Lately, I have been having a dream every morning. Each dream has been about taking an examination. I didn't understand for a long time what these dreams meant, and it was not until today that I realised Teacher's compassion towards me and the effort He has put into helping me complete my cultivation.
I started practising in 1996. After the persecution began, I gave up cultivation practice for fear of being illegally arrested. After years of not practising Falun Gong, I have recently began practising again.
This morning I dreamt again about taking an important examination. In the dream, I had gotten up late and the examination had already started by the time I arrived. There were about 50-60 fellow practitioners taking the same examination. After finishing one subject, everyone went to a different room for the next subject. I realised it meant passing many tests. During the exam, I was muddleheaded. I did poorly even on subjects I was good at. There were questions I previously was able to answer easily. Why was I not able to answer them now? Before the persecution began on July 20th, 1999, I was very diligent in studying the Falun Gong teachings and practising the exercises. Back then, I knew the importance of looking within. The majority of those taking the exam treated it very seriously. I realised that it meant they were doing the three things. I became all the more anxious when I sometimes could not find the room for the next examination. I asked a schoolteacher monitoring the examination for directions, but he just looked at me and refused to help. That begged the question, "How can Teacher give me step-by-step instructions on how to walk my cultivation path? So I decided to take the first available seat I spotted and take the next exam. Although I walked in and out of the exam rooms, I had no clue about how I did on the tests.
After I walked out of one exam room, I thought, "How can I even miss the exam room?" I checked my ID only to find the number was 119. Upon awakening from the dream, I was astonished to realise that 119 was the telephone number for the fire department in China. Teacher must be sending me a warning about my cultivation practice!
Although I have started practising Falun Gong again, I still have attachments, including fear, lust, comfort, and the mentality of showing off. I was afraid that the police might come and ransack my home, so I don't even have a copy of Zhuan Falun. Instead, I study the Falun Gong teachings, the Fa, on my computer. Zhuan Falun is my least favourite among all the Falun Gong books. I practise the exercises only occasionally, and I rarely send forth righteous thoughts at midnight or at 6:00 a.m. I work long hours at my job, but even when I do have free time, I don't study the Fa. I am attached to learning technology to overcome China's Internet blockade and doing things unrelated to cultivation practice. When I watch Teacher's Fa lectures on video, I often become absent-minded. This all illustrates the fact that I don't take studying the Fa seriously.
Teacher said,
"And the Dafa disciples who have improved quickly are always those who have made Fa-study a priority. That is because the Fa is the foundation; it is what's fundamental for Dafa disciples; it is what ensures everything; and it is the avenue by which a human being journeys toward godhood. Thus I would like to take the opportunity of this Fa conference in Australia to tell all Dafa disciples around the world: Whether you are a new or veteran student, all the same you must not neglect Fa-study on account of being busy. Don't just go through the motions when you study the Fa. You should study with a concentrated mind, and you must really be studying. There have been so many lessons involving this. I hope all of you do well on the final leg of the journey." ("To the Australia Fa Conference")
If I continue neglecting my Fa study, I will waste my billions of years of waiting and my countless reincarnations. I will also have ruined the futures of all the sentient beings in my world. I will regret eternally everything I lose.
After Teacher's repeated hints through these dreams, I have realised that everything Teacher has said is true. Teacher said,
"Even if you begin to make up for all of that and try to catch up now, very few chances are left. I think that after a short while even these few chances will be gone." ("Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference")
I hope that those who are still neglecting their Fa study, especially those who returned to their cultivation practice, will be diligent in their Fa study. Never grab Buddha in one hand while hanging on to humanness with the other hand. When the Fa-rectification arrives at the human realm, you will not care about owning luxury mansions, an excellent job, or a large bank account. The year of 2007 has begun. Time continues to accelerate.
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