(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1996. As soon as I started reading the book Zhuan Falun, I couldn't put it down. Everything I wanted to know about life was covered in the book.
My cultivation state wasn't very good two years ago. One time, I fell badly. My back started to hurt and I couldn't keep my back straight. I walked around bending over like an old lady. I thought to myself, “How can I validate the Fa like this?” I realized the seriousness of my problem. When I looked within, I realized that the key issue was that I didn't study the Fa well. My mind often wandered when I studied the Fa. I didn't really study the Fa, and I only went through the motions. I knew that I had to change my human notion and get rid of all kinds of desires and attachments. I refused to accept that I was old. With help from fellow practitioners, I started to study and memorize the Fa earnestly.
Master said in Zhuan Falun,
“Besides, you must have a thorough grasp of the Law of the high order and come to know how to cultivate yourself. The five sets of practice exercises will be given to you at once and all will be taught to you at once. In the future you will reach a considerably high level, which is so high that it is beyond your expectation. There will be no problem for you to complete the true achievement.”
At the beginning of memorizing the book, I often forgot what I had memorized before as I learned new paragraphs. I stopped after the first lecture. After all, I was almost eighty years old. The thought of memorizing the book made me anxious, and I didn't want to face the hardship. Then I read,
“Each time you finish reading Zhuan Falun, you have made progress as long as you have gained some understanding. Even if you understood only one point after reading it, you have truly made progress.” (“Learning the Fa,” from Essentials for Further Advancement)
My understanding was that, in order to memorizing the book well, I had to change my human notion and overcome my own impatience. So I restarted my effort of memorizing the book. At first, I tried to memorize one sentence at a time, then one paragraph at time, and later on I would memorize one section at a time. The more I memorize the book, the more I like to do it.
“With the improvement of your Xinxing, there will definitely come a fundamental change in your body. With the betterment of your Xinxing, there will surely occur a change of the substances that make up your body.” (Zhuan Falun)
Besides studying the Fa well, I also spent more time doing the exercises. By reading the Minghui website every day and learning from other practitioners' experiences, my cultivation state improved quickly. With that, my hair is turning from white back into black; my skin is getting smoother with good complexion; I have very little wrinkles on my face; and I walk around lightly.
Nowadays when I talk to strangers about Falun Dafa, people often ask, “How old are you?” When I tell them that I am eighty years old, they ask, “How are you taking care of yourself? You look very healthy, not at all like someone who is eighty years old.” This always leads me to explain to them what Falun Dafa is and how it is being persecuted by the Communist regime. Most people agree with me upon hearing my explanation, and some agree to withdraw from the Communist Party and its organizations.
One time, I was asked to meet with officers from the local police station and community committee members. They asked if I had filed a criminal complaint against the former Chinese president, Jiang Zemin. “It is I who wrote that” I told them, “Everyone should sue Jiang. He violated the Constitution in persecuting Falun Dafa. He had committed crime against humanity, torture and genocide.” I continued to tell them the facts about Falun Dafa. Everyone listened quietly, then one person said, “I see that you are in such good health. You can go home and practice it.” The director of the community committee then walked me to the door.
I have memorized the book over a hundred times now. I feel that the process of memorizing Zhuan Falun is also a process of improving my xinxing and elevating my thoughts. It has helped me to understand the Fa rationally so that I can continue to make progress.
The above is my personal understanding, please point out anything inappropriate!
Category: Improving Oneself
