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We Cannot Neglect Doing the Exercises By Xue Lian, a practitioner from China (Clearwisdom.net) When I was sharing experiences with a neighbor (also a practitioner) about three weeks ago, we talked about the issue of doing the exercises. He said, "Since the persecution began, although I don't do the exercises very much, I am always very dedicated when doing the exercises. Even though I feel tired, I stick to it. After the exercises, my whole body feels very relaxed." This practitioner's exercise movements are very accurate, especially the second exercise when holding the wheel. Although there may be an element of finding an excuse for not doing the exercises enough, the practitioner's words made me think about my own lack in doing the exercises.
I am a veteran practitioner, having practiced for over 10 years, but I continue to have two issues with the exercises: not doing them enough and inaccuracies in my movements, especially for the second exercise. In the last 10-plus years, or almost 4,000 days, I've only truly finished all five exercises maybe 2,000 times. Does that mean that, in my carelessness, I missed five years worth of exercises? Even when I was doing the exercises, how many times have I done them with care and good positions? Prior to July 1999, when I attended group practice, exercise instructions, or activities to promote the practice, I tried to do the movements accurately. But since the persecution began and the environment changed, there have been no group practice sites. I slacked off. I didn't do the exercises as much and paid less attention to the movements.
Actually, this was the true manifestation of my xinxing. Before the persecution, I relied on external forces—the power of the group environment—to do well. After losing that environment, laziness, the attachment to comfort, and the attachment to relying on others were exposed. I succumbed to these attachments time after time, which in turn strengthened them. If the Teacher had not used this practitioner's words to remind me, I still might not have realized it.
Be it laziness, the attachment to comfort, or the attachment to relying on others, weren't they all a result of the most fundamental attachment to myself? I knew that Dafa was good, and didn't want to be left behind, yet I did not want to endure hardship. When I slacked off and didn't want to do the exercises, did I think about Teacher's compassionate salvation? Wouldn't my slacking off increase Teacher's burden? Wouldn't it affect the transformation of my own body and slow down the harmonization of the sentient beings within my body, delaying their entrance into the new universe? From this perspective, we must do the exercises well. Actually, after my notion changed, doing the exercises was not really hard, but quite wonderful.
In "The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa," the Teacher said, "Falun Buddha Fa also includes cultivation of the body, which is accomplished by performing the exercise movements of the Great Consummation Way—a great high-level practice of the Buddha School. One purpose of the exercises is to strengthen a practitioner’s supernormal abilities and energy mechanisms using his or her powerful gong potency (gongli), thus achieving 'the Fa refines the practitioner.' Another purpose is to evolve many living beings in a practitioner’s body. In high-level cultivation practice, the Immortal Infant or Buddha-Body will be born, and many abilities will be developed. The exercise movements are necessary for transforming and cultivating these things. The exercises are part of the harmonization and perfection in our Dafa. So Dafa is a comprehensive mind-body cultivation system. It is also called 'The Great Consummation Way.' This Dafa thus requires both cultivation and exercises, with cultivation taking priority over the exercises. A person’s gong will not increase if he merely does the exercises and fails to cultivate his xinxing. A person who only cultivates his xinxing and does not perform the exercises of the Great Consummation Way will find the growth of his gong potency impeded and his original-body (benti) unchanged." In "Teaching the Fa at the 2001 Canada Fa Conference," Teacher said, "I know that you’ve all worked so hard. You have to work and you have to study, you have your family life and social activities, and at the same time you have to take care of your family, do a good job at work, and you have to study the Fa well and do the exercises well, and what’s more, you have to clarify the truth. It is hard! It’s pretty hard both time-wise and financially. It’s hard, so your mighty virtue is displayed; it’s hard, and so it’s a good opportunity to establish your mighty virtue. Remarkable! Since you are cultivators, even though it’s hard you should do even better."
Teacher has explained the Fa clearly, but I, an obtuse student, have not yet done well. I have not been truly responsible to myself and to the sentient beings.
In addition, I realized that failure to do the exercises will also affect the quality of our righteous thoughts. Sending forth righteous thoughts uses supernormal capabilities to eliminate the evil. Supernormal capabilities require the exercises to strengthen them. If I fail to do the exercises well, isn't it a lie to say that I have done the three things well? When I read the book "My Master," tears rolled down my cheeks many times. Teacher's uprightness deeply touched me. The sufferings Teacher endured made me examine myself and see my own shortcomings. Although the students could see the hardships Teacher endured when traveling and lecturing, we could not see the other hardships Teacher went through—it would be impossible for us to see them. If the disciples could do even better, wouldn't that also lighten Teacher's burden?
Since I've recognized my problem, I will now solidly cultivate myself and strictly follow the Teacher's requirements. Teacher said, "Only when you are studying the Fa and cultivating your heart and mind in addition to the means of reaching Consummation—the exercises, and truly changing yourself fundamentally while improving your xinxing and elevating your level—can it be called true cultivation practice." ("What is Cultivation Practice," Essentials for Further Advancement) I will remember Teacher's words, "'It’s hard to endure, but you can endure it. It’s hard to do, but you can do it.'" (Zhuan Falun) I believe under the guidance of our compassionate Teacher, I will do even better and walk my path more righteously. Posting date: 12/12/2006
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