(Clearwisdom.net) Group "Fa" studies have continued outside of China since the persecution began in 1999, just as they did prior to the persecution. They have served the purpose of encouraging Dafa practitioners to study the Fa together.
It has become common after eleven years of progress that the practitioners now share their experiences and understandings less frequently. Instead, they tend to discuss only project-related matters. Therefore, many practitioners who began practicing after July 20, 1999 (when the persecution began) do not know what "group Fa-study" really means, as I understand it.
Some group Fa-study sites have widely and routinely promoted following certain individuals' Fa study habits. Those habits included reading "On Buddha Law" before the study, reading certain lectures in "Zhuan Falun" on certain days of week, and stopping the study to send righteous thoughts for a local coordinator who required extra assistance in promoting projects.
Although discussing projects together is required, Dafa practitioners should study the Fa firmly and avoid allowing Fa study to become a routine, or simply a task that needs to be completed.
If the requirements in Master's lectures are followed, group Fa study should be the best tool for practitioners to improve their "xinxing" and share cultivation experiences. On contrary, if they don't uplift their xinxing and change themselves fundamentally from cultivation, it will be exhausting and a waste of time trying to coordinate projects, and true improvement will be slow to come. The fellow practitioners outside of China surely have experienced this situation in these past years. There is no need to mention any specific examples.
Practitioners should intently be concerned with and work together on improving time management and having effective experience-sharing during group Fa study. As participation in group Fa study is also part of cultivation, the format of group Fa study and its effectiveness should be decided upon by all participating practitioners. This is my understanding. Please correct me if I am incorrect.