(Clearwisdom.net) While sharing experiences and discussing with fellow practitioners, I often hear them saying that they can’t maintain a tranquil mind during Fa-study and that they feel sleepy and can’t concentrate when they try to study the Fa in the evening. They feel very anxious about their state, but at the same time they also feel somewhat hopeless and passive about the situation. I want to share my understanding and lessons learned on this issue.
Master said “You should also be clear that “natural” does not exist, and “the inevitable” has reasons behind it.” (“Expounding on the Fa” in Essentials for Further Advancement)
If the state where one can’t maintain a tranquil mind or feels sleepy during Fa-study lasts a long time, it must be an incorrect state. One needs to search within oneself and find the reason(s) why such a state has appeared. In my experience, the following is a list of several possible reasons.
1. Setting Less Strict Requirements for Oneself, Not Cultivating One’s Xinxing, and Not Searching Inward
In such a state, during Fa-study it is difficult to maintain a tranquil mind, and it is also easy to feel sleepy. I understand this point deeply because of my own experiences. I know fellow practitioners have experienced the following: if for a period of time one is too occupied with taking care of ordinary things and slacks off in cultivation or doesn’t do the three things well, then one is unable to reach a tranquil state during Fa-study at all. One becomes sleepy as soon as one starts to study the Fa. Once you slack off in cultivation, the elements of ordinary people will interfere with you, making you unable to study the Fa and making you unable to reach a tranquil state. If one does the three things well and does everything according to the standard and requirements of the Fa, then the more one studies, the more enjoyable it feels. The more one studies, the harder it is to put down the Fa. The more one studies, the clearer one’s mind becomes. Sometimes even if I study all evening long and don’t stop until sending forth righteous thoughts at midnight, I might still want to stay up just to study the Fa longer.
2. Being Interfered with by One’s Attachments, Unable to Reach a Tranquil State While Studying the Fa and thus Feeling Sleepy
On several occasions I reached a point where I was supposed to improve my xinxing or focus on removing a certain attachment. However, because my attachment was too strong and too difficult for me to let go of, I was interfered with by that attachment. As a result, I was unable to reach a tranquil state and felt sleepy when I studied the Fa. The physical substance manifesting from the attachment that I was unable to let go of would interfere with my brain, fight with my mind, and make me unable to study the Fa and unable to reach a tranquil state. For a period of time I couldn’t let go of my attachment to personal gain. As soon as I studied the Fa, thoughts related to it would pop up in my mind. Each time this happened, I sent righteous thoughts to disintegrate such thoughts, but they kept coming back and I couldn’t get rid of them. Because I was unable to let go of my attachment, I couldn’t reach a tranquil state while studying the Fa. Such a bad state lasted several days. It didn’t stop until Master seriously gave me a hint while I tried to study the Fa. I was told, “Stop being interfered with by your attachment!” Then I realized that the reason was because I couldn’t let go of my attachment to personal gain. Once I let go of my attachment and improved my xinxing, when I studied the Fa again, I was no longer interfered with by that attachment, and I was naturally able to reach a tranquil state. It made me realize more clearly what Master said,
“Only when you upgrade your xinxing can you attain a clear and clean mind, and a state free of intention (wuwei).” (“Lecture Nine” in Zhuan Falun)
Therefore, when I study the Fa, I pay great attention to discover what kind of attachment is behind the physical substance that makes me unable to reach a tranquil state. Once I find it, I am able to eliminate it quickly through cultivation.
3. Not Eliminating the Bad Thoughts in One’s Mind in a Timely Manner and Thus Experiencing Interference
There was a period of two to three days when I couldn’t reach a tranquil state while studying the Fa. It seemed that something was suffocating my heart, and I felt uncomfortable. I wondered why I was in such a state. Even though some bad thoughts had recently come back, I realized that those thoughts didn’t conform to the Fa and weren’t thoughts that came from my genuine self. But when I studied the Fa, I still couldn’t reach a tranquil state. The Fa couldn’t enter into my brain. It seemed that there was something that was blocking me. One day I started reading Master's recent lectures. I read the part where Master spoke about thoughts that come from Dafa disciples’ minds that are very strong, and that the higher one’s level is, the stronger the thoughts become, and the longer they last. Only then did I realize that even though I realized those bad thoughts that came back to mind weren’t good, I didn’t disintegrate them promptly. Those things thus formed a field of negative energy. The evil was able to take advantage of the loophole and interfere with my mind and interfere with my Fa-study. Once I realized that, I immediately held my palm erect to send righteous thoughts and disintegrate the bad thoughts, the field of negative energy, as well as all the unrighteous evil elements in that field. As soon as I erected my palm, I felt the thing that was suffocating my heart go away, and my mind became clear instantly. Once I opened the book to study the Fa, I was able to enter a state of tranquility.
4. Not Having the Right Posture During Fa-study Could Also Lead to Interference
We must maintain our respect to Master and the Fa in everything we do, including while studying the Fa. I hadn’t done well in this regard, especially during my Fa study. I didn’t want to cross my legs in the double-lotus position or hold my back straight during Fa-study. When I felt tired, I liked leaning against the wall, propping my back against quilts, or leaning against the back of the sofa. Sometimes I even put the book on my legs and read with my head bent down towards it. Master once hinted to me that I should pay attention to my posture while seated and that my posture while studying the Fa was inappropriate. During the initial several days after I realized this point, I was able to maintain the right posture while studying the Fa. But because I didn’t search inward and didn’t promptly eliminate my laziness, I went back to my old way after several days. Once my legs started to hurt, I shifted my legs out of the double-lotus position. One day I started to study the Fa while sitting in the single-lotus position, and my ankle started to hurt. Even then I didn’t enlighten to what had happened, and I still kept sitting in the same position. I felt pain for the next eight to nine days. One evening I studied the Fa again while sitting in the single-lotus position. As I studied the Fa, I became sleepy and kept nodding off. I felt exhaustion all over my body and wanted to sleep. But I knew that I shouldn’t sleep and I should continue studying the Fa. But I just couldn’t concentrate. The thought of going to sleep kept popping up in my mind. At that point I felt a little bit alarmed and thought to myself, “Something is wrong here. Is it because I haven’t done something well and allowed the evil to take advantage of my loophole?” I thought about it over and over again. Because the thought of searching inward came to my mind, my knowing side helped me. I subconsciously moved my left leg over my right leg, straightened out my back, and held the book with both hands respectfully. The moment that I completed the adjustment, I felt an instant feeling of relaxation from my head to my toes. My body felt so comfortable. I felt neither sleepy nor tired.
As Dafa practitioners, we must conform to the Fa in everything that we do. Not keeping the right posture during Fa study is being disrespectful to Master, and that is a xinxing problem. When that problem is compounded by one’s laziness, it is easy for the evil to take advantage of. It makes us feel sleepy in the evening. Many practitioners feel that it is a natural thing to feel sleepy during Fa-study in the evening. But that should not be the case at all. Yesterday evening because I didn’t maintain a correct posture while studying the Fa, the evil took advantage of my loophole. It was already 11:40 p.m., and it was almost time to send righteous thoughts. I told myself to take a break and get ready to send righteous thoughts. So I placed the book that I was holding in my hands on the pillow, and bent my back to read it while crossing my legs in the double-lotus position. I had no idea when I drifted off to sleep. When I woke up, it was 12:20 a.m., and I missed the time to send righteous thoughts. I felt extreme remorse. When I read the following paragraph by Master, I realized the seriousness of cultivation even more deeply, Master said,
“Your path is, and I think you've all seen this now, actually very narrow. If you deviate just a little bit you won't measure up to the standard of a Dafa disciple. There's only one very righteous path we can walk on, and we can't deviate even just a little bit, because this is required by history, and required by the lives of sentient beings in the future cosmos.” (“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference” in 2003)
After several painful lessons, I started to pay more attention to this aspect. During Fa study, I maintained the double-lotus position even when my legs felt pain, and I kept my back straight even when I felt tired. It may sound miraculous that even though my legs felt pain after I sat in the double-lotus position for a long period of time, my mind was able to achieve a tranquil state as I studied the Fa. I try my best to finish reading one lecture in Zhuan Falun while sitting in the double-lotus position. I no longer have the thought of uncrossing my legs while reading the Fa. Sometimes I was able to sit in this position for more than two hours and still feel no desire to uncross my legs. Now when I study the Fa, as soon as I sit in the double-lotus position, my back automatically straightens itself, and my whole body is surrounded and enforced by very strong energy. It is a very comfortable feeling.
5. Not Being Able to Maintain the Stability of One’s Mind During Fa Study Can Also Result in Interference
Master said,
“So when you study the Fa, don't just go through the motions. You have to calm your mind when you read it, and truly study it. Don't let your mind sneak away from you. Once your mind wanders off, you'll be studying in vain. If we look at it from another angle, when you study the Fa and your mind isn't on the Fa, it's not only a problem of just going through the motions, but also that the person studying the Fa is actually not being very respectful of the Fa. How could the Fa reveal itself, then? So from this angle, I think that you have to calm your mind when you study the Fa, and remember to keep your mind steady during Fa-study when you're busy.” (“Fa-Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A.”)
I had a bad habit in the past. When studying other lectures by Master, I was able to keep my mind steady. But when I read Zhuan Falun, because I had read it so many times, I found it easy to allow my mind to wander off and relax. Once, as I read Zhuan Falun, at the beginning my concentration was quite high, but as I kept reading, my mind started to wander off. I didn’t pay any attention to it and kept reading. Soon afterward I started to nod off and unkind thoughts also emerged from my mind. Because I had experienced similar lessons in the past, I started to search inward, “I was doing quite well a moment ago. Why did this happen as I read the Fa? Is it because I had a loophole during the process of Fa-study?” I immediately realized that I failed to keep my mind steady during Fa-study and didn’t promptly restrain myself and eliminate the attachments that surfaced. They were interfering with my Fa-study. When I realized that, before I had a chance to send righteous thoughts, the unkind elements disappeared, and I stopped feeling sleepy.
I’ve experienced a lot of things in this regard. Over the years, because I pay attention to searching inward, I was able to reach a tranquil and alert state during Fa-study (sometimes that feeling came periodically, and that was due to my state of cultivation). The feeling of tranquility and alertness is indescribable with words. I truly felt as if the field was clear and my body was transparent, and my mind and my body were integrated together. My whole heart, my whole body, and everything around me were surrounded by the compassionate energy of the Fa. As I read the Fa, my face unconsciously became gentle and kind; I started to smile; my voice became softer and softer as I read the Fa; and my body and heart were melded into the Fa. When I entered into such a state, I read the Fa with tears falling down my face. Sometimes before I opened the book to read the Fa, a warm current swept through my heart.
When some practitioners can’t reach a tranquil state or feel too sleepy to continue Fa-study, it is actually because they haven’t paid any attention to this aspect or searched inward to eliminate their problems. Also because of their attachments to laziness and seeking comfort, they didn’t control themselves and simply gave up and went to sleep when they felt sleepy. Therefore the evil is able to take advantage of their loopholes and use the sleep demon to interfere with their Fa-study. If they keep behaving in such a way and don’t search inward to cultivate themselves, they will create barriers to their cultivation.
If the above contains anything inappropriate, I welcome fellow practitioners to kindly point it out to me.
