Studying the Teachings of Falun Gong with a Calm Mind

During my Fa(1) study recently, a problem has constantly surfaced: I could concentrate when I studied Teacher's articles or lectures, but I would have problems when I read Zhuan Falun(2). As I am more familiar with the content of Zhuan Falun, I often felt that I didn't really absorb much even when I spent a lot of time reading the book. Later I realised what was happening and decided I needed to change the situation. But how? I tried memorising the book. My goal was to become absorbed in it. When I couldn't concentrate during the Fa study, I tried memorising it, paragraph by paragraph.

Sometimes it was easy for me to learn it by heart. Because of the familiarity with the content and being able to concentrate, I could quickly memorise several paragraphs. Sometimes it was not so easy; even trying for a long time, I would not be able to memorise a paragraph. Either I had completely missed a sentence or I had memorised a sentence incorrectly. I realised it was because I didn't have a calm mind and couldn't concentrate enough. I then concentrated with all my effort on the book. I tried to memorise word-by-word, sentence-by-sentence. Those words would then appear in front of me clearly. When I recited sentence after sentence with a quiet mind, it seemed I had purged many attachments and passed a barrier.

There is another situation that sometimes occurs. When I tried to memorise a certain paragraph, either I couldn't remember a sentence or I kept making mistakes with a sentence. After careful reflection, I realised I hadn't accepted deeply in my mind what that sentence was saying. It wasn't that I couldn't accept the actual meaning of the sentence, but that I felt it was too difficult to accomplish. I made a decision to accomplish it right then. Do just what the Fa requires of us and to do it without any deviation! I then believed that I would be able to accomplish it right away, and my mind relaxed. I was able to memorise the passage smoothly and clearly. I realised that it was the power of the Fa. Studying the Fa also reduces karma and puts oneself right. It is cultivation.

My way of studying the Fa is mainly to read through Zhuan Falun. From time to time, I read Teacher's other lectures or books. If my mind is not calm, I'll try memorising Zhuan Falun. Everybody has his or her own way of studying the Fa. It is necessary that everyone studies the Fa with a quiet mind and attains the goal of studying the Fa. Once, I heard from a practitioner that he couldn't quiet his mind during Fa study. He had also tried memorising, but felt it was too difficult. He said that he had tried memorising just a paragraph, but after having tried it for a long time, he still couldn't memorise it. He gave up. My thinking is that he shouldn't have given up. Everyone should pass this barrier, unless one can find another way to quiet one's mind.

Notes -

(1)Fa: Law and principles; the teachings of Falun Dafa.
(2)The book, Zhuan Falun, comprises the principal teachings of Falun Dafa.