(Clearwisdom.net) After reading the article "Kindly Request Fellow Practitioners to Share on How to Take Care of Young Disciples," I've been waiting for practitioners to present their views on this issue. Somewhat disappointed, I don't know why no one has shown an interest. Personally I think it's no small matter that a young disciple give up cultivation and be ruined among everyday people. So, despite my limited cultivation level, I wish to talk a bit about this subject, so as to share what I think with the practitioner who raised the issue.
A quote from the article, "My son obtained the Fa at the age of five and used to listen to Master's recorded lectures quite often. Sometimes he was able to quote Master's sentences in the lectures. Though he was too young to read, the child could see spinning law wheels and Buddha's images in the book Zhuan Falun. Occasionally, he knew what Master said about him," shows that this little disciple has very good inborn quality and must be the kind of child that Master said had come to this world especially for the Fa. Nonetheless, he now has distanced himself from the Fa. The practitioner gave many reasons, but I don't think any of them stands.
First, "The child became incorrigible after starting school, as he grew older and saw more in society. Because of the complicated and dangerous social background in mainland China and the brainwashing with the wicked party's textbooks at school, slowly the child is moving away from the Fa. Enveloped in a corrupted atmosphere, he is bent on seeking pleasure and is unwilling to face any hardship. I can see that the child knows in his heart that it takes hardship and a simple life to cultivate. So he stopped studying the Fa and became obsessed with the enticing world, until finally giving up cultivation."
A child is a child. Although he attends school, he needs parental guidance before he grows into adulthood. Parents should take control of their children's behavior, so it's wrong to blame the child for being "incorrigible." The practitioner probably thought that the child was a practitioner, so he should do what he was supposed to do, and when he failed to do it, it was his own business. But we have to remember that he is still a child. An ancient saying states, "If a child is not disciplined, it's the father's fault; if the disciplining is not harsh enough, it's due to the teacher's laziness." Here, who is the "teacher" that is being referred to? Is it the teacher at school? A parent is a teacher, too. It is the parents' duty to teach their children by their words and deeds.
The child is a young disciple. Even if he were an ordinary person, the parents should teach and guide him to be a good individual just the same. We, as parents, must never use social corruption as an excuse to evade our responsibilities toward children and allow them to drift along. Strictly speaking, whoever it is, if his or her child is bad, even by ordinary people's standards, it must have been the result of irresponsible parents.
How powerful is Dafa? It is capable of saving a karma-ridden individual who's been in Hell. And, yet, here we have a young Dafa disciple who has been "brainwashed with the wicked party's textbooks at school" and "became obsessed with the enticing world, until finally giving up cultivation." Is that reasonable? As a matter of fact, this practitioner himself has implicitly revealed the real reason for his child giving up cultivation, and that is, "Enveloped in a corrupted atmosphere, he is bent on seeking pleasure and unwilling to face any hardship." The practitioner should ask himself the following questions: How could a child envelope himself in a corrupt atmosphere? Does a child spend more time at school or at home? It is true that the schools in China are not up to standard morally, but isn't it also true they are better than the "real" world? It's a sin for a parent who cultivates Dafa to allow a young disciple to be enveloped in a corrupt atmosphere.
A book written by an everyday person says, "A school is like a big dye vat, and a child is like a piece of cloth. During the day, the child goes to school to be colored, and after school, it's the parents' responsibility to bleach the child." This is something that even a non-practitioner parent knows about. What about us practitioners? Some of us seem to think, "Our child is a young practitioner, so we can relax and don't have to worry about educating him anymore. We just leave everything for Master to take of." That's wrong!
Secondly, "It is not easy to guide a young disciple in mainland China. The expectations for well behaved children are good academic performance and the ability to win favors. The child's morality is not important. Because of a polluted social environment and schools where the wicked party's culture is taught, it's hard for children who lack judgment to behave well." If a child's judgment is better than adults', what are parents for? This is looking outwardly, with the intention of leaving children to the school system and not giving due care.
Thirdly, "Even in cases where children are able to tell right from wrong, they will find themselves gradually alienated, as their views and actions are totally different from others'. Some children can't stand the stares from others, so sometimes they would rather give up their faith or begin to doubt their faith."
But practitioners all have totally different views from those of ordinary people toward this society. So does that mean we are all alienated? The fact that we have our own perspective on this society does not necessarily mean we can't fit into it. Dafa requires that we cultivate while trying to conform to this society as much as possible. How can we not fit into society, feel alienated, or even be unable to "stand the stares" of others? Isn't this because we have not observed Dafa's requirements? I believe that a child who lives by the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance will be popular in any circumstance, rather than being alienated and considered weird.
Fourthly, "However, he has been ruined in the large context of social environment, drifting away from Dafa."
Which is more powerful, Dafa or the negative influence of this large social environment? I can understand how an adult gives up cultivation because of the attachments he or she can't let go of. But an innocent child who started cultivation when he was little! How could he have that many attachments?! The moment he was contaminated he should have been cleansed through studying the Fa. When he was contaminated again he should be cleansed again. How could he end up giving up Dafa? What role have his parents played in the child's growth? What role have his fellow practitioners played in his cultivation?
A child is like a clean sheet of paper. Don't put too much emphasis on the pollution he is exposed to in society. Think more about whether we have done enough to help cleanse him of the pollution. Even non-practitioner parents have such responsibilities, not to mention cultivators.
