(Clearwisdom.net) I have practiced Dafa for just over two and a half years now and have spent most of my practice alone and separated from other practitioners. As a result I have formed different opinions about things and haven't been influenced by the group as a whole. This has obviously had both positive and negative results.

On the one hand, I have had very few people to share with, and I feel that my progress has been slow. I do not know many of the Chinese terms for Dafa things that other students use and am often left confused. Because they all communicate better than me, I am often left feeling like I'm on the outside looking in.

Because I don't often share with other practitioners, my main source of understanding comes from Master's Fa and the Clearwisdom website. This has led me to understand the importance of Fa study. Ever since I read Zhuan Falun the first time, I have read the book almost every day. I say "almost," because in my early days, I did not understand the true power of the book or the contaminating effect of ordinary society, and I gave the book to whoever expressed an interest in reading it. My thinking was that I was lucky to have read it, therefore my life was already saved. Sometimes I had to wait months before I got another copy.

Recently, after sharing with another practitioner who is going through and has been dealing with some tribulations in his cultivation for some years now, I began to speak with him about some things that Master said in some recent lectures. The practitioner looked blank. I then asked, half jokingly, if he had read all of Master's lectures and books. He replied to my surprise that he hadn't. I was shocked. I could not understand how a practitioner who has met Master on several occasions and been a part of Dafa for over five years could not have read everything Master left to guide us. I then spoke with another practitioner who confirmed that there were perhaps others who also hadn't read everything that Master left for us, but that by and large it was a minority. I was dumbfounded. I just naturally assumed that all practitioners would read everything Master has written, and not just once. I naturally assumed that all practitioners try every day to do the three things the best they can. After all, he is our Master. I know we cannot always do things well, but if we do not understand the Fa or how to handle the current situation, how can we do the three things well? I began to think about what it was that made me try to be diligent in this respect.

Because I was isolated from the group, I only had Zhuan Falun as my example and role model. Zhuan Falun is without attachment or misunderstanding. I began to realize the seriousness of Fa study. I decided to write this article to share some of my experiences and understandings with those practitioners who are not diligent, who are struggling to comprehend certain things, or who are newer practitioners.

The first thing is that you must study the Fa well. An ancient Chinese saying says, "Even a small kink in the road will eventually become a large bend if uncorrected." I have observed from my own experience that one day lost in Fa study takes three days to catch up. And what of the opportunities you miss while trying to catch up? It really is so precious. There are many things you can't sense in cultivation, but that does not mean you should not pay attention to them. Master has already stated in Zhuan Falun:

"So some people have formed a rigid concept, and think that only the things they see through their eyes are tangible and real, and they don't believe in what they don't see. In the past people always took these people to have poor comprehension. Some people can't explain why that's poor comprehension. 'He doesn't believe in what he doesn't see. That's perfectly reasonable.' But, when you look at it from a slightly higher level, it's not reasonable."

Just because you can't yet sense the importance of Fa study does not mean you should neglect it. Without correct Fa study you will struggle to do the three things correctly. Studying the Fa is such a small thing to do in an everyday person's eyes, but it is so important for us cultivators. The keystone is often the smallest brick in a bridge, but it is the one that holds the whole bridge together. I understand that reading the Fa may not seem as grandiose as truth clarifying activities or other things that practitioners do, but it is truly wondrous because it is from this that all other things shall flow.

Secondly, to practitioners with poor comprehension or newer practitioners, I would like to share an experience I had. Some of the things you may read in Master's lectures initially may seem good, and you may know they are good, but you may struggle to understand how they are true, and as such observe things on more of a theoretical level. Master has stated several times that he will allow practitioners to observe and experience certain things in order to increase their confidence and allow them to understand the true beauty and power of Dafa.

In "Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference," Master explained in answering a question about the construction of systems within us and how they correspond to our own cultivation. Master said,

"Actually, to microcosmic beings your cell is their planet. And it's not just cells--how many microcosmic particles make up a cell? A cell or a microcosmic particle in your image is the King of all beings in that particle, and all the countless beings in there are governed by it. If you don't cultivate yourself well your cells won't be well-cultivated; if you have cultivated yourself well your cells are well-cultivated, and the beings in the domain of your cells' jurisdiction are well-cultivated."

During the fifth exercise one day, I had the feeling of becoming very small. I was aware that it was not my physical body that was becoming small. I entered into myself and found myself in a beautiful valley surrounded by pastures and green hills on either side. As soon as I realized I had arrived there, a group of small children came running excitedly toward me. They were shouting a name that I knew was not my given name here on Earth but in this world meant King. They all hugged me and crowded round me, laughing and tugging at my robes. They all said how happy they were to see me and asked me when I would be returning. I sensed that they missed me very much. This place was so beautiful and the joy expressed by these children so pure, I found it quite stirring to the heart. I only stayed for a brief moment, but told the children I would return once I was successful in my mission. As I began to return to my normal size I realized I was not simply returning to the level on this plane. I began to ascend slightly higher and saw some wonderful scenes of other dimensions as well.

To my fellow practitioners, all of what Master says is truth, and all of what he asks us to do is for the best. All of the things he wants us to achieve are also the best. Please have steadfast faith in Master and Dafa, do the three things well, and save all sentient beings.

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