(Minghui.org) I was imprisoned for eight years for practicing Falun Gong. During the first five years of my incarceration, it was unable to read any Dafa materials. I truly regretted not having taken Fa study more seriously in the past. However, I did manage to recall over 50,000 words from Master Li's writings, which I recited daily and treasured very much.
One day, a fellow practitioner came to visit me and secretly handed me a digital version of Master's writings, which I read for about ten hours every day.
However, after I was released from prison, I had lost the feeling of treasuring Fa study and became somewhat lazy and numb.
During a Fa conference in New York, a practitioner had asked Master, “How can we cultivate and form this type of incomparable steadfastness in the Fa?”
Teacher answered,
“The righteous faith of a Dafa disciple is a Godly state. It results from a rational understanding of the truth, it's the Godly state of the side that's been successfully cultivated, and it's definitely not something that external elements can have an effect on. It's not about having firm belief for the sake of having firm belief, or being steadfast for the sake of being steadfast—you can't achieve it that way.
“All the students rise by understanding the Fa's principles, and that's the only way they can become more diligent, and that's the only way they can become so steadfast in the Fa. That's not due to any external factor, and it can't be achieved by coming up with some methods.” (Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference, Teaching the Fa at the Conference III)
From Master's words, I had enlightened to the fact that Dafa disciples treasure Dafa because of their rational understanding of higher principles, fostered by diligent cultivation. It has nothing to do with being faced with a shortage of Dafa books or with external circumstances.
I feel so fortunate to be a Dafa practitioner! No matter what changes society goes through, I will remain steadfast in Falun Dafa and save more sentient beings!