On the Content of Group Fa Study and My Experience in Hong Kong-IG 08

On the Content of Group Fa Study and My Experience in Hong Kong

Fang Tianliang

After listening to fellow practitioners discuss how to arrange group Fa study today, I would like to share a few thoughts.

Our morning group generally reads one lecture of Zhuan Falun each day. We finish the nine lectures in nine days, which means roughly forty readings in a year.

Today someone raised a practical question. A newer Western practitioner did not attend our morning reading because she wanted to study Master’s other lectures. Other practitioners who obtained the Fa relatively recently have asked the same question: if we read one lecture of Zhuan Falun every day, when do we study all the other teachings?

For people balancing work and family, finding even one hour a day for group study is not easy. Ideally, we could read Zhuan Falun in the morning and study Essentials for Further Advancement and lectures given elsewhere in the evening. Not everyone can do this yet, especially newer practitioners.

I think this deserves thoughtful discussion.

1. Does Making Zhuan Falun Our Main Text Mean Leaving Other Lectures Unread?

Over the years Master has given many lectures, including the Essentials for Further Advancement and Hong Yin collections and lectures at Fa conferences in different places. I understand that dozens of volumes have been published. Master has spoken about making Zhuan Falun the main text for group Fa study. Yet many practitioners feel that after reading one lecture each day, little time remains. I vaguely remember a recent reminder from the Falun Dafa Association about ensuring daily Fa-study time, but I cannot recall the precise wording.

For those who began practising after 1999, and especially those who started only recently, choosing what to read when there is time for only one daily study session is a real and important question.

My understanding is that lectures given at different times and places often addressed common problems practitioners were facing then. Newer practitioners may encounter similar issues decades later, so studying the earlier lectures can be particularly valuable.

Master’s more recent teachings also address the present stage of Fa-rectification. Personally, I hope every practitioner can eventually read all of Master’s published teachings at least once.

That way, we are less likely to leave gaps in our understanding. Even a seemingly small issue can become difficult if we have never encountered the relevant teaching. Many Fa-conference lectures include questions from practitioners; although those questions arose in particular circumstances, the answers can still enlighten us today.

Of course, Master has repeatedly explained and reminded us of important principles. Even so, I feel that studying the other lectures in full is valuable. We may read something many times and still forget it or repeat the same mistakes. I therefore hope to revisit Essentials for Further Advancement, Hong Yin, important articles and Fa-conference lectures systematically from time to time. Sometimes, on rereading, I suddenly realise that a passage I once overlooked is speaking directly to a problem of my own.

I also noticed, after I read Master's other teaching, and returned back to read Zhuan Falun, I often have new understanding for Zhuan Falun, because Fa is harmony and complementarity.

I remember Master emphasising the importance of studying his Jingwen articles repeatedly. Some are short and appear to discuss social phenomena, yet I find that they also prompt me to examine habits and ideas shaped by modern society. Certain pieces in Zhuan Falun Volume II have given me fresh insights each time I return to them.

I also feel that Hong Yin is worth memorising. During the harshest years of persecution, reciting poems from Hong Yin helped us persevere. One poem written in 1991 has stayed with me:

“無存” (Chinese original)生無所求死不惜留蕩盡妄念佛不難修

At present there are evening groups on SONANT studying Master’s articles, and practitioners are welcome to join. But for newcomers whose only available time is in the morning, I think it is also important for our group to study key articles together.

The group should decide the details through discussion. My thought is that if we need to catch up, it is better to begin sooner rather than later. Four hours on weekends alone may be slow. Perhaps we could finish Essentials for Further Advancement I, then read Zhuan Falun once, then study Essentials for Further Advancement II before returning to Zhuan Falun. Alternating in this way might accommodate both needs.

2. Different English Translations of Zhuan Falun

Western practitioners face another issue: there have been different English editions of Zhuan Falun. Some groups use one edition consistently. Some practitioners prefer an earlier translation, while others favour the 2018 edition.

My impression is that different editions sometimes strike different balances between literary precision and accessible, everyday language. Certain expressions in earlier editions seem closer to the Chinese original to me, while parts of the 2018 edition may sound more natural to native English speakers. This is only my linguistic impression; it is not a judgement about which edition conveys the Fa’s deeper meaning more completely.

My English is not particularly strong, but comparing translations has helped my own understanding. I seem to remember Master addressing different translations in a Fa-conference question-and-answer session, although I would need to check the exact wording. That is why I like the idea of Room Four reading different editions in rotation. On the other hand, consistently using one officially published edition can help practitioners who wish to memorise the text.

I have also noticed some wording differences between printed books and online texts that appear to be from the same edition. In certain places, I feel the printed wording is closer to the Chinese.

3. Why Group Fa Study in Hong Kong Has Stayed with Me

In 2019 I visited Hong Kong and joined local practitioners for group Fa study. After returning, I wrote an experience-sharing article, although many practitioners may not have seen it.

I have visited many countries and joined group study in different places. From my personal perspective, the Hong Kong experience in 2019 was among the most memorable and rewarding.

The circumstances there were distinctive. Young practitioners at the Hong Kong edition of The Epoch Times were writing articles, producing videos and making news programmes. Many older practitioners were going out every day to distribute newspapers, clarify the truth to visitors from mainland China and encourage them to make the Three Quits from Chinese Communist Organises.

I admired those older practitioners immensely. Some spoke Cantonese but little Mandarin. Because so many visitors came from the mainland, they worked hard to learn Mandarin so that they could speak to them directly. Even at an advanced age, they kept learning and speaking with people.

By then, The Epoch Times in Hong Kong was a daily newspaper. In addition to reporting and editing, practitioners helped with printing, distribution, deliveries, street promotion and sales. There was always a great deal to do.

During the 2019 anti-extradition-bill protests in particular, events changed rapidly, with marches, demonstrations and major news developments almost every day. Those involved in media work and truth clarification needed both to study the Fa well and to understand what was happening around them.

The way they organised group study in that environment gave me much to think about.

Step One: Reading Zhuan Falun Together in a Steady Rhythm

The Hong Kong Epoch Times group held a study session every Friday.

They began by reading one lecture of Zhuan Falun together.

Their method was distinctive. Usually two practitioners with clear, strong Mandarin voices and a steady study state led the reading. They read a little louder, while the others followed more softly at the same pace. The result was a remarkably unified rhythm. I personally felt a strong energy field when everyone read together, and came away feeling refreshed. I saw a similar approach at group Fa study in Midtown Manhattan, New York.

Step Two: An Editor Summarised the Week’s Important News

After reading a lecture, an editor-in-chief of the Hong Kong Epoch Times briefly introduced the week’s major stories, especially the front-page headlines of the previous few days.

Some older practitioners spent their days distributing and selling newspapers and talking to visitors, leaving little time to read each issue carefully. The editor therefore distilled the most important developments into a short, focused briefing.

Step Three: Reading Carefully Selected Minghui Experience-Sharing Articles

Another practice impressed me deeply. A practitioner from the local Falun Dafa Association would select one or two representative experience-sharing articles published on Minghui that week, and someone would read them aloud.

Sometimes these were articles from mainland China Fa conferences. Sometimes they concerned Fa study, xinxing improvement or attachments many practitioners were struggling with. At other times they related to current events or truth-clarification work.

I felt this complemented spontaneous sharing among local practitioners. Everyone is at a different stage of cultivation, so the depth of an impromptu discussion varies. Minghui publishes experiences from practitioners in many places and circumstances, and some articles offer particularly profound insights.

I remember gaining a great deal from listening to those accounts.

Step Four: Shen Yun Songs Were Also Part of Some Gatherings

I remember that before the 2019 anti-extradition protests, Hong Kong practitioners sometimes watched recordings of Shen Yun songs together.

Because Master wrote the lyrics, I always felt that listening strengthened my righteous thoughts. Music has great power; in particular, lyrics about saving people, cultivation and the meaning of life often gave me the vivid personal sensation of energy flowing through my whole body.

Step Five: Watching the Nine-Lecture Video Series Together

Besides the Friday sessions, I remember that Hong Kong practitioners periodically arranged to watch Master’s nine-lecture video series together. I cannot now remember whether this was monthly or every few months. My recollection is that they set aside about two afternoons to watch all nine lectures.

I found this deeply rewarding. We normally study by reading, but watching the recordings of Master giving the lectures often brought me a sense of additional information and deeper meaning. It was precious to set aside our other work and watch the entire series together.

Looking back, the Hong Kong Epoch Times gatherings combined reading Zhuan Falun with news briefings, selected Minghui experiences, Shen Yun songs and periodic viewings of the nine-lecture series. The format was varied, lively and substantial. The experience has remained with me ever since.