(Clearwisdom.net) Before practicing Falun Gong, I was strongly attached to many different kinds of exciting things as many young people are. I was obsessed with movies, popular songs, video games and other kinds of entertainment. After I began cultivating, I still allowed myself to be interfered with by these attachments for a while, hence I was unable to cultivate diligently. I was pretty much like a non-practitioner. Some other young practitioners that I know are also being interfered with by attachments similar to the ones that I had before. Some are very attached, and therefore are not diligent at all. I am hereby sharing my experience regarding this matter, so that we can all advance together.
At present, the moral standards of society have deteriorated in many areas, including the arts, literary work, (such as those represented on TV and the movies) and other kinds of entertainment. The demonic nature in society has reached an extreme level, which is way beyond what a human society should have. For many people, their life's goal seems to be to pursue excitement or thrills, and endless enjoyment, both mental and physical. Living in today's society, which is full of temptations, young practitioners, without exception, have become unconsciously ever more tainted by many acquired notions. Therefore, it is very important for us to eliminate our pursuit of fun, excitement, physical enjoyment, desires, and distorted and even demonic thoughts. To achieve that, I believe, we need to do the following:
1. Search inside ourselves. It is not enough to merely realize that watching TV, and other kinds of entertainment, and playing video games and so on, are attachments that should be eliminated. Master said,
"If that attachment is relinquished, that material itself does not have any effect. What really interferes with a person is the attachment." (Lecture Seven, Zhuan Falun, 2000 translation version)
Upon reading this, I understood that I should find out the real reason behind my attachments. Why was I attached to these things? What other kinds of human desires and pursuits did I have? Was I attached to sentiment between a man and a woman? Was I attached to the pursuit for fame and financial benefits, the competitive mentality, excitement, or even violence and lust? After finding all of my attachments, and realizing their danger and the damage that they could bring me from the perspective of the Fa, I started firmly working on eliminating all of them.
2. Through studying the Fa, I learned that the five-thousand-year-old, semi-divine Chinese culture is the genuine human culture. Before the CCP, people in all walks of life in Chinese society understood the implications of morality and acknowledged divine beings. The true essence of Chinese culture is to guide people to walk on the righteous path so as to return to the divine world at the end. "The essence of culture is its inner moral meaning, while the superficial forms have only entertainment value. The CCP restored the superficial elements of culture, which entertain, to cover up its purpose of destroying morality." ("Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" published by the Epoch Times newspaper - Part 6, "On How the Chinese Communist Party Destroyed Traditional Culture")
My understanding is that the spiritual enjoyments of human beings now, whether they be art works or other forms of entertainment, have gone astray from "including the Dao and morality in writings." The current forms of entertainment only focus on pumping up thrills or excitement that provoke the basest human desires to the extreme. As a result of this, people eventually give up on themselves. After being instilled with the CCP's culture, human being's demonic nature and the resulting deviation have become even more intensified. I also learned that while cultivating in ordinary human society, we should transcend this humanness while maximally conforming to human society. However, while constantly understanding the higher level Fa, we should also be clear on our understanding of the lower level Fa and the basic principles of being human. We should help rectify the connotation and surface forms of human art. Watching the programs of the Divine Performing Arts, reading articles on Minghui website that expound on genuine Chinese culture, and appreciating the paintings and sculptures created by Falun Gong practitioners can help us rectify human standards, and eliminate deviated thoughts.
3. Several practitioners who have their celestial eyes opened told us that they had seen practitioners being interfered with by demonic forces when these practitioners' thoughts were not righteous, but were instead attached to watching those warped performances. I understand that whenever we accept it, and ask for it, the demonic interference will be expanded. Although it is not demonstrated very noticeably in this dimension, its effects are devastating and quite dangerous. Cultivating in Dafa is such a noble and magnificent thing. We should absolutely not permit filthy and degenerated things to control us.
In the last stage of Fa-rectification, young practitioners should make a concerted effort to be more clear-headed. We should not linger any longer at this level, but instead make steadfast efforts to entirely eliminate the attachments to excitement and physical comfort. Let's cultivate diligently, and concentrate on doing the three things that practitioners are supposed to do well.
Category: Improving Oneself
