(Clearwisdom.net) Reading Zhuan Falun again and again and reciting and transcribing Dafa books enables one to calm down and study the Fa well. I started to recite the Fa in 2002. The way for me to learn Dafa is to recite it. Reciting it has great benefits. Whenever you bump into any problem, you do not need to look for the book, but can directly evaluate the situation based on the Fa. Some practitioners think that learning to recite the Fa from memory is too difficult, and they stop halfway through. Actually, with regard to everything we Dafa disciples encounter, "cultivation depends on oneself, gong depends on one's Master" (Zhuan Falun) As long as we have the determination, anything can be done well.
When the persecution started in July 20, 1999, friends and relatives were illegally detained one after another, and I was no longer calm when I studied the Fa and did the exercises. Nevertheless, I always liked to look at Dafa books. Whenever I looked at Zhuan Falun, I felt extremely comfortable. It made me think: "Since I like it so much, why don't I commit it to memory so that I can recite it? It can constantly direct my conduct and speech." Therefore I decided to recite the book. The first day I recited four pages. I decided to memorize four pages a day, and in ten days recite one lecture. After that, I used five days to ensure the memorization. Thus, in half a month I had memorized one lecture. Lecture seven only took me three days to remember. Then, using two days to consolidate my memory, it took five days in all. When I recite the book from memory, what kind of state would I like to reach? I would like to not miss any words and recite fluently, without thinking at all. Generally speaking, I remember very well. So in 2003, I had memorized it for the first time.
During the process of reciting the Fa, I really feel the remarkable power of Dafa and Master's care and encouragement. When I start to recite, it is very easy to get into it, and unquiet thoughts are restrained. The Fa principles that I recite on an ordinary day suddenly get into my brain. Before when I studied Fa, I always felt I did not gain too much. But now each word is stored in my mind. I always can see the Fa principles and always gain benefits. I really taste the sweetness of reciting the Fa. Reciting the Fa is so wonderful. There is joy among hardships.
As I walk I can study the Fa without a book. Those short leisurely times can all be utilized to recite, and I can remember it even better. After many years, I don't know how many times I have recited it. Even now I am still reciting, and Dafa has taken root in my heart. No one can take it away from me. After I recite it, of course, there is always some part that was not memorized well or that I forgot. Then I just open the book to check it. Even after reciting well, however, unquiet thoughts pop up again because sometimes I am absent-minded and don't concentrate, but I can still recite.
Therefore I realize studying Dafa is not a formula; it needs to have an attentive heart. Reciting and reading through are just the formulas, so cultivating the heart is the most important. When you study the Fa with a heart that is not calm and recite the Fa to solve the problem, it is just a temporary solution. After you recite well, you cannot concentrate again. My attachment was like trying to take a shortcut: Trying to use reciting the Fa to calm my heart. This heart had been hidden very deeply. Actually Master had talked about this in Zhuan Falun (2000 translation version) clearly:
"The fundamental reason for one's being unable to achieve tranquility is not an issue of techniques but that your mind and heart are not clean."
"Don't just go through the motions when you study the Fa. You should study with a concentrated mind, and you must really be studying." ("To the Australia Fa Conference")
Practitioners should do things according to the Fa and pay attention to xinxing. Different levels have different Fa and the Fa at different levels has different requirements. Yet, how much progress can you make? If you always stay in the same level, your xinxing will not improve and you will be unable to see the principle of the Fa. Therefore, do not blindly ask how much you can recite. Gain without pursuit.
After reciting very well, group Fa study is very good. Whoever can recite should recite, whoever can read should read, and others should correct any mistakes. While studying as a group, the mind can be very concentrated, and one can study by heart. Group study is a way Master has left us to study the Fa. When we study together, we walk the path that Master has arranged. Doing according to Master's Fa is the real shortcut, the real path.
