PureInsight | January 25, 2024
[PureInsight.org] The purpose of writing about my two experiences - lessons of the attachment to YouTube and short videos - is to admonish myself and remind fellow practitioners: Do not indulge in the miscellaneous content on your phone, do not obsess over videos on YouTube, make good use of your computer, remove the attachment and dependence on your phone, be decisive, become a true cultivator, and ‘Stay Far Away From Peril’.
The reason why I started using YouTube was that I had to update my removable drives frequently by deleting some contents such as Iron Chain Woman, Zhengzhou Floods, Jiang Toad's Death, White Paper Revolution, and so on. I loved all programs created by fellow practitioners in the self-media field. Due to the limited space on my USB drive, I could only install a few to the USB drive. Each time I had to watch several relative topic programs and select some. I would spend more than two hours and also browse other websites while downloading content.
One day after sending forth righteous thoughts, I felt that my eyes could not stay open because of eye mucus ('cǐmùhú' in Northeastern dialect, colloquially known as 'eye gunk'). It was so sticky that it actually glued my eyes. My eyes were so itchy that I kept rubbing them. However, the more I rubbed, the itchier they became. Moreover, my eyes turned red and swollen like goldfish eyes. My sister-in-law visited me, and she is a medical student. She saw my eyes and advised me to go to the hospital, but I did not want to. She suggested buying a bottle of dexamethasone eye drops. To appease her, I went to get a bottle eye drops. After using a few times, my eyes got better. I did not use the eye drops again.
Later on, I realized that dealing with others is essentially dealing with myself. By only solving the immediate problem, I was accumulating karmic retribution. In reality, there were several instances of back-and-forth struggle. Sometimes it was knowingly indulging, and sometimes I was pretending to be ignorant. I did not really want to change, and my determination was not strong. After recognizing the issue, I reduced my YouTube viewing. At that time, ‘Gan Jing World’ came into existence, and I understood that the very name ‘Gan Jing World’ already indicated that it was a clean platform. Perhaps it was not just me; many fellow practitioners were attached to YouTube. Master introduced ‘Gan Jing World’ for our cultivation to make us realize the seriousness of the problem and guide us to a clean platform. Master has really put in a lot of effort for us. Although there have been occasional relapses, they are rare. In the best scenario, I go online to post the 'Three Withdrawals from Chinese Communist Party' list, download Master's scriptures, periodicals, Minghui Radio, and daily articles, log into email to exchange information, pay limited attention to updates, and watch videos primarily on ‘Gan Jing World’, then I log off the internet.
Regarding the mobile phone, I initially was not too attached to it. Sometimes, it was because of buying things, and I would casually browse sports news, such as topics related Sports News, NBA, and so on. This was because I used to have an interest in sports, and still attach to them. In reality, competitive sports are filled with fame and fortune, as well as competition. There were discussions about transfer fees, rankings, who won, who lost, and so on, but it was not that serious at that time. Gradually, I started spending more time watching short videos on my phone, one after another. Sometimes, it was quite enjoyable. Unknowingly, one, two, or several hours would pass, followed by regret and self-blame. In severe cases, I would grab my phone whenever I saw it and start browsing. Eventually, it took advantage of my weakness by letting my family member place the phone in front of me to tempt me into using it.
I was thinking about why short videos became so popular. They are designed to attract people psychologically. Nowadays, people like 'quick punches.' Compared to the long videos, it can get more online traffic. Long videos easily put off the audience because of the time duration if they are not interested in it. Short videos, on the other hand, are short in duration, cover a wide range of topics, and have numerous choices. If you do not like one, you can quickly switch to another until you find one that suits your taste. Then, based on your preferences, it builds a personal information profile for you and delivers the content you like. You may accumulate more pleasure in the process until you cannot resist!
Because these platforms are filled with lots of vulgar and sensational contents, they have become stages for violence, pornography, exaggeration, misinformation and personal performances. They can stimulate people's desires, such as satisfaction and a desire for control. They also feed curiosity, show-off tendencies, lustful desires, and admiration for stars—various attachments. For practitioners, the biggest harm of short videos is that they reduce concentration, self-control, willpower, and patience. Practitioners become unable to calm their minds, and their righteous thoughts waver. They lose themselves in the videos, ultimately leading to drop their levels in cultivation. These platforms are drawing good energy from you. As soon as you stop using them, they start to disturb you. The most notable manifestation is that when I send forth righteous thoughts, I sneeze. When I study the Fa, I feel drowsy. I persist in studying Fa and sending forth righteous thoughts by rejecting them. Sometimes, the sneezing is continuous and will not stop. Only by reciting 'Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good' and 'extinguish', I can find some relief. Looking at the continuous flow of a runny nose, I think it might be the died bodies of low-level entities.
I have been practicing for over twenty years and yet allowing Master to worry about me in this matter, making the divine beings mock me, I am truly ashamed! Looking inward, I found my undisciplined characters coupled with an attitude of indifference make me think 'What's the harm in just casually browsing?' I did not realize that I was activating the phone demon, giving it the opportunity to slowly approach, invade, and permeate me. With the time and frequency increased, I gradually developed an addiction and formed a concept until the concept controlled me eventually. Each time I watch it, its demonic influence becomes stronger, and its control over me increases.
The ancients said, 'Excessive attention to plaything saps the will.' It is absolutely true. Plaything can waste time, and you will end up being controlled by them. When you hold the phone in your hand, swiping one piece of content after another, feeling satisfied every second, it is not you controlling the phone; but the phone controlling you. Even now, when my family member places the phone in front of me, I try my best not to look at it. I have also sent forth righteous thoughts to my family members not to give me the phone. At the same time, I have intensified my Fa study, continuously assimilating Dafa into my cells and particles unconditionally, eliminating any distorted notions and removing all impurities and interfering factors. Through continuous righteous thoughts, I strengthen my righteous thoughts, allowing my true nature to return, upholding the Fa. Finally, my space field becomes clear again.
Master said in Dafa Spiritual Practice Is Serious, “Although the spiritual discipline that Dafa disciples engage in is quite loose in form, the standard for them, as individuals committed to spiritual development, is strict, and solemn, and their historic missions are serious and weighty.” Cultivation is serious. Being too casual will come at a cost. Relaxing in one area will lead to stumbling in that area. In addition, my behavior is precisely the result of not taking it seriously.
Since then, I have actively strengthened my willpower and self-control, demanding that I maintain a clear mind, even if it is forced at first. The first step must be taken in this way, leaving no room for retreat. I started correcting myself little by little. Master has said in Zhuan Falun, “What’s good will be kept and what’s bad disposed of.” And in Rectifying the Fa, Hong Yin III, “All choosing to oppose the rectification were eliminated.” I would eliminate all bad things. Cultivators should remove attachments actively because we are walking on the divine path. How can we be controlled by attachments, computers, and phones? These are objects, tools for humans. Humans are the most intelligent beings; the ones who should control objects. It is just that human desires were bound by them. However, as practitioners' understanding deepens and their cultivation progresses, their control over objects becomes stronger. My goal is to remain undisturbed, to not touch or look at the phone, to eliminate desires at the root. Although there is still some distance from this goal, I will strive to achieve it.
Chinese version: https://www.zhengjian.org/node/285538
