(Clearwisdom.net) There are many young people around me who used to practice Falun Gong, but gave up their cultivation after the persecution began in July 1999. Now with the rapid progress of Fa-rectification, more and more former practitioners of the older generation are returning to Dafa. But, it is also very important for former young disciples to resume cultivation. The purpose of my article is to share my thoughts on this matter with them and their parents.
When these young people began their cultivation, they were still kids and thus lacked a deep, rational understanding of the Fa principles. Many of them took up the practice simply because their parents did, but they were not as diligent in their cultivation. Moreover, some parent-practitioners paid more attention to their children's schoolwork than to their cultivation. When the persecution began, many children gave up cultivation for various reasons. Some lacked a cultivation environment, while others faced mounting pressure from their schools, their parents' workplaces, and even the local police. When many of them needed their parents' care and attention, their parents were being persecuted. Unable to study the Fa in a good environment, some slid further downhill morally from the numerous bad influences in society.
I noticed that many parent-practitioners have a casual attitude when it comes to their children's cultivation. Some parents no longer have the opportunity to discipline their children because they have grown up and moved out. Even when they still live under the same roof, the parents often feel incapable of disciplining their teenagers. Some parents intentionally avoid mentioning "Falun Gong" because they feel that their children have been traumatized by the persecution and poisoned too much by Communist Party culture. There are also parents who think that it is up to the children themselves to make a decision regarding whether or not to resume cultivation since they are young adults and the Fa is right in front of them. Such parents see no need to share thoughts or experiences with their children or offer any kind of encouragement.
Both the parents and children should calmly and seriously think about this issue and what to do next. Parents need to make serious efforts to help their children who once were in contact with Dafa to resume cultivation. On the other hand, the young adults should also ponder if they still want to bury themselves among the illusions of the human world.
There seems to be a misunderstanding among both parents and children, that is, as long as the children know Dafa is good and have withdrawn from the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations, it is more than enough and it is then up to the children to decide if they want to cultivate. I agree that we cannot force anyone to take up cultivation, but parents should at least offer their children the opportunity to truly understand the truth and realize the importance of Dafa.
If the children have truly understood the preciousness of the Fa-rectification period, the difficulty of reincarnating in numerous previous lives, and the wonderfulness of Dafa, they are then fully prepared to make their own cultivation decision. However, many children encountered Dafa when they were still very young and had a very shallow understanding of the Fa. Under such circumstances, I feel it is irresponsible for the parents to leave their children to choose without any guidance from them. After all, no one can make a wise decision when they lack a comprehensive understanding of the truth. Some parents think that since their children can see clearly how they have benefited from cultivating in Dafa, there is no need for further truth-clarification. As I see it, this is exactly how the old forces are persecuting these former little disciples.
I was once stuck in a state of being an on-and-off young practitioner. I really wanted to return to Dafa, but felt restrained by some formless things. I realized that it was the old forces interfering with me, yet I lacked strong righteous thoughts to break through it. Moreover, I still had strong attachments, and I was very discouraged that my parents didn't appear to care if I was diligent. Therefore, it took me a long time to finally become a genuine cultivator. I suspect that some former young disciples may have similar experiences and I encourage them never to give up.
Some parent-practitioners have children who have never cultivated. These children must also have a very strong predestined relationship with Dafa, so it is important to help them understand the opportunity of cultivating Dafa as well. If they can enter the door of cultivation, their parents will establish mighty virtue. Just think about it: Would you still be hesitant to have your children practice Dafa, had the persecution never occurred?
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