(Clearwisdom.net) Teacher Li Hongzhi told us in his article "To the Australia Fa Conference:"
"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."
I thought about how I had studied the Fa during the last few years. When I was busy, I forgot to study the Fa for several days. Then it suddenly came to my mind, "Oh, I haven't studied the Fa for quite a few days! No wonder I feel disordered and have a bad temper. I think I should study the Fa for a while. Well, I don't have the book with me. Let me recite some of Teacher's articles or Lunyu. Actually, I was going through the motions.
Teacher has emphasized the importance of Fa study in almost every lecture. However, I just didn't pay enough attention to it. In May 2001, the police from the county police department collaborated with the local police station in town and came to search my home. They ransacked my Dafa books and arrested me. The major reason why I suffered from such persecution was that although I seemed to be cultivating, I wasn't truly cultivating at that time. I seldom read Dafa books. The old forces in other dimensions saw it clearly: "Oh, this guy seldom reads Dafa books or studies the Fa. Why leave Dafa books to him? Let's take them away." So they manipulated the police officers to ransack my Dafa books. However, I didn't learn from this lesson until Teacher pointed it out specifically, "There have been so many lessons involving this." ("To the Australia Fa Conference"). I began to realize that I must study the Fa, and truly study the Fa well in order to be a genuine practitioner.
"That is because the Fa is the foundation; it is what's fundamental for Dafa disciples; it is what ensures everything; and it is the avenue by which a human being journeys toward godhood." ("To the Australia Fa Conference")
At present, there are several forms of Fa study, including reading the Fa silently, reading the Fa aloud, hand-copying the Fa, and memorizing the Fa. First let's talk about reading the Fa silently. While reading the Fa silently, my mind often went astray, thinking about other things, with the book in my hands. Sometimes, I concentrated for a while, however various thoughts came to my mind a little later. Sometimes I even fell asleep.
Now, I am able to deal with such a situation. I cleanse myself before studying the Fa. I get rid of stray thoughts not conforming to the Fa and eliminate the interference from other dimensions. I cleanse myself just like before sending forth righteous thoughts, and study the Fa afterwards. I am able to study the Fa better with a more peaceful mind.
Secondly, let me talk about memorizing the Fa. Teacher said in Zhuan Falun:
"When one chants the Buddha's name, one must do it single-mindedly with nothing else in mind until other portions of the brain become numb and one becomes unaware of anything, with one thought replacing thousands of others, or until each word of 'Buddha Amitabha' shows up before one's eyes."
When we memorize the Fa, Teacher's articles, or paragraphs of Teacher's lectures, does each word show up before our eyes? Sometimes when I was memorizing the Fa, one part of my mind seemed to be reciting in a daze while another part went astray to think about other issues. Obviously, I was not studying the Fa for myself. Now I am able to deal with this situation, too. When I memorize the Fa, I try my best to have each word of the Fa show up in my mind one by one. Whenever I feel dizzy, I adjust my state to keep a clear mind and repeat it again. This way, I will gradually reach the state of "really studying the Fa," as Teacher said.
