(Clearwisdom.net) I downloaded the exercise music from Minghui Radio and started doing the exercises at the time synchronized across China. It has been nine months since Clearwisdom announced early morning group exercise on March 5, 2007. After talking with other practitioners, I learned that they all got up earlier than I and started the exercises at 3:50 a.m. I felt ashamed that I only managed to start doing the exercises at 3:50 a.m. about one third of the time. I usually did the exercises at either 4:10 a.m. or 4:50 a.m., and I didn't practice the exercises in unison with practitioners all over China. Previously, I had practiced the meditation at 4:50 a.m., then did the moving exercises, followed by sending righteous thoughts. Why couldn't I do the exercises in unison with practitioners all over China and harmonize as a whole body?
I realized that I didn't have a strong will and self-restraint, and I allowed my main consciousness to relax. My pseudo-self didn't want to get up, so I snoozed a little. When I woke up, I thought, "We don't have anything like doing the exercises at set times or set locations." So I did the meditation first, then the moving exercises. My thoughts and actions were not on the Fa. Instead of setting a higher standard for myself, I compared by behavior with what I did in the past. Especially during the winter, I had a very difficult time leaving my comfortable bed. Although Teacher said that doing the exercises is the best kind of rest, I was still measuring myself with a non-practitioner's mentality. While I knew that it was interference, I still slacked off.
Once, while sending righteous thoughts at midnight, I was too sleepy to keep my mind clear and I fell asleep. I woke up at 6:30 the next morning. As a result, I missed sending righteous thoughts again. In fact, it was interference. However, I had been using human thinking to evaluate and handle these problems. I thought, "Why was I so sleepy? Maybe I didn't sleep well." Other practitioners also asked me whether I got enough sleep. I totally forgot it wasn't me and that I should not accept it. Instead, I should send righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference.
I always went to sleep after sending righteous thoughts at midnight. Around 12:40 or 1:00 am, I would tell myself I should fall asleep right now, otherwise I won't wake up on time in the morning. I comforted myself with the thought that there's no difference in doing the exercises at 4:50 am. In fact, I did not cooperate harmoniously to assimilate as one body. I thought I was lacking sleep, and whenever I didn't wake up on time, I would rationalize it with human thinking.
Some practitioners said that they could do the morning exercises and then go back to sleep until 9:00 a.m. They believed in having sufficient sleep, and, as a result, they tried to sleep at night and in the morning. But they hadn't tried their best to save sentient beings day and night and just couldn't compare with the diligent practitioners. Some other practitioners also said, "I can't get up at 3:30 a.m., and this is not what Teacher asked us to do." I think this understanding is not right. Teacher once told us to read the Clearwisdom website for positions on major issues. Teacher said:
"Actually, if you think about it, the cultivators of the past didn't dare to slack off for even a second, and that was when it took an entire lifetime to complete the journey. So how can Dafa disciples--who are to achieve the Attainment Status of a being who is saved by Dafa and who have the most convenient cultivation way--not be even more diligent when they are given this most glorious honor of Fa-validating cultivation in a brief cultivation period that passes in the blink of an eye? You already know that the form of a Dafa disciple's cultivation has one cultivate here, in the world, among ordinary people, and that the cultivation directly targets one's mind. All human attachments and notions that interfere with validating the Fa and saving sentient beings must be removed. For cultivators traveling a divine path, is it really that hard to get rid of those attachments that arise from human thinking and to change those notions?" ("The Closer to the End, the More Diligent You Should Be")
When I was very reluctant to get up, I would think, "I am a Dafa disciple during the Fa-rectification period, I have responsibilities to save sentient beings, and I need to be diligent, more diligent." Finally, Teacher helped me when I repeated, "The closer to the end, the more diligent I should be. The closer to the end, the more diligent I should be. The closer to the end, the more diligent I should be." Immediately, I perked up and felt very light. I feel that Teacher is looking after us, protecting us, and helping us all the time. We should do well what Teacher has asked us to do, save more sentient beings, and harmonize what Teacher wants.
I understand the preciousness of time. We should know that time is precious beyond measure. One practitioner shared his understanding about the morning exercises on the Clearwisdom website: "Teacher is looking at us to see what we will do after reading the Clearwisdom editor's notification, to see if we repel the attack on our practice environment arranged by the old forces, and to see if we become more diligent when it is closer to the end. After the environment of group exercises was destroyed in 1999, many practitioners couldn't practice the exercises on a regular basis, and some even stopped practicing the exercises for a long time. At this very late stage of Fa-rectification, Teacher has helped us to create such a huge practice environment. All I can feel is Teacher's vast compassion."
The practitioners who did well before should harmonize as a whole body. As the end draws nearer, we should become more diligent. The practitioners who didn't do well before should catch up. Master once said: "Once you miss the opportunity, you will never have it again." I feel ashamed that I didn't practice the exercises in unison with other practitioners, and I didn't do well―I let Teacher down. I wrote this article to strengthen my willpower, dissolve laziness, and transcend human notions. Fellow practitioners, let us cultivate ourselves more diligently together and follow Teacher's Fa-rectification process.
Thank you, Teacher!
The above is my personal realization. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
My Understanding of Joining the Morning Group Exercises
By a practitioner from China
The other day I read an article on "Minghui Weekly." It said that joining group exercise is participating in the activity with all practitioners and acting as one body. Today, I want to share my understanding about this. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
Once, after doing the fifth exercise, I suddenly enlightened to the meaning of one sentence in Zhuan Falun:
"Our Falun Dafa cultivation has stayed away from using one energy channel to drive hundreds of other ones. Right from the get-go we make all the energy channels move simultaneously and all energy channels operate in sync." (Zhuan Falun)
I realize that each Dafa practitioner is one "energy channel." Aren't the morning exercises "making all the energy channels move simultaneously and all energy channels operate in sync?" With Teacher's protection, if we could do well what we should do and if all "energy channels" operate in sync, how wonderful the morning group exercises would be! The evil factors would not exist any more.
However, in our area, many practitioners do the exercises at different times, and some don't even do them at all. Practitioners have many excuses: they're unable to stay awake during Fa study or it's cold outside now, so it's hard to get rid of the attachment to comfort. I believe if one energy channel doesn't operate, it will affect the progress of Fa-rectification. Teacher does not want to leave any practitioners behind, so Teacher will wait until your energy channel starts to move. Fellow practitioners, let's get rid of human notions, and be more diligent!
