Attachment to My Cellphone Led Me on a Dangerous Path

(Minghui.org) After reading the Minghui editorial “What All Dafa Disciples Must Know,” I realized that the article wasn't just talking about safety, but also about becoming lax in cultivation and showing an increase in personal desires, caused by Falun Dafa practitioners’ growing attachments to using their cellphones.

I believe that this issue needs even more of our attention.

I was involved in a car accident last month, and my mid-section was injured. I believe that the accident happened because I was very attached to using my cellphone in my daily life, which gave the old forces an opportunity to take advantage of this gap.

I would like to share about what I have gone through, so as to reinforce my determination to eliminate this attachment, and for it to serve as a lesson for fellow practitioners encountering similar situations.

Using My Cellphone More Often

I changed my cellphone to one with a larger screen and installed many apps, including WeChat (a Chinese multi-purpose messaging and social media app) and shopping apps. They made it very convenient for me to buy things and browse the web, which I did whenever I had free time.

I had been able to control myself for several years and not overuse the apps or browse the web too often. However, I was increasingly spending more time on my phone without realizing it. I mainly browsed the web for entertainment news and to shop, and sometimes watched videos or dramas.

I was a fan of movies and a follower of celebrities from an early age. I also liked to buy clothes. After I started practicing Falun Dafa I knew that these activities were attachments that I needed to let go of. But my cultivation state was inconsistent. Sometimes it improved, and other times it became worse.

I was transferred to a new job last year that was relatively quiet, and I was often the only person in the office. I initially studied the Fa when I had the opportunity and only used my phone at work when it was close to the end of the day. But after a while I could no longer control myself and spent more and more time using my phone. The same thing happened at home. While I was studying the Fa, I would involuntarily pick up my phone to take a look.

There was a period of time when my son was at home, and Master gave me reminders through him more than once. He would see me on my phone and say, “How can you cultivate by doing that?”

A fellow practitioner said he dreamed that I started smoking cigarettes. I knew that the attachment to my cellphone was like an addiction which was very hard to suppress. I was terrified that I had such a bad attachment and that the old forces could make use of it to interfere with me. In the end, something that shouldn't have happened, happened.

Involved in an Accident

I was involved in an accident. The motorcycle I was riding crashed into a car, and I suffered injuries to my side. Due to pressure from friends and family, I was taken to a hospital. The tests revealed that I had a cracked some bones in my lower spine. I underwent surgery, and was eventually sent home to rest.

I felt dejected and depressed the first few days after the injury, for not doing things righteously and ending up in the hospital. However, Master has reminded practitioners to quickly get back on our feet when we have done something wrong. So I made a firm resolution to make use of this rest period to concentrate on Fa study and look within.

Finding My Attachment

I studied the Fa a lot over the following month, but nonetheless felt that I hadn't improved at all. When I looked within, I could clearly see the attachment to my cellphone. I had known about it a long time ago, but pushed the issue aside.

I had removed all the video apps from my phone while in the hospital, but kept an online shopping app and a chat app, as I thought they may be useful in the future. I also decided that I would not use my phone unless there was a real need to do so.

However, after returning home, the only thing I could do was lay in bed and study the Fa. The lack of activity made me feel like using my phone. I was very perplexed that such a huge tribulation hadn't shaken me enough to eliminate the desire to use my phone.

What had I been doing for twenty years of cultivation in Dafa? Why was I such a disappointment? I blamed myself and felt deep regret.

Master’s latest lecture was published that day, and I read it repeatedly. Master again talked about how corrupt the Internet is.

“There’s another thing that might not have occurred to you. We have achieved many things, and Fei Tian College and Shen Yun have accomplished a lot that’s world-class in caliber. But we don’t put those things online or post them there. That’s because the Internet is like the Devil. There are all sorts of things there, and it’s the vilest of places—it is the product of humanity gone bad. Why would we want to add our things into the mix? Why would we want to toss our beautiful works into that pit?” (“2018 Fa Teaching Given in Washington, D.C.”)

I wondered how much bad matter had accumulated in my mind. Eliminating all that would be difficult.

I again read “What All Dafa Disciples Must Know,” and immediately uninstalled WeChat, iCloud, and all of my other apps. I then restored my phone to its factory settings.

All sorts of reasons for wanting to use WeChat started to appear in my mind and I even thought about re-installing the app, but I resisted the temptation, as I wanted to unveil my attachment and remove it at its root.

I had written two long articles before I started cultivation, and after reading them again I realized that they were all about how I followed celebrities, and how they evoked my emotions.

Every word and sentence revealed my desire to show off and my attachment of zealotry. This startled me, as the bad matter had accumulated in my mind and body over many years.

Even when I talk about my articles now, I still feel a sense of pride and happiness. I finally knew why I couldn't get rid the attachments for many years, and how they grew through using my cellphone.

My behavior led me to the verge of being in danger on my path of cultivation because I was not willing to let go of them.

I immediately deleted all that I had written and decided that I would address my issues head on.

Master said:

“For every one of you who makes up his mind to cultivate, you will be able to endure things, and when your personal welfare is on the line, you will be able to let go of your attachments, and you will be able to take those things lightly. As long as you can do that it’s not hard, in fact. Now those people who say it’s hard, it turns out, they just can’t let go of those things. Doing the exercises isn’t hard in its own right, and there’s nothing hard about raising your level in and of itself. They only say it’s hard because they can’t let go of their human thoughts.” (Zhuan Falun)

I felt a jolt through my whole body and the attachment to using my phone had weakened a lot. I also believed that I could totally remove the attachment to my phone.

For the next few days, I didn't use my cellphone. I knew that Master was helping me get rid of all those bad substances, thus allowing me to be able to achieve my goal of totally eliminating the attachment.

Thank you Master!