(Minghui.org) I have some thoughts after reading the Minghui article on April 18 titled “Please Stop Using WeChat to Share Articles That Do Not Directly Clarify the Truth of Falun Dafa” I would like to say a few words to the fellow practitioners active in WeChat forums.
Most practitioners who have created and stayed active on WeChat are young or use it for work. They haven’t followed the Minghui editorial’s instruction to uninstall WeChat.
A lot of bad influences have spread through the Internet in today’s society. If cultivators fail to be strict with themselves, the information from WeChat could easily invade one’s mind and pull us down before we realize it.
Master said,
“...we are cultivators, people whose bodies are in the secular world but whose minds are beyond it.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Manhattan International Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. V)
These practitioners probably don’t like everyday people’s social media and find Falun Dafa practitioners’ accounts more pure. That’s why Falun Dafa practitioners’ profiles are mostly followed by fellow practitioners. You can easily tell from their pictures and WeChat names. It has become a common pattern in recent years. How should we view this phenomena? In my opinion, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.
As the moral standard of our society deteriorates, online groups are no exception. Their owners do everything to attract attention in order to increase their traffic and number of followers. A large amount of trash and articles with degenerated mentalities have wasted people’s time. Although Falun Dafa practitioners’ profiles mainly focus on traditional culture and spread positive news, they are censored by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and blocked if an article doesn’t conform with the Party’s views.
The CCP blocked a large number of WeChat profiles without explanation a few years ago. It simply doesn’t allow anyone to tell the truth. Many account owners of conscience had to get around it by using alternative words or hints. For example, Falun Dafa practitioners forward news from overseas in their group but have to avoid sensitive words. Some put Falun Dafa principles in their articles about traditional culture but dare not mention Falun Dafa. Although practitioners know it as soon as they read the information, other people don’t.
When such articles use words like sincerity, kindness and tolerance, fellow practitioners give them “likes.” Some non-practitioners also give them “likes,” but they may not know these words mean the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in Falun Dafa. The great law of the universe can’t be arbitrarily altered, however. Do these substitute words still carry the power of the Fa? Ordinary people don’t realize that these articles are meant to promote Falun Dafa. We ought to consider the end result.
Giving “likes” or making donations to Falun Dafa practitioners’ accounts are individual choices. However, if many practitioners do these things, how does it affect the account owners? I think it will not only mislead account owners on the aspect of money but also give them an illusion that they are offering salvation to sentient beings, so they may neglect what they truly need to do about the three things, and they may develop an attachment to zealotry. I hope that practitioners who actively give “likes” and make donations reflect upon the upsides and downsides. Our actions might trigger negative consequences.
What’s in a person’s mind determines the person’s character. If you spend most of your day on the Internet, is it possible to stay away from bad influences? The Minghui editorial advised Falun Dafa practitioners to uninstall WeChat for a reason. It alerted practitioners to stay away from the trap. A few years have passed, and there is already a difference in the mental purity between practitioners still using WeChat and those who uninstalled WeChat right away.
The above is my personal understanding. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
Editor’s note: This article only represents the author’s current understanding meant for sharing among practitioners so that we can “Compare with one another in study, in cultivation.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
Category: Improving Oneself
