PureInsight | June 17, 2009
[PureInsight.org] Master has emphasized the importance of studying the Fa many times. Master has said, “As a Dafa disciple, in order to do Fa-rectification things well and to consummate everything of yours well, you need to study the Fa a lot. No matter how busy you are, you cannot skip Fa-study. This is what can best ensure your reaching Consummation” (“A Message,” Essentials for Further Advancement II).
Everything that we have originates from the Fa. During the course of solid cultivation, we can all see that studying the Fa well is fundamental to the improvement of our cultivation and determines whether we can do the three things well. Therefore, we must make every effort to study the Fa well. On the surface, it seems easy and simple to study the Fa well, as it is nothing more than reading the book. Actually, however, how effective we are at studying the Fa makes a big difference in terms of how things turn out. When I look back at the cultivation path I have traveled over the past ten years and observe how fellow practitioners study the Fa, I find that how we should study Fa is a process of continual improvement. During our cultivation process we run into various problems. Since studying the Fa is fundamental to our cultivation and to saving sentient beings, it is critical that we study the Fa effectively. We must make sure that we improve the quality of our Fa study so we can ensure that our study reaches a level of ideal effectiveness.
Maintain a Clear and Clean Mind
A clear and clean mind is the prerequisite to studying the Fa well. Without a peaceful mind you can’t study the Fa well—there is no doubt about that. The effectiveness of studying the Fa usually depends on our mind when we study the Fa. If our mind is pure and clean without any selfish thoughts and personal considerations, every single word of the Fa will resonate in our mind. At that moment, our bodies in other dimensions will melt within the Fa quickly; on the contrary, if our mind is not clean and is lost in various fancies and conjectures, then studying the Fa is not effective because we don’t know what we are reading. Our bodies in other dimensions won’t change; it is then not our main spirit (zhu yuanshen) that studies the Fa, and the high-level inner meanings of the Fa won’t be shown to us.
It happens to me very often that the time when I study the Fa is also the time when I reject my selfish ideas and personal considerations. Before I obtained the Fa, my attachments and desires were less than those of other ordinary people, relatively speaking. However, I had been contaminated by the big dye vat of everyday people and, moreover, I had factors that had been carried over from my many reincarnations. The old forces also interfered. Thus, my mind was not clean. My mind used to be an utter mess when I studied the Fa; any wild thought could jump out of my mind and manifest as a sound, image, or word. My thoughts continuously switched from one scene to another and were unbelievably chaotic and odd. After my mind returned to the book, I found that I had already finished reading several lines, but I couldn’t remember what I had just read. Immediately, I reminded myself that I needed to concentrate and restrain the interference. But the clean mind would only last a few lines before the odd thoughts jumped out again. If I had something to do or had run into some issues, my thoughts would pour out continuously. In fact, it was caused by attachments and thought karma. It is just like Master said in Zhuan Falun, Lecture Nine: “While practicing qigong, someone claims: ‘I just don’t believe it. I’ve got to calm down and stop thinking.’ As soon as that is said, all thoughts will pop up again, as it is your mind that is not clean.” As I kept studying the Fa and continued to reject the thought karma and human notions, my cultivation level improved. Now, seldom does my mind wander while studying the Fa, and, even when it does, I realize it within seconds and discard the thoughts.
It takes far more than just a few days to achieve a clean and clear mind while studying the Fa; it is a process of letting go of attachments.
Discard the Attachment of Words at the Surface
Master broke the boundaries of modern Chinese grammar by “using at will” the Chinese language (“Using at Will,” Essentials for Further Advancement II). This fact is even quite obvious in Zhuan Falun. For disciples like me who pay a lot of attention to language standards and are sensitive to language, it is a neither too big nor too small a test. Master knew this and that is why Master helped disciples break away from their attachments by pointing it out in the lecture. Although this didn’t prevent me from studying the Fa, for a period of time, every few sentences I would pause and have some misgivings. For example, I would think, “How come Master uses ‘light year’ as a unit of time? This is supposed to be a unit of distance.” Every time I these thoughts cropped up, I reminded myself, “Don’t be attached to it! Don’t get caught up in words! Isn’t this an opportunity to get rid of my attachment?” Ordinary people’s books have standardized grammar and flowery language. They have what we call in Chinese, “one chant and three sighs” and “tremendous momentum,” but so what? Those are just products of human society. No matter how standardized the language is, it only contains some meanings on the surface, which are useless in cultivation.
It is like a person who is climbing up a ladder to heaven, yet he ponders why the ladder doesn’t look the way he expected. Would it be a ladder to heaven if it matched his expectations?
Please note that I wrote this article on May 13th. I represent fellow practitioners in my local area in saying, “Happy Birthday Master!”
There is no way we can pay back Master’s infinite grace. Only by cultivating diligently and assisting Master to rectify the Fa will we be worthy of Master’s merciful salvation.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2009/5/14/59516.html
