(Minghui.org) I have practiced Falun Dafa for about seven years. I remember the excitement and elation I felt in the beginning and the pure thought of returning to my true self through cultivation. I remember learning how to make truth-clarification materials online soon after I started cultivation and distributing them. I had just one thought of saving people, knowing it was what I was supposed to do.

I remember feeling warm currents flow down from the top of my head to all over my body. It was wonderful because I knew Master was taking care of me. I remember the experience of face-to-face truth-clarifications and advising people to quit the Party and its affiliated organizations. There were obstacles, of course, but it was very meaningful.

I also remember intermittently leaving Dafa and falling into ordinary society to seek fame and profit, committing sins with my demon-nature fully displayed, and leaving painful lessons for myself.

Looking back on my journey of cultivation, I lacked a solid foundation of personal cultivation. I was, at best, an everyday person doing Dafa work. The root cause was that I did not study the Fa well. My understanding of Dafa was theoretical, and I did not apply it to myself. I learned Dafa without actually obtaining Dafa.

My lack of personal cultivation was partly due to not understanding how to cultivate and not being able to cultivate truly. The other part was due to my fear of hardship and my pursuit of ease and comfort.

When I began cultivation, I spent a lot of time on the Minghui website searching for articles about how others truly cultivated. All of the articles were very well written, and all the practitioners did very well and practiced very diligently. I admired them so much.

But others' experiences, after all, belong to others. No matter how high their levels or how well their articles were written, I found myself forgetting them quickly. I was still distressed and wondered how to cultivate. Why had reading the Fa become more and more boring? Master said that one would develop new understandings after each reading of Zhuan Falun. How come I hadn't?

I heard that memorizing Dafa was a good way to learn the Fa, so I decided to give it a try. I memorized a few lectures but did not persist.

That was the case for me until recently, when I found that I had time and my heart was calm. I also discovered that I could better understand the Fa and understand how to cultivate. Therefore, I'd like to share my understandings with fellow practitioners who have had similar distresses. My wish is that all of us can truly obtain the Fa.

Master said: “Sincerity is a prerequisite if you are to rectify your mind.” (Chapter III, Falun Gong)

I understand that, as a rule of thumb, one must want to improve and cultivate from one's heart, a heart of honesty and sincerity.

So I decided to memorize the Fa again. Since I had already memorized Lectures One, Two, and Three, I started with Lecture Four. I told myself that I was not memorizing the Fa just for the sake of it; I was memorizing because it would allow me to have a lasting impression of the Fa. I memorized the Fa to obtain the Fa, understand the Fa, and let the Fa guide me at every moment.

When I was memorizing, I would not move on to the next paragraph until I had memorized the current paragraph completely and accurately. I strove to keep my mind empty so I could focus on what Master was trying to say. Otherwise it wouldn't be as efficient as it should be. I did not pursue speed or become anxious about time. I simply kept my own pace.

Perhaps because my mind was sincere, I hardly found it difficult to memorize the Fa, and I moved relatively fast.

When I was memorizing “Transformation of Karma” in Lecture Four, I gained some new understandings from a few sentences:

“Nowadays, whether in a state-run company or in other enterprises in this country, interpersonal conflicts have become very unique.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)

“This way, you can follow Dafa and perhaps you will do better. Whether you can practice cultivation or make it and what level you can reach all depend on you, yourself.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)

“Oh,” I thought, “a practitioner would do this, whereas an everyday person would do that. I have to choose between being a practitioner or an everyday person. An everyday person would fight for things; however, a practitioner would tolerate things, though not necessarily passively. I can either assimilate to this principle or ignore it and be an everyday person. These are the only choices I have.”

A strong voice inside of me said, “I want to be a practitioner! I want to assimilate to this principle, and I am willing to hold myself to following this principle.” My mind was very clear. I think I have assimilated to at least that part of the Fa.

In the past, I probably didn't pay much attention to those sentences. I admired Master's teachings, but I probably treated it as a theory, without making any connections to myself.

Another paragraph read:

“If you ask your spouse later: ‘Why do you get so upset if I practice qigong?’ he or she cannot explain it and will really be out of reasons. ‘Really, why did I become so angry and worked up at that time?’” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)

I came to understand that, to help us eliminate karma, the sentient beings around us can get so upset without knowing why. But we know why. People are so weak and pitiful, we should really thank them.

One evening my parents came home, and my father tried to dissuade me, saying, “You should stop practicing Falun Gong!” He started getting very emotional. By then, however, I had assimilated to Master's teaching: “You should sincerely thank him from the bottom of your heart—it is actually so.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)

I was not moved, because I knew why he became so upset and mean. After I truly assimilated to that principle, I could see right through ordeals like this. If a teacher has taught you all the lessons, and you have acquired the knowledge, you would find the test very easy. Therefore, knowing what was happening, I was not moved.

Isn't this already beyond the principles of the human world? While I may not yet be ready to understand the principles at higher levels, what's the point of pursuing them? Not to mention that pursuit will never work, that one should really follow the course of nature and start from the most basic.

Meanwhile, I realized that I was also able to notice any thought that went against the principles of the Fa. For example, one time between Fa-study sessions, a thought about money and a past conflict occurred to me. I knew the thought was bad because it meant I had an attachment to personal profit. So I got rid of it quickly.

I feel that those conflicts were very remote. When something like this popped up, I could quickly grasp it and get rid of it. In my understanding, regardless of how significant or insignificant a matter is, there's something for us to cultivate, as long as we pay attention.

Now when I'm reciting the Fa, I find my voice becoming mellower and mellower. Indeed, everything changes as long as we study the Fa. I find myself more and more keen to memorize the Fa because the Fa has reached my heart.

In fact, I haven't memorized many whole paragraphs lately. I haven't even finished Lecture Four. However, I feel my memorization has been solid and gone into my heart. Just a few paragraphs have helped me understand and verify that I can be a practitioner who knows how to cultivate truly. This is Dafa's mighty power.

Indeed, a practitioner who knows how to practice true cultivation finds the future glorious. A person who doesn't know how to cultivate may feel stressed and anxious, unsure about what the future holds.

I was that kind of person who learned Dafa but didn't know how to cultivate. I didn't treat myself as a practitioner. I sincerely hope all practitioners who have obtained the Fa know how to practice real cultivation and do not to miss an opportunity as rare and precious as this.