My Thoughts on Surfing the Internet

(Minghui.org) A recent dream I had is still vivid in my memory. I want to share it; perhaps it can be helpful to other practitioners.

In my dream, a screen showed a website that resembled an ordinary shopping website. But instead of merchandise, different kinds of black hairy worms were displayed. The sight of those creatures made me nauseous.

With my eyes squinting and mouth closed tight to stop me from being sick, I kept surfing. I seemed to be searching for something. The worms were alive and wiggling, and some had weapons.

This dream made me queasy for a while after I woke up. I did not want to think about it but it was too realistic for me to forget. I wondered why I had this dream. I used to dream about bugs but hadn’t for a long time.

Prior to practicing Falun Dafa, I was addicted to the internet. I grew up playing video games. My days revolved around looking at websites, computer games, videos, and my cellphone.

My mind was filled with twisted, negative thoughts, but I did not realize they were bad. Every once in a while, I would dream about myself in a cave or wandering in the wilderness. In those dreams, I saw spider webs, bugs, monsters, and zombies. Every time I had such a dream, I woke up scared.

After I became a Falun Dafa practitioner, Master cleansed my body and mind. From studying the Dafa teachings and reading practitioners’ sharings, I realized how harmful my internet addiction was. I gradually quit gaming, watching videos, streaming music, and manga. I deleted the We-chat app after reading “What All Dafa Disciples Must Know.”

I used my free time to study the Fa and read articles on the Minghui website. As I stayed away from mainstream entertainment and digital devices, my thoughts became calmer. My whole body felt clean and healthy. I stopped having dreams about bugs.

The recent dream must be because I spent too much time on the internet. I was shopping for a costly new appliance, so I wanted to find one that was of good value. This reflected my desire for comfort and greed. I spent an entire month looking at descriptions, pictures, and videos of different products. Sentimentality surfaced while I compared each model. My attachments to showing off, competitiveness, fame, and self-interest all reared their heads.

I was not aware of my wrongdoing until the dream. Master probably saw the dangerous situation I was putting myself in. I remember Master said in one of his lectures:

“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.” (“2018 Fa Teaching Given in Washington, D.C.,” Yellow team translation)

“The old forces wouldn’t venture to directly persecute Dafa disciples at present—none of the larger beings that assume a form would venture to do that. Then what sorts of things are doing that now? Things like worms, bugs, bacteria, and all kinds of foul things like that.” (Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference)

I know the internet is filthy, but I did not think much about how filthy it really is. Unable to guard my xinxing and driven by human desire, I forgot my position as a practitioner. My family members could have bought the merchandise without my involvement. Why was I so attached to material things? Would it really matter if it were a good deal or a not-so-good deal? Would I be taking it with me for eternity?

Deep down, I knew it was wrong from the start. However, a strong attachment gave me an excuse: “I am only looking for a household item, something I need. It is not a video game.” I considered that a valid reason for surfing the internet.

It was clear to me that my addiction to the internet was not completely eliminated. The addiction was suppressed for a while, but it was looking for a way to survive. My desire for a comfortable living gave this addiction energy. In the end, I was pouring a lot of filth into my own environment.

What seemed like an ordinary event brought me trouble. It was because of my weak righteous thoughts and attachments. I was memorizing the section “Your Mind Must Be Righteous” from Zhuan Falun as I was going through this tribulation. It was obvious that I was not following the Fa.

“What I just addressed are some problems resulting from practitioners’ inability to conduct themselves properly; that is, those problems are caused by improper thoughts. It is beneficial that we point them out and let everyone know what to do and how to distinguish them so that problems will not occur in the future. Though I did not overemphasize what I just said, everyone should be sure to pay attention to it because problems usually arise over this issue, and they normally surface here. Cultivation is extremely arduous and very serious. If you are being even a bit careless, you may stumble and become ruined at once. Therefore, one’s mind must be righteous.” (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun)

This sharing is based on my personal understanding. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.

Editor's note: Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions, for which the author is solely responsible. Readers should evaluate the article's merits on their own.