(Minghui.org) Since I live far away from other practitioners, I didn't have a group cultivation environment. However, we managed to meet once a month and sometimes more frequently. Several practitioners later set up a Fa study group and invited me to come. I didn't go, excusing myself by saying that I had too many things to do and that it would be a waste of time to spend so much time traveling. The fact was that I was covering up my mentality of fear.
Master has given us the cultivation form of studying the Fa together, and I knew that I should join the group. Practitioners are one body, and I shouldn't deliberately separate myself. When I remembered this, I decided to start attending the group study, and I experienced some amazing and unexpected changes.
Reading Three Fa Lectures Sitting in the Double-Lotus Position
Our group study is now being held once a week. At the first two sessions we read two lectures from Zhuan Falun. We read the lectures sitting in the double-lotus position. Each one of us read two pages at a time. The time we met we decided to read three lectures because it was a holiday. We read all three lectures while sitting in the double-lotus position.
My legs felt fine--no pain or numbness--and I sat with my back straight. Whenever I read Zhuan Falun by myself at home I couldn't finish reading even one lecture in the lotus position. At the group study, the energy field is good and we all learn from each other. By following the example of others, I was able to read three lectures in the full lotus position.
Respect Master and the Fa
When we study the Fa as a group, we don't allow ourselves to get distracted. The second time I went to group study, I didn't have time to eat breakfast, so I brought some biscuits with me. As soon as we began reading, I started to feel hungry. If I had been at home, I would have eaten something.
When I read at home, it's not unusual for me to take a break in the middle of reading the Fa or to find something to eat or drink, or to have a chat with other people. I realized I'd been indulging myself. Surprisingly, while I was at group study, the hunger didn't last long, and when I got home after 2:00 that afternoon, I still wasn't hungry.
At our group study, we start reading the Fa on time, and we read attentively and with sincerity. Being responsible to Dafa, we correct one another if the reader makes a mistake.
When I read the Fa at home, I would made mistakes. The worst thing is that I would begin feeling drowsy as soon as I started reading, and sometimes I have taken a break for a nap. Also, I did not have a fixed schedule for Fa study, and I wasn't using my time efficiently. Reading the Fa by myself at home, I was often interfered with by household chores and often it would take more than an hour or two or even half a day to read one lecture. Sometimes I had to stop and do something else and then resume reading at night.
At the group study, we don't have these interferences and I never feel drowsy. We stay focused and absorb every word.
Encouraging One Another
At our group study we don't chat about ordinary people's things. We measure our every thought with the principles of Dafa as we read the Fa, share and discuss our experiences, and encourage one another.
After sharing with others I realized that I needed to discard the bad things and old notions that I'd b,een hanging onto, that I shouldn't try to cover them up or hide them. I'm 65 years old and I was born the year the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took control of China. I am imbued with a lot of Party culture, and my thoughts and the way I think have been deliberately twisted by the Party.
Another practitioner said, “It's time to eliminate all the Party’s factors inside and outside our bodies and to clear out the negative thoughts and notions we have acquired over the years.”
Before I joined the group study, I was always fearful. For example, when I went out to buy supplies, I worried that an older lady buying those supplies might seem odd and others might notice. Thus, I often bought supplies in small quantities, traveled to stores far away, or shopped at different stores at different times. I wasted time that way. Poisoned by Party culture I got used to thinking negatively and was afraid of everything. Before I did anything, I was always afraid first. This seriously interfered with my doing the three things.
In our study group there were many practitioners older than me, and they had pure minds and strong righteous thoughts. When they went out to clarify the truth, they did whatever needed to be done, and they did things naturally and without fear.
When I compared myself to them, I was ashamed. They were doing well, but I hadn't done well. This motivated me to eliminate my mentality of fear.
After I strengthened my righteous thoughts, I stopped being afraid. I joined the other practitioners and assumed my responsibilities. As long as it is in accordance with Dafa and it is what Master wants, I will do it.
After I began attending group Fa study, I became cheerful and generous, I was always happy, and I felt good.
I was very happy when I first started practicing Dafa, and I now find I am feeling that way again. Joining the group study helped me to progress rapidly in cultivation.
Group study has many benefits and it greatly encourages us in our individual cultivation and doing the three things. I sincerely hope those who haven't participated in group Fa studies start doing so. Please treasure this cultivation environment that Master has created for us, and let’s do well what we should do in assisting Master in the Fa-rectification.
Please point out anything that is not in accordance with the Fa.