Click on the below-mentioned, numbered subjects:
- Welcome
- What’s Happening?
- Eliminate Attachments during Group Fa Study
- Some Understandings on Fa Study by a High School Student
- My Wife Can See Again
- Believing in Master and the Fa with No Doubts and Staying Safe on the Cultivation Path
- A Reminder to Do the Exercise Movements Accurately
- Reflecting on the Interference of Thought Karma
- 1. Welcome
Welcome to the October 2015 Falun Dafa India Newsletter.
In this issue, we have a compilation of experience-sharing Articles gleaned from Clearwisdom that always shine through because of their insights and fine quality of sharing. It is important to read the Clearwisdom, Pureinsight and other Dafa sites.
We make an effort to select Articles from the Archives which people don’t go back to and are relevant even today. Contributions are welcome from practitioners.
Heshi! Hope, you like the selection of Articles and gain some new insights!
Note: "All the contents in this newsletter - except for quotations and excerpts of writings of the founder Mr. Li Hongzhi - are only ideas and experiences of practitioners and do not represent Falun Dafa in itself."
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- 2. What’s Happening?
Practitioners from Bangalore were invited by St. Alphonsus School to introduce Dafa and distribute flyers at the interschool competition event where 90 schools participated.
Practitioners from Mumbai, Delhi, Jamshedpur and Varanasi participated at the Dehradun Book Fair.
The response was very good and practitioners also visited some schools to teach the exercises. Some local newspapers reported about the event and also published articles.
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- 3. Eliminate Attachments during Group Fa Study
By Guizhen, a practitioner in China
(Minghui.org)
We study one lecture of during our weekly group study. Participating practitioners take turns reading one section each. After finishing the whole lecture, the group members discuss and share experiences. The reading ends when it is time for sending forth righteous thoughts. After a time, we noticed varying degrees of improvement in each of us. I also discovered some hidden attachments of mine that had previously gone undetected. I write this article not only to alert myself, but also to remind fellow practitioners to remove attachments similar to mine as soon as they are made known. Some of the attachments that I identified are described below.
Attachment #1 - Over-emphasis on a strict linguistic sense, reading speed and the accuracy of word pronunciation. It is essential to be accurate in reading the lectures. However, I found that I have a tendency to emphasize certain sentences or sections and speed up the reading in order to show my deep understanding of those particular sentences or sections. Although the objective of reading fluency is satisfied, it is missing the requisite heart to continuously enlighten to the teachings. Some physical reactions to this attachment include numbness or pain in the legs, occasional drowsiness, and lack of vigilance.
When I began reading the lectures with a calm and peaceful state of mind, those feelings of physical discomfort disappeared. Instead, my body and mind were immersed in the joy of Fa study. I, thus, feel wonderful with a state wherein "The Buddha-light illuminates everywhere and rectifies all abnormalities." (Zhuan Falun) Therefore, I now know the reason that I enjoy so much listening to some fellow practitioners read even though there are some errors or pauses while reading. On the contrary, I don't have as much feeling listening to some other fellow practitioners, even though their reading is very fluent. How can reading by rote compare to reading from the heart?
Attachment #2 - Interrupting others during group discussion. This is a problem I had before cultivation, and this problem still exists. During a group conversation, instead of listening to my fellow practitioner's statement patiently, I have the habit of interjecting when the topics interest me or when I feel I have more understanding of the topics. This is a typical manifestation of the show-off mentality. I have since begun to pay more attention to this attachment.
Attachment #3 - Evasiveness when admitting inadequacies. Instead of a straightforward admission of my own inadequacies, I always preface such admissions as follows: "Some of our fellow practitioners have such problem, and I also have a similar problem." It seems as if this evasion of my own real inadequacies not only saves face, but also "meets" the requirement of looking inward. Indeed, this is also a very bad attachment that needs to be eliminated.
Attachment #4 - Prejudgment of fellow practitioners. When I hear a practitioner mention another fellow practitioner's shortcomings, I will readily typecast that practitioner, applying his words and actions as if to confirm the predetermined conclusion. Without realizing it, I was thinking in my heart: "This practitioner is exactly like what the other said. He is that kind of person, worse than an ordinary person." When I realized my own problem, changed my previous opinions, and shared my experiences with him, I then found that this practitioner had many precious qualities a cultivator should have.
Group Fa study is also a place for our cultivation. As long as we are determined, we can learn from the strengths of other practitioners and find by looking inward our own shortcomings. As a result, we can upgrade our xinxing. I am pleased to be a participant in a Fa study group. I also hope all fellow practitioners join group Fa studies if circumstances permit; surely, you will benefit from the experience.
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- 4. Some Understandings on Fa Study by a High School Student
By a practitioner in China
(Minghui.org)
I am a 15-year-old Falun Dafa practitioner in China, a tenth-grader. I started to practice Dafa in the early spring of 1999. During these ten years, many miracles have happened to me, and I deeply thank Teacher for his compassion. To validate Dafa, I am writing down and sharing my experience of persisting with Fa study.
There are five people in my family. My maternal grandparents, my mother and I are all Dafa practitioners, my father is not. My father often helps with matters relating to but he has been working far away from home for years.
Teacher said in "To the Australia Fa Conference":
"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. Thus I would like to take the opportunity of this Fa conference in Australia to tell all Dafa disciples around the world: Whether you are a new or veteran student, all the same you must not neglect Fa-study on account of being busy." ("To the Australia Fa Conference")
Teacher emphasized that to be a Dafa practitioner, one has to study the Fa. I was always able to persist with my Fa study because my parents encouraged me to do so. During the fifth, sixth and ninth grades, we have to take exams to graduate to the next level of school and the students are under a lot of pressure. I arrived at school before the sun rose and did not leave until very late at night. Even during these stressful times, I studied one lecture of a day during lunchtime, recited and Teacher's new articles, and did the Teacher told us to do. I sent righteous thoughts and told my classmates the facts about Falun Gong and urged them to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party. I distributed truth clarifying materials many times. In the end I had excellent grades and was admitted into a prestigious school with tuition waived for three years.
What I want to say is that studying the Fa is entirely good; there is nothing bad about it. As I was reading articles on the Minghui website, I occasionally read about young practitioners who studied the Fa very well when they were little, but after they entered middle school they gave up Fa study because of having too much schoolwork, and then they ended up regretting it. I want to prove with my own experience that studying the Fa not only does not use too much time, but it can also enlighten one's mind and increase the efficiency of doing regular schoolwork. One's mind will reach higher levels and shake loose the bad things from ordinary people, and his/her level will be elevated. One should watch less TV, not watching at all is even better, so that one can avoid the bad influences from TV. I watch almost no TV at all now.
I also want to say that one shouldn't study the Fa just because one wants to be a good and smart student at school. It is not like that. Studying the Fa is a proactive thing to do and it is very important. I think in this process adult practitioners also have responsibilities to guide young practitioners to keep up with Fa study. Becoming a good and bright student is only a side effect of persisted Fa study, and it is not the goal that we are seeking. Our goal is enlightenment and going home with Teacher. When I was in the ninth grade, I did very little regular schoolwork at home; I just studied the Fa and my grades got better and better. Even now while I am in boarding school, there is even more schoolwork and less free time, but I still listen to one lecture of Zhuan Falun during lunchtime and recite some short articles by Teacher. I do the five exercises when I go home for weekends. My grades are at the top of my class.
Teacher said, "Read the book more--the Fa is in the book, and everything I can use to help you is in the Fa--so that your karma can be eliminated." ("Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Singapore")
I hope that adult practitioners and young practitioners can work together, keep up with Fa study, let oneself become part of the Fa, be persistent, and complete one's vows that were made long ago.
Above is my understanding related to persisting with the study of the Fa. Please kindly point out anything that is inappropriate.
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- 5. My Wife Can See Again
By a practitioner in Jiangsu Province, China
(Minghui.org)
My wife was 61 years old when her vision started deteriorating in March 2009. We went to see three eye specialists at Subei Hospital in Yangzhou City, but they didn't know what to do. We then went to the other hospitals to try to find a cure, but to no avail.My wife's eyesight continued to get worse, and she became blind in one eye in October 2009. She also couldn't move that eye. We went to visit more specialists in Nanjing Gulou Hospital, and were told, “Your eyes can't be cured. Just give up and go home.” My wife was in despair and cried. When we returned home, I asked my wife to consider practicing Falun Gong, because I experienced positive changes both physically and spiritually after I began practicing in October 1997. All of my family witnessed the changes I went through, and know that Falun Gong is good. She said, “Please take me to Zhenjiang Hospital first. If the doctors there can't help me, I will give up [trying to find a cure].” The doctors at Zhenjiang Hospital suggested that she stay in the hospital for treatments. However, on the second night, her blood sugar was so high that they gave her an insulin injection, but there was no change in her condition. They gave her another injection of insulin, but there was no improvement. The doctors then told her to not eat anything. Two days later, my wife's blood sugar was still high and she was still in critical condition. Nothing helped. Not only did the treatments not help, but she was diagnosed with a new disease. The doctors said my wife should transfer to the Internal Medicine department to check on her blood sugar levels. We called our relative who was an expert on blood sugar levels. He said that my wife was in critical condition and the hospital wouldn't be able to do anything. My wife lost hope, and decided to go home to practice Falun Gong instead. At home, we contemplated how she was going to read the book Zhuan Falun since she couldn't really see anything. However, I knew that it was a book from Heaven. As long as one calms down to read it, miracles can occur. Whether she could see anything or not, I told her to calm down, open the book, and just read it. She got upset and said she couldn't see anything. I kindly told her, “You shouldn't be attached to the notion that your eyes will get better by reading the book. You should just focus on becoming clear minded. Try your best to become tranquil and read the book. Don't think about being able to see it or not.” I went to check up on her 30 minutes later and saw that her eyes were moving. I asked her, “Can you see now?” She said, “I see it! I see it!” My wife's eyesight had recovered so fast! It was miraculous! Teacher said, “To put it more simply, as long as you read Dafa, you are changing; as long as you read Dafa, you are elevating. The boundless content of Dafa plus the supplementary means—the exercises—will enable you to reach Consummation.” (“Melt Into the Fa” from Essentials for Further Advancement) Teacher came to save all sentient beings. Every person has the chance to make their own choice. If you are lucky to have the chance to read Zhuan Falun, please don't miss the opportunity to begin practicing. You will benefit from it even if you just read it once without any notions.
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- 6. What's Stopping Us from Being Diligent
By a Falun Dafa practitioner in Mainland China
(Minghui.org)
I have observed some common problems surfacing among practitioners that I'd like to point out here.The first problem: facing criticism, either about cultivation or on everyday issues, we tend to side-step by immediately changing the topic. Even worse, when somebody criticizes us, we immediately turn the criticism back to the person. On the surface it is an escape, but actually it is the indication of trying to get out of it, of a degree of cunningness. Master said, "I have spoken with you before about what a bad person is: he is someone who is cunning." ("Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference") I've done this myself. During Fa study, when I read parts which point out my shortcomings, I wanted to read faster so as to pass through the section quickly. When I read what Master asks us to do, but which I find hard to achieve, I often hold a negative mindset. For example, Master said, "I’ve often said this: if you sincerely do it for the other person’s sake, and there is nothing self-serving on your part, your words will be able to move the other party to tears. Want to give it a try?" ("Fa Teaching on World Falun Dafa Day") When I read this, I even had this thought: "Impossible for me!" I talked about this with a fellow practitioner. He said seriously, "When we study the Fa, we need to try our best to change our notions, which can significantly benefit our cultivation." This touched me. When I studied this part again, I sent forth a strong righteous thoughts from the bottom of my heart: "Master, I can do it!" The second problem: we often talk about "I myself", but hardly ever look inward. Sometimes, even when we do, we only look superficially and refuse to dig out the root. The third problem: practitioners tend to plunge into conflict when discussing an issue. Each party insists that their solution is the best, and sometimes their faces flame with anger. They can't reach agreement. I personally believe that no matter how good anyone's solution is, endlessly emphasizing it is wrong. The most correct thing, if taken to an extreme will turn into a wrong. We should not argue. Instead, we should augment and assist each other. Only this way will the solution finally work out and be the best. One more problem: the attachment to sentimentality. Many older practitioners are attached to their grandchildren. When I visit my parents, I always talk to my mother about her attachment to her granddaughter. Since my brother and his wife both work during the day, my mother takes care of their daughter at home. There's nothing wrong with this, but my mother is so attached to her granddaughter that even when my brother and his wife come back in the evening, she can't hold herself from going to their room to tease her granddaughter. When my mother talks to others, she usually talks about her granddaughter. I have pointed out to my mother that this is also a loophole which can be used by the evil, and it can lead to slacking off in cultivation over time. But my mother doesn't seem to be willing to accept my reminder, and insists that she has no attachment on this. I won't give up, I'll continue reminding her every time I visit her. Some practitioners are attached to their sons and daughters. They even find an excuse for their behavior: I care for them in order to help them be diligent in cultivation. Yes, it's correct to support their cultivation, but their parents' excessive caring has become an attachment. With so much attention to their offspring, they can't focus on their own cultivation and they can't calm down because of this attachment. Many times they feel unbalanced for they think their love isn't being returned. But they never think: “What's the real cause of this unbalance?” I'm writing this article not to blame anyone, but to remind each other. Let's be diligent together!
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- 7. A Reminder to Do the Exercise Movements Accurately
By a practitioner from China
(Minghui.org)
I started practicing Falun Gong in March 1999. Before that, I had many illnesses, such as heart problems, gastrointestinal problems, diabetes and kidney problems. I had visited many hospitals and specialists, but my illnesses kept getting worse.My workplace finally allocated money so that I could see a doctor. The doctor recommended Falun Gong to me, saying, “Falun Gong is very effective. Many people have seen instant results.” Within a week of practicing Falun Gong, I could breathe better. My illness symptoms were gone a month later. I've now practiced Falun Gong for fifteen years, and I've remained healthy and haven't taken any medication. However, a couple of years ago I began experiencing back pain, and I could barely walk. I couldn’t keep my back straight, and walked with my back hunched over. When I sat, I had to use a cushion to support my back. I didn't know what was wrong with me. Looking inward, I couldn't find my problem. Examining my cultivation, I know that my faith was strong. I've never stopped studying the Fa, doing the exercises, and sending forth righteous thoughts. Each day, I distribute informational materials about Falun Gong in the morning on my way to the park. I come back home and prepare lunch after morning grocery shopping. In the afternoon, I study the Fa and go out to distribute materials or stay home to make more materials. I've encountered and overcome tests and tribulations, but I still couldn't figure out why I couldn't keep my back straight. Finally, I couldn't walk very far, which restricted me from telling more people about Falun Gong. I was very upset. About a month ago, I ran into another practitioner who told me that she also used to have back pain, couldn't walk far, and had to sit with cushion behind her back. When she watched Master's exercise instruction video she noticed Master keep his back straight while doing the sitting meditation. She realized she wasn't doing the exercise correctly. She then began doing the exercise movements and postures according to Master’s standard. Her back pain stopped and she didn’t need a cushion any more. She told me to keep my back straight when doing the sitting meditation. I took her advice and my back stopped hurting. My general posture has improved as well. The other day, I ran into an elderly practitioner in a park who I hadn't seen for a long time. I noticed she was walking slowly and lethargically. We began chatting and she told me that she was suffering back and chest pain which bothered her even when she got in and out of bed. I saw that her back was bent and that her condition was worse than mine. I told her to keep her back straight while doing the sitting meditation and she would recover once she corrected her posture. She was sincerely grateful for the advice. I'm now sharing my experience to remind everyone to make sure our movements are accurate while doing the exercises.
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- 8. Reflecting on the Interference of Thought Karma
By a practitioner in China
(Minghui.org)
I am a practitioner looking to become diligent in cultivation. Recently I found the fundamental issue that was hidden deep in my heart. It made me realize the seriousness of Falun Dafa cultivation.I yearned for the good life when I was young, due to a misfortunate situation in my family. Because life seemed hard to me, I spent lots of time reading books and watching TV series to kill time and dispel restless feelings. I saw myself as the hero when I read books or watched movies or TV programs and couldn't calm down for a while after each episode. These activities left strong thought karma in my mind. It took me several months to read Zhuan Falun for the first time when I started practicing Falun Dafa. Like someone else Master Li mentioned, when I watched Master's lecture video, I slept from beginning to end. Since I have been practicing Dafa, I have not read regular books or watched movies or TV. But I occasionally still think about what I saw in the past. I just eliminate my bad thoughts when they pop up, but do not pay attention to the issue. Recently, the thought karma seemed to become massive and interfered with my Fa study, sending forth righteous thoughts, and saving sentient beings. I sent forth righteous thoughts and reminded myself that the bad thoughts were thought karma, not myself. But the feeling that it was hard to eliminate and control worried me and compromised my confidence in cultivation. I realized that I must face my own issues. Master said: “Why don't you stop and think about it: Why is someone interfering with you? Why is it able to interfere with you? Is it because you have an attachment, or because you have something you can't let go of? Why don't you look at yourself? The true reason lies with you yourself, and that's the only reason it can exploit your gap!” ("Teaching and Explaining the Faat the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference" in Teaching the Fa at the Conference III) First, I worked on my main consciousness to understand that I control this body and do not acknowledge the thought karma. I increased my Fa study and held myself to the standard of the Fa. Second, I enhanced sending forth righteous thoughts and cleaned up my thoughts whenever I had time. This process was a test of whether I trusted Master without reservation. Whatever the thought karma and outer interference did in my mind, they would be eliminated as long as I just followed Master's teaching. Third, I looked inward carefully and searched for the root of the problem. Due to my unfortunate childhood, deep down inside, I had a yearning for the good life. When my family life improved after practicing Dafa, I had a fundamental attachment in my subconscious that one would get blessings for practicing Dafa and be protected by Master. In addition, I treasured sentiment. Although I knew I had this attachment, I did not completely change my notion. Because the fundamental attachment was not gone, other attachments took a long time to remove. So I could not completely follow Master's teaching to assimilate to Dafa without condition. Even when doing Dafa work, deep in my mind was the goal of attaining mighty virtue. Master said: “If you, as a cultivator, only part with things superficially while deep down inside you still stick to something or cling to your own vital interests that you don’t allow to be undermined, I’d say to you that your cultivation is fake!” (Lecture at the First Conference in North America) The further I looked inward, the more surprised I was. I knew I must cultivate genuinely. Denying the old forces requires us to follow Master's teachings and rectify each thought with the Fa. I read an experience sharing article saying that we all too often pay attention to the superficial changes that our naked eyes can see, but neglect the cultivation of our xinxing. But the latter is the key for us to ascend in cultivation.
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