(Clearwisdom.net) Lately, when I read Zhuan Falun I keep coming across the sentence that says a cultivator needs to meet higher standards.

Cultivation is a serious matter, and it is also supernatural. Dafa has spread throughout the world, and Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples have been cultivating and saving sentient beings. This is a special period of time in history. How well a practitioner cultivates and how diligent a practitioner is in cultivation is determined by whether the person can meet higher standards. Cultivation is a process of eliminating human attachments and becoming a god. If we measure ourselves against higher standards and take to heart the requirement to assimilate the Fa into our speech, actions, and thoughts, then we will achieve a cultivator's standard. We will not have done well if we followed our human desires, and did not improve. This issue exists in everything we do. Have you measured yourself against a higher standard? Have you measured yourself against the standards of the Fa at different levels?

Recently I decided to start attending the morning group practice. In order to get up at 3:40 a.m., a time when I am usually asleep, I set an alarm on my cell phone like most other practitioners. But sometimes, if I am very tired the night before, I don't want to get up the next morning. Just one stray thought often makes me lose the opportunity to practice the exercises, and I sleep through the alarm. Thus, I didn't meet the higher standard for a cultivator at that time.

When I am studying the Fa, sometime I have random thoughts, sometimes I just want to get it over with, and sometimes I feel like I am trying to finish my "homework." How can I improve when I study the Fa like that?! When you can really calm down and study the Fa, the power of the Fa will naturally be displayed. Some practitioners have described it like a magnet that keeps you reading, and many understandings from the Fa will come to your mind. That's the power of the Fa. Why can't I set a higher standard for myself during Fa study?

When I send righteous thoughts I sometimes have many human thoughts. I even think that maybe I can send righteous thoughts lying down. Sometimes I was still doing other things even when I was supposed to be clearing my own thoughts for five minutes. Sometimes I skip the midnight one because I am too sleepy. Sometime I keep looking at the clock to see if the five minutes are up, etc. Thus I have wasted many opportunities and a lot of time. We all know from Teacher's lectures that the evil could be completely eliminated in the three realms in five minutes if Dafa disciples had strong righteous thoughts. But we have not done well and haven't met the high standard for sending righteous thoughts.

Many of the things I have written about are for myself, because I have all these issues. At the same time, I also want to share with practitioners who are not diligent in these regards so that we can encourage each other to improve. Being a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple is an honor bestowed on us by Teacher. We must do better. We must save sentient beings with righteous thoughts and actions.

These are my personal understandings, please kindly point out anything inappropriate.