(Minghui.org) My mother and I started practicing Falun Gong in 1996. However, it wasn't until 2017—after I gave birth to my daughter—that I truly began walking on the path of cultivation.
I would like to share how I broke free from my cell phone addiction. Prior to practicing Falun Gong, I was a “cellphone addict.” I carried my cell phone wherever I went and spent hours online watching soap operas.
During my pregnancy, I was glued to my cell phone from early morning until 3 a.m. As a result, I often felt tired and dizzy, and my short-term memory began to deteriorate.
When my family noticed dark circles under my eyes, they urged me to cut back on my online viewing. However, no matter how hard I tried, I could not restrain myself.
One day, I decided that I needed to stop spending so much time on my phone. I reluctantly deleted all of my news and entertainment apps.
Soon after, my attention was drawn to online shopping websites. I started to spend the whole morning looking at sale items and comparing prices.
From an onlooker's point of view, it seemed like I was doing something constructive: shopping for my family. However, it was really my attachment that was controlling me. When I realized this, I deleted all of the online shopping apps.
My attention then shifted to WeChat, which I still had on my phone. I would spend the whole day surfing people's profiles. I even started my own chat group and was active in numerous WeChat circles.
One day, I logged into WeChat and saw that all of my chat groups had disappeared. I broke out in a cold sweat because I knew Master was hinting that it was time for me to stop using WeChat.
I worried out loud, “Why can't I stop playing with my cell phone?” A few weeks later, I opened WeChat and saw all of my missing chat groups had returned. I was elated, but then I thought: “Do I believe in Master, or is this just a coincidence? I should definitely stop wasting time in these chat groups!”
At that moment, I vowed to myself, “I will only use my cell phone to communicate with others.”
Several days later, my mother showed me the Minghui.org article, “What All Dafa Disciples Must Know.” I initially felt indignant and thought, “I use WeChat every day to communicate with my colleagues, friends, and family. If I stop using the app, won't my in-laws think it's strange?” At that moment, I found it very hard to summon my righteous thoughts.
I later learned that many practitioners in my area also found it hard to delete WeChat, mainly because they use it for work. Some of them thought they were clever and bought a second phone: they used one exclusively for WeChat and the other one for their day-to-day communications. I began to think, “Maybe I should buy another cellphone too.”
Even though I had read several Minghui.org sharing articles on this topic, I still couldn't bring myself to delete the app.
One month later, I started to think, “If I delete WeChat, won't everyone know that I practice Falun Gong?” Amid the persecution of Falun Gong by the communist regime in China, if the wrong person finds this out, it can be very dangerous.
When I finally deleted the app, my heart was so heavy that I even started questioning Master and the Fa. I kneeled in front of Master's portrait and cried out loud, “Master, please save me!” I then sent righteous thoughts, which made me feel a lot better.
That night, my mother and I read the ninth lecture in Zhuan Falun. Master said:
“But things often aren’t as people take them to be, and you will discover this for yourself if you can manage to look at things from a slightly higher vantage point.”
These words made me realize that I had been viewing the whole WeChat issue using ordinary people's thoughts. The following sentences also from Zhuan Falun caught my attention:
“To the average person that might make no sense; his or her plane of thought, or level, wouldn’t be adequate to grasp the idea.”
“Some people can just never believe in such things, though, and think that there’s more to gain by being worldly. What makes it so hard for them to believe is that they aren’t willing to open their minds.”
I then realized that I had to let go of my ordinary way of thinking! Master made it clear that:
“Some arrive at insights in a sudden flash, while others arrive at them more slowly, over time. But either should be fine, as in both cases the person does enlighten to something. Naturally, it’s better to do so instantly, but gradually is okay too; in either case the person comes to a new understanding. So neither approach is wrong.” (Zhuan Falun)
I used to get angry at myself for not enlightening to things as quickly as my fellow practitioners. Thus, I felt very comforted and encouraged by Master's words above.
Master also said:
“So the next time you are going through a real trial or tribulation, try to keep this in mind, and see if you can bear it. Or when faced with what seems impossible, and even if others say so, try to keep this in mind, and see if it isn’t in fact possible. I believe, if you can do that, that you will always see light at the end of the tunnel.” (Zhuan Falun)
When I read these words, I knew that deleting WeChat was the right thing to do. My in-laws found out that I had deleted WeChat and didn't think it was strange at all.
What I learned from this experience is this: If we hold on to ordinary people's concepts, simple things tend to get very complicated. However, if we let go of human attachments, complicated matters tend to become very simple!
Category: Improving Oneself
