breakfast on the stove after sending righteous thoughts in the morning and eat breakfast after 7 a.m. While doing my morning cleaning and laundry, I listen to recordings of fellow practitioners’ sharing articles.

I read the Fa, read Minghui Weekly, or listen to the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party while my printer prints out the pages for truth-clarification brochures, but I watch closely for errors, and staple brochures together.

My family changed as I understood the importance of making the best use of my time. My son and my daughter-in-law often remind me to send righteous thoughts. They know how much I treasure my time, so they do their best to take care of their son and housework and leave more time for me.

We were visiting our hometown in Northeast China during the Chinese New Year, when the COVID pandemic broke out. My son hurried back to Beijing for work. My daughter-in-law, my grandson, and I were stuck in our hometown.

The situation improved about five months later. We were ready to go back to Beijing. My daughter-in-law said, “Mom, it’s still inconvenient to get in and out with the strict rules in Beijing. You will have more time to do your own things if you stay here. Your grandson is four, and I should be able to handle all the chores.” I was thrilled to hear it. I replied, “It’s great to hear you have such righteous thoughts! Thank you!”

Cherish Other Practitioners’ Time

As the saying goes, “Time is money, but money is not time.” Time is most precious, but can’t be bought. I treasure my own time as well as other practitioners’. I rarely visit them except for group projects. I try to be strict with myself and concise while talking, so their plans won’t be disrupted. Someone asked me, “Why are you leaving so quickly? You always look so busy.” I said, “Everyone is busy. I can’t take too much of your time.”

I will continue to treasure every second no matter how long my journey of cultivation is, and make the best use of my time to study the Fa and fulfill my mission.