(Clearwisdom.net) Recently the Clearwisdom website published two articles in which the writers shared their understanding of "reading the book over and over again." (quote from Seeking Discipleship with Teacher) I absolutely agree with these two articles. Teacher has told us "A person is like a container, and he is whatever he contains." "As a student, if his mind is filled with nothing but Dafa, this person is definitely a genuine cultivator. So you must have a clear understanding on the matter of studying the Fa. Reading the books more and studying the books more is the key to truly elevating yourself." (Melt into the Fa)
My understanding is that reading the book over and over again is a process that allows us to assimilate to the Fa. It is a process whereby the Fa transforms and refines our body and mind from the microscopic level to the macroscopic level. Just by studying, without making any special effort, the Fa eliminates many of our human notions, attachments, and thought karma. Many of us probably have had the experience of feeling very relaxed and happy after we calm our mind to study the Fa for a few hours - anxiety and uneasiness disappear and we forget the things that were bothering us. Actually, the Fa removes bad things from within us.
Teacher said, "... you have to calm your mind when you study the Fa, and remember to keep your mind steady during Fa-study when you're busy." (Fa-Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A.) I came to have a deeper understanding of Fa-study after I read Teacher's Touring North America to Teach the Fa. I realized that truly keeping my mind steady during Fa-study is assimilating to the Fa, saving sentient beings, and saving the countless beings in the cosmic body that we represent. So, Fa-study is very profound. When we read the book over and over again and keep our mind steady during Fa-study, the countless beings in our cosmic systems are being assimilated to the Fa along with us, and countless beings are being saved from being weeded out. Although we are very busy doing Fa-rectification work and we have many things to do, nothing can serve as an excuse for not studying the Fa with a peaceful heart.
Some practitioners don't know what to do when they are faced with problems. They don't want to ask other practitioners since we are all in different cultivation states, with different understandings and would therefore give different advice. At the same time they themselves don't have an answer either, since they haven't encountered these problems before. When other practitioners remind them of the Fa that relates to their problems, they often feel as if they know it already. I think this is a manifestation of not studying the Fa deeply enough. Actually, the answer is in the book, but during this critical time, many practitioners are unwilling to calm their mind to study the Fa due to internal and external interference.
In their articles, practitioners from China often mention that they forgot to freeze someone who was persecuting them at a critical moment. If we study the Fa well, we will at least know that Teacher has said, "A person's every thought is built on a long period of cultivation." (Falun Buddha Fa- Lectures in the United States, Teaching the Fa in New York City) So if one of our thoughts is not on the Fa at critical times, we should realize that we haven't study the Fa enough. If we can calm our mind to read the book over and over again, we will understand the different meanings of the Fa at different levels and get rid of layers upon layers of degenerated notions and the low-level logic of everyday people and we will constantly remember our mission of assisting Teacher in rectifying the Fa. The power of the Fa will be exhibited at critical times. We are not able to achieve this through other practitioners' reminders or our own regrets. We must simply put more effort into studying the Fa and assimilating to the Fa.
I think that "reading the book over and over again" is for us to remove the layers upon layers of acquired postnatal notions and to assimilate to the Fa. It is a process of each being melting into the Fa. When we truly act according to what Teacher has told us to do, it will be like a furnace of molten steel melting sawdust. Various kinds of degenerated notions, thought karma, and other bad things will be eliminated in a twinkling of an eye.
Let's melt into the Fa to enjoy true freedom and happiness. Let's melt into the Fa to experience the mighty virtue of the Fa at different levels. Let's clarify the truth using our heart to save sentient beings and to eradicate degenerated beings. In doing this, we are actually validating the Fa.
