Cultivating My Heart and Mind in Falun Dafa, a Spiritual Practice from the Buddhist School

My name is Patricia and I have been practising Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) for 16 years.  I was introduced to the gentle exercises and meditation of Falun Gong in an Australian country town at the age of 31. An older male Falun Dafa practitioner was the volunteer at the practice site. On my first visit to learn more about Falun Dafa, I saw him sitting in the full lotus position. I thought it was amazing that an older man could do this and he looked as though he enjoyed what he was doing! I thought to give the gentle exercises and meditation a try and I enjoyed the experience greatly. 

I next asked to read the Falun Dafa books as they were recommended to me to assist with learning the practice. I started with the introductory book, Falun Gong and then the main teachings of Falun Dafa, in the book Zhuan Falun. I was hooked as each time I picked up both books and read the profound knowledge that was revealed to me.

What impressed me was that there is so much about being a good person and this helped me to conduct myself in a better manner during my daily life. 

A local Falun Dafa practice site in Australia. (supplied)

I experienced positive changes with my mind first receiving more clarity and next parts of my body that was ill began to heal. 

I experienced positive changes to my mind and body, which resulted in mental clarity and physical improvements in my health.

The Inner Meaning of the Chinese Language

I was intrigued and drawn to the many Chinese words written in Pin Yin (romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese) in both books, Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun.

I feel fortunate to have learned a few Chinese words and their inner meanings. 

I think that the reason for the few Chinese words in these books is because there is no true English translation. 

“Xinxing” (or Heart and Mind Nature) written in Chinese. (supplied)

The Chinese characters give a more in-depth meaning that I believe English words are not able to express. I especially found the Chinese word, xinxing intriguing, as the translation to English is, mind or heart nature and moral character. Over my many years of practicing cultivation in Falun Dafa I have come to understand the importance of this word, xinxing and its heart touching meaning. 

My Journey of Improving Myself in Falun Dafa

When I was a new Falun Dafa practitioner, I started a regular regime of doing the meditation and gentle exercises along with reading a small portion of Zhuan Falun each night. At that time I was suffering from gallstones but was also hesitant to getting surgery.

The doctor gave me a few months to consider but he didn’t really talk about other natural therapies that would help, which personally I was more inclined to.

As I just started Falun Dafa around the same time, I decided to take the practice seriously.

The website minghui.org also gave me hope as I read about other Falun Dafa practitioner’s in China and other countries. I read about how they improved themselves. I decided to mimic them the best I could by reading a part of Zhuan Falun and listening to the audio lectures everyday. 

A group of people performing the exercises of Falun Dafa. (supplied)

I did the exercises and meditation almost everyday, and when I missed it I would try to do more meditation on another day. Every day I studied it was as if a light was switched on inside of me. I am honoured to understand the deeper meaning to cultivation practice.

I put into practice the teachings I learned from the Falun Dafa books to the best I could with my understanding. I also talked to the person who introduced me to the practice Falun Dafa often. We shared our experiences that we had learned from. My new routine and incorporating a new way of thinking now changed my life. 

No more feeling as angry or upset with how life had turned out. Treating my outlook of good times and tough times are something I could choose, to look forward to for improvement in my cultivation practice and therefore my life. 

I worked at a Nursery a few days a week and my second job was delivering brochures. As I did my round with the catalogues, I listened to the Falun Dafa audio lectures given by Teacher Li Hongzhi and later felt a sensation near my gallbladder. I decided to continue listening to the lectures as I continued delivering the catalogues, and wanted to see how I felt afterwards.

Miraculously, the pain subsided and eventually went away. Since then, the pain I experienced has not relapsed.

I could see how the holistic improvement of my heart and mind (xinxing) through applying the principles of Falun Dafa assisted in this process. I was also more energetic and my outlook in life, and in the practice, was more positive.

In Zhuan Falun, Teacher Li states: “A person has to do sincere spiritual practice and focus on his character for healing to occur. That’s because these practices differ from regular physical exercises in that they reach beyond this world. So adherents have to live by higher principles and standards to achieve the goal of practice.” (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun)

Improving my Heart and Mind through Actual Practice

Troubles surfaced at my workplace and I remember a four-wheel drive hitting my little Barina hatchback in the back. 

The day the huge car rammed into my Barina, I was in a little state of shock but I remembered to be kind, as the person did not hit me on purpose. 

A lady gets on the phone after a car crash. (pixabay)

With that kind thought in my mind, a lady ran from the footpath to see how I was and she said that she saw the whole accident. The lady helped me retrieve details from the driver and the situation was resolved calmly. I felt my xinxing improve and all my negative situations had turned into a positive one.

I also managed to maintain my xinxing when co-workers or the boss had problems with me, I stopped taking their anger to heart and let it go.

In Falun Gong (revised edition), Teacher Li states:

“All cultivators of Falun Gong must make cultivation of xinxing their top priority and regard xinxing as the key to developing gong. This is the principle for cultivating at high levels. Strictly speaking, the gong potency that determines one’s level isn’t developed through performing the exercises but through xinxing cultivation. Improving xinxing is easier said than done. Cultivation must be able to put forth great effort, improve their enlightenment quality, bear hardships upon hardships, endure almost unendurable things and so on. Why haven’t some people’s gong grown even though they have practiced for years? The fundamental causes are first, they disregard xinxing; second, they do not know a high level righteous cultivation way. This point must be brought to light. Many masters who teach a practice system talk about xinxing – they are genuine things.” (Falun Gong, pg. 53)

I remembered looking at that dazzling Chinese word “xinxing.” I asked myself if I really understood this word and its full meaning.

At one of our small study groups, a Chinese person corrected me on its pronunciation. I didn’t even realise that I was saying this word incorrectly.

Xinxing is spoken like shin-shing. When I read Zhuan Falun that night, I paid particular attention to what this Chinese word means. 

A lady reads the book Zhuan Falun in Vietnamese. Zhuan Falun is translated in over 40 languages. (supplied)

One of the key features to Falun Dafa is the practice of looking within. In relation to the pronunciation of Xinxing, I enlightened that I still held much selfishness and that I was not improving my whole self. I only improved what suited me and only when someone pointed out problems. I began to try harder to push out many bad habits but also to be more thoughtful of others. I realised that others might feel more joyful and content with themselves and me; if I acted more compassionately with more mindfulness towards them, no matter the situation was good or not. Where I managed to improve, I was rewarded with a bright cheerful expression on my friend’s face. Now I understood better that xinxing or heart and mind nature is improved when forbearing hardship but also how I upgrade myself with heart thinking in everything that I do and with everyone I meet. 

“We have also said that if every one of us cultivates his inner self, examines his own xinxing to look for the causes of wrongdoing so as to do better next time, and considers others first when taking action, human society will become better and morality will rise. The spiritual civilisation would also become better, and so would public security. Perhaps there would not be any police. No one would need to be governed, as everyone would discipline himself or herself and search their inner self. Wouldn’t you say this would be great?” (Zhuan Falun, Lecture 9, pg 443)

Now, as sit or stand in meditation, my mind has much more clarity than when I first started. My body remains fit and healthy, and I know this is because I put more effort into cultivating xinxing.

To Learn Falun Gong online go to www.learnfalungong.org.au/webinar or for in person classes go to https://falunau.org/practise-sites/

Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings.

‘Learn Falun Gong—Australia’ is a website run by Australian Falun Dafa volunteers for the benefit of the general public.