Changing One’s Notions Through Reciting the Falun Gong Teachings

Every day I take the train on my way home. I usually recall the interesting things that happened during the day, think about the new Fa principles I just enlightened to, or recite Zhuan Falun again and again. I had a thought that I should cherish the opportunity of obtaining the Buddha Fa and not waste any more time. Ever since I started memorising and reciting the teachings of Falun Gong, the Fa, I started changing. I pay more attention to practising the exercises. I can feel Master’s benevolence and Buddha’s infinite grace. I started looking inward more often, instead of just coping with things on a superficial level. I started thinking calmly about my choices and what the Fa is on a fundamental basis. When facing very complicated matters, I started using the principles laid out in the Fa to tell me what true kindness is all about. I started thinking about a very serious matter, "What is cultivation?" Maybe this is not an issue for many practitioners, but for me, this is just a start.

After several months, I finished reciting Zhuan Falun for the first time, and understood the Fa principles even more clearly. Comparing myself to the Fa principles, I now look at my every thought, an expression in my eye, a gesture or a sentence. Didn’t the old forces arrange every single thought of Falun Dafa practitioners? Then when we study the Fa and look inward, aren’t we eliminating those old selfish thoughts? Before, I wasn’t very tolerant of many practitioners and was picky about the local coordinator as well. One day, I realised that this wasn’t the true me. It was my self-centred side, that which the old forces imposed on me. It held me back from truly understanding the Fa principles and functioning like a particle of Dafa. I sent forth a thought: Completely clear out the selfish thoughts in all dimensions; completely negate the old forces’ arrangements; my new life is made by Dafa.

Falun Dafa practitioners are gods – great enlightened beings. It’s just that their memories have been blocked temporarily. In our cultivation, it’s inevitable that they will show their shortcomings. When I’m just looking at other practitioners’ shortcomings, aren’t I attached to my human side? I should eliminate it. I should behave like a god in the way I treat fellow practitioners. When I think like this and act like this, I feel the benevolence that the gods have and the manifestation of a benevolent state.

Master emphasised again and again that cultivation is unconditional. When I understood this principle and eliminated my stubbornness, my relationships with fellow practitioners became harmonised. Even when there was conflict, I could calmly accept suggestions from fellow practitioners and discuss how we could do better in an environment of no attachment to self. If we could go from the standpoint of the Fa and clearly understand what’s preventing us from improving, at that moment, we would be able to eliminate the factors that are interfering.

Every day on my way to and from work, I distribute materials about the persecution and the truth to the predestined people I meet. Before, when I saw people who came out very early and were busy with their business, I thought, "Human beings are so greedy. They come out so early in order to make money." One day, I suddenly realised that in fact, the reason why they get up so early every day is because they want to know the truth. Maybe just for the materials in my hands, they waited and waited like this every day, getting up early and going to bed late. It was just that I was puzzled by the form in which it manifested itself in the human world, and forgot about my mission. After I realised this, I gave materials to them. They said "thanks" again and again. I saw the happiness from the bottom of their hearts. My responsibilities became even clearer to me. Sometimes, when I saw some older people sitting in the park, if I didn’t change my notions, I wouldn’t have realised how their sitting there had anything to do with me. When I realised that they were "waiting," I didn’t allow myself to delay my responsibilities any longer.

Because I take trains to work, I can have the people at the train station or on the train take the truth-clarification materials to big and small cities in the Ukraine. When understanding the Fa principles, I could see how Master chooses which practitioner to act in a given role and gives more power to this practitioner. As a Dafa practitioner, I should cherish the opportunity and the honour of validating the Fa. One day, I was standing in the hallway at the train station watching the people around me. When I distributed materials to them, I suddenly realised that it’s no longer important to me to be concerned with the length of my cultivation or the height of my level. The important thing is that I follow Master to rectify the Fa at this historical moment. I can save the sentient beings to fulfil my mission. I can walk on the path of righteous gods with a true god’s mind and righteous thoughts.

Sometimes, when I was so tired on my way home I thought "Let me skip today. I’ll do it tomorrow. There are many people on the train every day. There is no difference between which day I choose to distribute the materials." But the moment I got off the train, I thought of what Master said,

"In providing salvation to humankind, the Buddha School does not attach any condition or seek returns, and it will help unconditionally." ("Lecture One" from Zhuan Falun, 2000 translation version)

I asked myself, "Do you feel this is hard and tiring? Why are you cultivating? When you think this is hard, aren’t you pushing out the best things? The hardship you considered, how could you guarantee that it was not a human notion? It’s all up to you to choose." When I thought like this, I naturally walked to where I often distributed the materials. That was the place I validated Dafa. When I sent forth righteous thoughts, I asked Master to strengthen my resolve. After people accepted the materials, they all read them. One woman said, "I saw you guys on TV. I support all your activities." A young man from the United States said, "I learnt about Falun Gong when I was in the States. Some of my friends from college practise Falun Gong. This (the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners) is ridiculous. It should be stopped." A scholar from Iran said, "The persecution is so ridiculous. In history, whoever tried to kill off religions would eventually kill themselves. I pray for the practitioners who died. Best wishes to you." On a trolley, I saw an young African man. I greeted him politely and asked him to read materials regarding harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. When he got off, he asked, "Is this real? I can’t believe this." "Yes, it’s true. This has been confirmed." "Oh my god, this is so cruel. I will tell more people about this news."

I got to know a fellow practitioner who was not in a good condition and was interfered with badly. During a certain period of time, I sent forth righteous thoughts almost every hour on the hour and did not allow the evil to interfere with Dafa practitioners’ righteous beliefs. Dafa practitioners are gods who carry on very important and critical missions. When we send forth righteous thoughts, we eliminate interfering factors in different dimensions. Because Master says, "Not only must you do your own part well, but you should help others, too." ("Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles")

I previously wasn’t very diligent in practising the exercises. Now I recite this paragraph of the Fa,

"Falun Dafa is also a cultivation practice of mind and body, and it requires exercises. On the one hand, the exercises are used to strengthen supernormal abilities. What is 'strengthening?' It is the reinforcement of your supernormal abilities by your powerful gong potency, thus making them progressively stronger. On the other hand, many living beings need to be developed in your body. In high-level cultivation practise, the Tao School requires the birth of the Immortal Infant (yuanying), while the Buddha School requires the Vajra’s indestructible body. Furthermore, many supernatural abilities must be developed. These things need to be developed through the physical exercises, and they are what our exercises cultivate." ("Lecture One" from Zhuan Falun)

I previously didn’t pay enough attention to the exercises and didn’t study the Fa diligently. After I understood this, and when I practised again, I not only felt Master’s benevolent salvation, but also felt a mighty reverence from the bottom of my heart.

Previously, when practising the sitting exercise, I felt it was unbearable, especially the pain. One day when I prepared to do the sitting exercise, I heard in the music, Master says, "The facial expression should be peaceful." The mighty compassion and power of this statement shocked me, "Why did I have to be in pain and show painful expressions on my face? Why did I shed tears from suffering? Aren’t the hand gestures the language of enlightened beings? When I did my hand gestures, shouldn’t I have the solemnity and benevolence of an enlightened being reflected in me?

Master said in Zhuan Falun:

"As you know, when a person reaches the Arhat level, in his heart he is not concerned about anything. He does not care at all in his heart for any ordinary human matter, and he will always be smiling and in good spirits. No matter how much loss he suffers, he will still be smiling and in good spirits without any concern." ("Lecture Nine" from Zhuan Falun)

The side of mine that connects with Falun Dafa should directly feel the solemnity of Dafa! I felt the pain and then had a painful facial expression. Isn’t that my human notions?" Later when I was doing the sitting exercise, I could really calm down and sit for an hour.

During the whole process of my memorising and reciting the Fa, my notions have gradually changed. When I was memorising the Fa at night, I sometimes could see the words in the book being very colourful and shining. I know there are many gods around me. They are all watching.