(Clearwisdom.net) Studying the Fa is the most important key for Falun Dafa practitioners to improve xinxing, eliminate interference, and assimilate to the Fa of the new cosmos. Studying the Fa well is the fundamental guarantee of everything. Dafa cultivation is formless. In his lectures, Master didn't stipulate a certain format or mindset for us to adopt to study the Fa, so I didn't pay much attention to this issue. However, I have recently learned that, "Great Way without form" does not mean that a wrong form or mindset is acceptable. I have also learned from my own Fa study experience that, when I failed to maintain a proper manner and mindset to study the Fa, I was being disrespectful to Falun Dafa, and the result was not good. I would like to discuss some of the incorrect forms and mindsets in studying the Fa, so that we can study the Fa better to save sentient beings.
Master didn't require us to study the Fa in a specific posture. Sometimes, especially when I was tired, I would read the Fa in bed in a comfortable position. Then I ended up slipping down lower and lower, or even fell asleep. Sometimes when I wanted to be comfortable, I would sit on a sofa and put up my feet on a coffee table. When I read the Fa like this, even for a short while, the words didn't seem to get into my mind. I was reading the Fa of the cosmos--this is a very sacred thing to do. However, I was so casual, and even attempted to find a comfortable position to read the Fa. The more comfortable I was, the less I got from studying the Fa. I thought, "If I were really sick or paralyzed, it might not be so wrong for me to read the Fa in bed. However, I am healthy. Why can't I read the Fa in a respectful manner? The Fa is so profound. How could I be so disrespectful?" After I realized this, no matter how tired I was, or what kind of interference I encountered, I studied the Fa in a respectful manner, and the effectiveness of my Fa study has greatly improved.
Master asked us not to study the Fa with the attachment of pursuit. However, we don't always handle it right in our daily life. For example, when I did not feel well, I would tell myself to study the Fa so that the pain could go away or the headache could be cleared out. These are all attachments to pursuit. It's not right to try to solve the trouble in my mind and body through Fa-study. The Fa created everything. We cannot have an attachment of pursuit to the Fa. We can only assimilate to Falun Dafa unconditionally. When we study the Fa, we should just study the Fa with a calm mind.
Sometimes when I read the Fa, I suddenly feel a rush to finish the reading as soon as possible, as if Fa study is a task that I have to finish every day. That is not right either. Reading the Fa is not a task to fulfill in ordinary society. It's a process to return to one's true self. So we must keep a pure mind. When I study the Fa, sometimes my mind will wander. A thought will suddenly come to my mind that I forgot to do something, or I need to check the news, or I have a phone call to make.
Unless it's something really urgent, I think all those thoughts are interference. Master said,
"So, no matter how busy you get, when you study the Fa you have to set aside all other thoughts--don't think about other things at all, just study the Fa." ("Fa-Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A.")
So when we read the Fa, we must take control of our thoughts. If we got distracted, we must pull our minds back immediately. When we read the Fa, if our mind wanders, we should return to the sentences we missed and read it again. The Fa is continuous. When I read a lecture, if 20 percent of the time my mind wanders, how can I guarantee the continuity of what I am reading? If our mind often wanders, aren't we reading the Fa just piece by piece?
This is my sharing on Fa study. Owing to my poor enlightenment quality, I have taken a roundabout course in Fa study. I am sharing this with fellow practitioners as a lesson. Let's all study the Fa and assimilate to the Fa with a pure heart and a respectful manner.
