(Clearwisdom.net) I started practicing Falun Dafa in late 1996, and I will be 71 years old this year. In February 1997, another practitioner gave me a series of audio tapes, video tapes, and books of Teacher's lectures.
That day, I gathered a room full of people and watched the video recordings of Teacher's lectures and exercise demonstrations. After we watched the tapes for three days, that practitioner also taught us the exercises. He left us with two exercise videotapes when he departed. And so my husband and I organized group Fa study and group exercise every night. The people who came to study became more and more numerous and eventually reached 70 to 80. There were also quite a few illiterate people, and so before group study I would teach them to read Teacher's lectures. It really required a lot of patience. By the time they could read the Fa, I was able to memorize it. Of the portions that I couldn't memorize then, I later memorized those as well.
Later on, I also memorized Essentials for Further Advancement, Hong Yin, and Hong Yin Vol. II. From that point on, I developed a habit of memorizing the Fa. Sometimes I could also apply the principles that I understood from the Fa to help other practitioners with their attachments and tribulations. Because of this a lot of other practitioners also liked to exchange views with me. I also enjoyed sharing my understandings with them as well as hearing their experiences. I feel that listening to their experiences can remedy my personal shortcomings, strengthen Buddha nature, and wear away demon nature. It's beneficial to myself and others, so we mutually improve.
I feel that if we could memorize the Fa, we would have a deeper understanding and a firmer memory of the Fa. We could still follow the Fa and maintain a firm belief in the Fa even when there isn't a Dafa book around. Even in an evil environment, you can still take the Fa as Teacher in order to think and to act righteously. Teacher said,
"Dafa is what you carry everywhere,
Zhen Shan Ren, rooted in the mind;
A great Arhat walks the earth,
Gods and demons fear with awe." ("Benevolent Might" from Hong Yin)
I believe that only by memorizing the Fa and firmly placing the Fa in one's heart, can the phrase, "Dafa is what you carry everywhere" be truly achieved.
After the events of July 20, 1999, when the persecution began, our household suffered many incidents of harassment by the police. My spouse and I were detained many times in detention centers and our home was repeatedly ransacked and our possessions confiscated. But I still managed to memorize the Fa every time, and I also taught other practitioners to do the same.
In February of 2002, my husband was illegally sentenced to forced labor camp for one and a half years. In August that same year, I, too, was illegally sentenced for two years. I was held in Miyun Detention Center for nine and a half months. At the time, practitioners came and left that facility, and I always led them in memorizing Hong Yin, Lunyu from Zhuan Falun, and Essentials for Further Advancement as well as other lectures. We also sent forth righteous thoughts together to resist the evil's persecution. As time progressed, some of the non-practitioners there also understood the truth and followed us in memorizing the Fa, sending forth righteous thoughts, and supporting us practitioners. They, too, benefited from the Fa. Some of them who had pains in their legs and constant headaches improved. They also felt that Teacher adjusted their bodies, and they stated that they would study Dafa after returning home.
Later, I was relocated to another facility for over 20 days, then I was illegally detained again in Beijing Women's Forced Labor Center. However, I still persisted in leading everyone to study the Fa, memorize the Fa, send forth righteous thoughts at the designated times, and resist the persecution. The effects have all been good.
I feel that not only has my xinxing level improved from this ordeal, but memorizing and reciting the Fa helped other practitioners improve as well. At the same time it also saved many people and effectively resisted the evil. After I returned home in 2004, I was still in good health. I still managed to do what Dafa practitioners are required to do, and I didn't encounter any interference.
These days, I try to memorize the Fa whenever I have time. Teacher stated in Essentials for Further Advancement: "Why do I tell you to study, read, and memorize Zhuan Falun? To guide your cultivation!" I hope my fellow practitioners will get into the habit of memorizing the Fa.
February 27, 2010
