(Clearwisdom.net) There are designated information centers in China where computers for Dafa work are set up, and where practitioners with computer skills play a crucial role. We have experienced that the practitioners with computer skills are frequently the main targets for interference by the evil, and are being persecuted.

I know of many practitioners who are highly skilled with computers, who are computer experts, or who have excellent technical skills, all of whom have been detained in prisons and labor camps. As a result, there are very few practitioners at the information centers who are skilled with computers. Often one technical person is in charge of many information centers. Therefore, if we can break the interference and persecution against the practitioners skilled in working with computers, it will significantly improve our clarifying the truth and our ability to save sentient beings.

I personally am experienced with and knowledgeable about computers. I believe that this is the reason for my experiencing tribulations, interference and persecution. I must admit that I did not do very well. Yet, I would like to share my experiences so others may be able to learn from my mistakes and do better.

A practitioner who is a computer expert once told me, "Nowadays those who are computer experts are not diligent in their Fa study and those who are diligent generally don't know much about computers." Of course what he said can't be true at all times, but he touched on an important factor: practitioners who are skilled with computers are not necessarily diligent in their Fa study. I believe I may have found the cause of this dilemma.

1. Compared with practitioners who are not computer experts, these practitioners have a difficult time finding time to study. They are overloaded with work, much of it time- and energy-consuming, such as downloading, editing, typing, printing, maintenance and purchasing.

One computer expert used to have to attend to many information centers. As the number of practitioners grew, many small information centers were established. Unfortunately most practitioners were unfamiliar with computers. Extensive training was needed. Furthermore, different kinds of problems needed to be resolved.

When hardware such as computers and printers broke down, it was often difficult to discover the problem just through discussion. Therefore, the technical experts often received frantic phone calls from other practitioners, "The computer is down, come over quickly!" However, most of the time, after rushing over, he found that the computer was not broken. It was either a simple operational mistake, or the operator did not know how to use the computer.

This situation continued and this practitioner's cultivation path came to a halt. He could rarely find time to study the Fa, let alone send righteous thoughts and do the exercises. Finally, when practitioners shared experiences they pointed out that the old or evil forces might create interference. Isn't it true that if the evil wanted to persecute him, it would begin to find ways to stop him/her from being diligent with the Fa study? There would be some small unexplainable problems with a few computers. This would continue until there was rarely time to study and send righteous thoughts. Wasn't this easy for the evil to accomplish?

Once he recognized the interference he was no longer rushing everywhere to help those with perceived computer problems. He was not being irresponsible or unhelpful. He simply realized that his time and energy were limited and time for diligent Fa study was of priority. Thus, he was back on the path of true cultivation.

2. The evil targets the special attachments of these skillful practitioners and arranges interference so there is no time to study.

Often, skilled practitioners are professionals and have an attachment towards researching the problem, acquire new skills and getting hold of the latest information. When there are technical problems or questions, they enjoy focusing on the task at hand, performing research and enjoying the sense of achievement once the problems are resolved.

I will give an example to show how the evil used this attachment to interfere with and persecute practitioners.

I know a practitioner who has very good inborn quality. He walked out of the labor camp with his righteous thoughts. After he returned home, he established an information center and was in charge of distribution for a wide area. He enjoyed learning and researching new techniques. He was very familiar with printers and all associated functions.

I once spent a few days at his house. I recognized a problem and asked him why he did not seem to be studying the Fa. He was slightly embarrassed and said that he got a little carried away these days. Later I realized that he often listened to Teacher's lecture tapes while he worked. So I couldn't really say that he was not studying. It seemed like he did. This raises the question, "Can we listen to the Fa as we work?" I'll discuss this topic in a later section.

This practitioner became less and less diligent in his Fa study. Every time I saw him, I made sure to remind him to study the Fa, and he would always nod his head. This became a "routine conversation." I couldn't fathom that he no longer seemed to understand the importance of studying the Fa. He was a practitioner for so many years and had experienced so many tribulations, and yet, he no longer recognized the importance of Fa study. A while ago, I heard that he was caught in one of the mass arrests in his local area and his equipment was confiscated.

How did the evil ensnare him? It was easy. If he enjoyed research and the honing of his technical skills, the evil allowed him to do research. The evil will assure problems with the printer, make it less efficient, or create other problems. He would try to fix it, take it apart and put it back together. It did not matter if he eventually fixed the printer or not, he would have spent one or at least half a day with this task. He couldn't study or send righteous thoughts; even if he could, he could not focus his mind.

It would have been better if he were unable to fix the printer. He would have been able to give up the attachment of wanting to search for the problem. He might have eventually have passed the hurdle. Unfortunately, it worked after he tinkered with it for a long time. His skills had improved and at the same time his attachment to delve into it, work on the details and be successful "cheered" him on and filled his head with ever more pride.

He could calm down and think rationally, "Did I really fix the printer?" The evil had brought on the problems and the solutions! His attachment to researching the details was nourished and strengthened. The evil let him feel that he was getting more competent and made him get into the habit of solving problems with those trivial skills and forgetting about Teacher and the Fa. It let him again and again spend a lot of time and energy solving the problems that "should not have been existed in the first place" and to "improve" the trivial skills among everyday people. It made him want to "play with it" when he had extra time, the time which was supposed to be used to study the Fa and send forth righteous thoughts. In the process, the attachment gradually infiltrated into his spatial field and was all consuming. When the attachment fundamentally took control of that field, all the evil needed to do was to find a trigger in the human dimension such as being betrayed by a practitioner, mass arrest during an important national meetings or not paying enough attention to security, to get him. When it came to that point, applying security measures in this human dimension was like trying to wear a few more clothes to stop the flu: it became completely useless.

I read an article on Clearwisdom the other day, saying somewhere in China there were 12 information centers broken into within a period of 10 days. It looked terrifying and the impact from the evil appeared to be non-stoppable. During that time, one information center tried to move to the other side of town to escape the arrest but was also destroyed. Practitioners were looking for what went wrong and the first thing they found was that a cell phone one practitioner used to logon to the Internet was tapped. I did not know what to say after I read it. They were still looking outward at this point in time. Fellow practitioners, just think about the fact that moving to another spot could not stop the damage. Do you know how much this nourishes the evil in another dimension? How much control does the evil have over the situation? That could not have happened overnight and had nothing to do with any technical detail. It only happened when they ignored Fa study over a long period of time or were not studying enough.

3. Practitioners must be clear-minded when studying and must stress the importance of Fa study at all times. The base point to study the Fa is incorrect.

Now we come back to the issue of "Can we listen to the Fa as we work?"

I was arrested and taken to a labor camp three years ago. Before that, I was very busy earning a living. I had to study the Fa during my daily trip on the bus. I did spend time studying the Fa but how effective was it? Later I was arrested, taken to a labor camp and my property was confiscated. According to Teacher's Fa, I was not doing well because I did not study well. Come to think about it now, this was the reason for my being arrested.

Think about it, should our respected Teacher sit beside us and teach the Fa, would we just listen or do something else at the same time? At the beginning of our cultivation, our understanding of the Fa might have been rather shallow and inattentive. Teacher might look the other way at such time, and we might still learn something while listening. But try to see if from the point of view of a seasoned practitioner. As veteran practitioners, can we still be disrespectful to the Fa, just like the confused beginners? Are we able to learn the real meaning of the Fa when being disrespectful? Wouldn't we be opening ourselves up to be interfered with? Anything we were doing at that time would form a powerful interference. Didn't we ask for it?

That does not mean that we are unable to listen to the Fa while traveling on a bus or while working on something not related to Fa study. The point I'm making is that one has to study the Fa clear-mindedly and be focused. We should never deceive ourselves when it comes to studying and practicing Falun Dafa. Always be on guard that we are actually studying. Do not confuse Fa study with the ways we study human world based subjects!

There are practitioners who see studying the Fa as if it were a job. Of course nobody would admit it consciously. Many practitioners have been doing this unconsciously for a long time when they really were concerned about things like technical know how. In actuality they really were attached to those things they wanted or had to do after after studying the Fa, such as learning and studying other human world techniques. I used to be one of them.

There are more ways than one to view Fa study if one is not within the Fa. For example, one studies the Fa because of having to solve problems at work. This is how it often happens: practitioner A was struggling to solve a tough problem and practitioner B reminded him maybe it was time to study the Fa. So practitioner A immediately realized, "Ah, it is time to study the Fa. No wonder I couldn't solve the problem. OK, I am studying now. Will the problem be solved after I finished studying? Let me finish studying the Fa and I will try it again." If he actually was able to solve the problem afterward, then what problem was created? He will conclude that "studying the Fa can solve technical problems." It may appear to be the best solution for the problem. But, when you come to think about it, is the Fa being disseminated to solve your technical problems? Isn't this a serious issue? Was the technical problem really solved by studying the Fa or was there something else trying to create a delusion and make you be less aware of your attachment?

If you are unable to recognize a hidden, long-held attachment, then of course you will not be able to let it go. You will fight a drawn-out and tiresome battle with the thought karma and other interference when you study. When a problem exists long enough, it gets bigger and bigger and bad factors in other dimensions will be nourished and become stronger and stronger. Eventually, these factors will manipulate you during your daily life, and you won't be able to recognize them. You might actually feel good about it, and nobody can see your problems, because it appears that you work very hard, study a few chapters a day and never skip sending righteous thoughts. When you finally realize the problem, the evil would have taken over most of your other dimensions and infiltrated into this dimension. You would not recognize why things went wrong, because the evil would make it look as if it was a coincidence in this human dimension. The result would be that one would be followed, monitored or used by special agents, spies etc. These occurrences are the effect to a cause and not the root cause for your tribulations. There is only one true reason and that is that one did not study the Fa well.

Some practitioners know that they have to look inside and look for attachments. In my opinion, they were unable to find the attachment. Let us ask ourselves, could we still be in this dimension if we don't have any attachments? Could we still stay here? Could we still practice? In fact, other practitioners have attachments too. But how come they do not have the same problem? It's because other practitioners have studied the Fa more diligently, are surrounded by the Fa and live within the Fa. When they study the Fa they study it with a clear mind (this is not an issue of how long one studies, but how well). So even though they have attachments, they will not be interfered with as much. The main consciousness will become stronger due to studying the Fa and will be in control, instead of the individual's notions. They might still have all kinds of attachments but they have weakened these attachments during Fa study. How would it possible for the evil to persecute them? The evil wouldn't even have time to escape.

What I have discussed are the afterthoughts of my personal painful experiences. I used to be glued to the computer all day long. I worked with computers for more than 10 years and had formed a lot of habits. I was unable to recognize their detrimental effect on me and the control they held over me. Have you ever noticed that one can become obsessed with computers and sit in front of them all day long? There is a reason behind this. If you are clear-minded, try to analyze it: you will find that it is not you sitting in front of the computer. The being who sits next to the computer is nourishing and invigorating you, it is feeding your addiction to the computer. It lets you become obsessed with the computer and assures that you waste your time and energy. This being makes your forget your actual purpose, and that is using the computer for what you need to get done. Isn't this the real reason for growing such an attachment?

This being often sneakily disguises itself with "noble and righteous" excuses such as being devoted to the Fa or saving sentient beings. The easiest way to tell if it is happening is that you find yourself sitting in front of the computer for a long time when the work actually should take only one hour.

I have been taking care of different information centers for a long time. The evil often used my attachment to research and find new techniques. It used my addiction to the computers to interfere with me to a great extent. Of course there are other factors such as attachments to personal fame and gain and achievement in Dafa work, which are often discussed on the website. These interferences are difficult to discover and hard to let go. For example, if the computer was "broken" and Dafa work could not be done, would I not go and fix it? Sometimes I even realized that it was interference keeping me busy, wasting all my time instead of my studying the Fa. Yet I could not stop myself. During those times, I thought I could hear them laugh at me proudly and I became upset with myself.

"What do I do?" I first had no idea how to change myself, how to let go of this addiction. When I sensed it, I consciously tried to suppress it. For example, I shared my own computer with other practitioners and, as we all know, adding new software slows down the system and can cause other problems. Often after returning from my travels, I wanted to reload the operating system and upgrade it. This type of work usually takes half a day, if not longer. But aren't practitioners different from everyday people?

My obsession with computers was fed by those beings who couldn't wait for me to begin working on the computer. Every time I came back from a trip, there was work not related to computers waiting to be done. I know those beings were trying to make me work on the computers first. I purposely resisted the desire to reinstall the operating system on the computer. I insisted on finishing other work and studying the Fa first. I thought, "The computer still works and that's fine for now." It was hard, as my attachment to do research and improve my skills always tried to push themselves into the forefront. I wanted nothing more than to put my hands on the computer and work on it. But I overcame that desire.

Now I realize that every time one goes along with an attachment, the attachment will grow bigger. When it is big enough and overrides the main consciousness, one will look at it as part of oneself, like Teacher said in Zhuan Falun "it has become natural for them." When it really comes to that point, one will not be able to tell whose life one is living.

Every time I suppressed the attachment, I weakened it and made it less powerful. However, suppressing it is not the ultimate solution. Now I realize that the ultimate solution to stop the interference is to study the Fa and memorize the Fa.

Question: I heard that every time we finish reading Zhuan Falun, we can get rid of a layer of shell? (Laughter among students.)

Teacher: Don't laugh. I think it indeed has this power...

(Lecture at the Western United States Fa Conference)

So, if we can get rid of a layer of shell every time we finish reading Zhuan Falun, then what will be the effect each time we finish memorizing Zhuan FalunDoesn't this mean that we will be reborn from inside out?

I don't know if others battle the same attachments as I described above. I find that when my everyday professional skills become my driving force and allow me to gain more knowledge it is more difficult for me to stay clear-minded. Then it becomes more likely to think about something else when studying the Fa. This was especially noticeable when I was faced with a technical problem. What should I do? I couldn't afford to fight such prolonged battles with my thought karma whenever I studied the Fa.

Although memorizing the Fa appeared initially not the right solution, in the long run it worked. This is what I gained after memorizing the Fa. I could quickly recognize the attachments interfering with skilled practitioners, such as getting bogged down with detailed research or becoming addicted to computers. I found that these attachments no longer had a hold over me and no longer interfered when studying the Fa.

However the most important fact is that my attitude to studying the Fa changed. In the past, studying was part of my job; now it has become what I want to do most of all. I feel peaceful, blessed, deep and extremely delightful when studying. The feeling is beyond description. Nothing compares to studying the Fa.

Since then, I spend my best quality time of the day studying the Fa. Other work can hardly occupy a lot of my time. Even when I got very busy, I would find time to study the Fa.

A lot of things, after studying the Fa, are not what you initially thought they were, including the technical skills and security issues.

There is another thought I wish to share. The question occurred to me, why did we spend so much time studying so hard for the knowledge and research skills belonging to the human dimension? Of course the knowledge, methods and skills are helping tremendously with work in clarifying the truth about Dafa. Don't you agree? Did it ever occur to you that, by taking numerous exams at school, we were trained to memorize well. There was a reason for this. Maybe we are supposed to memorize the Fa. Maybe we had asked Teacher sometime during historical times for the skill, so we could memorize the Fa today. Maybe sentient beings had begged Teacher to grant their lords the ability to memorize the Fa, so that they could be saved to the new universe. Wouldn't it be a pity if we let this skill go to waste? Look at it from another perspective: we struggled to memorize so much at school or at work, so we could get good grades and accomplish personal fame and gain. And now what do we do with this skill when we are confronted with this greatest Fa?

I wish to tell all practitioners that we should stop deceiving ourselves. I see that there are two questions we must ask ourselves: 1. Do I really study the Fa and study with a clear mind daily? 2. If I can't be clear-minded, how can I solve this and when?

I have been asking myself these two questions. Currently I try to solve these questions by memorizing the Fa. If other practitioners have better ideas, please share with everyone.

In the end, I want to quote a practitioner's words to me to remind those practitioners with professional skills, "We come here to practice, not to learn skills."

Note: This article is meant to share experience in solving the problem of not being able to focus on studying the Fa. It is not to promote the idea that we no longer need to learn skills and forget to pay attention to security issues. When you study the Fa well, you will naturally know the importance of having skills for Dafa work and how to learn and master those skills. You will consciously pay attention to security issue as well.

Please kindly point out any wrong thought so I can continue to improve and be successful in my cultivation.