(Minghui.org) Another practitioner once asked me if I watched a certain TV series. I told her that I hadn’t, but she asked me the same question four times even though I always gave her the same answer. I did not watch television before and thought badly of practitioners who liked to watch TV.
But her words caught my interest this time. I became curious as to what kind of TV series made her watch so often? I decided that, since my husband watched TV all the time when he was home, I would watch the series after Fa study. There were 74 episodes, but I didn’t watch them all.
After that, however, I occasionally watched some interesting episodes, which usually lasted an hour or two. After I finally stopped watching the episodes, the characters, the plot, and the outcome occupied my mind. I could not help myself and became addicted.
Later on, I would regret it, criticize myself, and promise to give up watching TV. But after a while I changed my mind. This distracted me from studying the Fa, sending righteous thoughts, and even postponed my going out to clarify the truth.
When someone reported me to the police for clarifying the truth, I didn’t reflect on the cause. I had been trying to give up watching TV for six years. It was painful, and I felt that I had deviated from the standards of a cultivator. “What should I do, Master? Why can’t I change?”
In “Fa Teaching at the 2019 New York Fa Conference,” a disciple asked,
“My cultivation state has had ups and downs. Sometimes I am attached to doing things that I’m fond of, such as spending time on the computer, on video games, or on my mobile phone, and it’s been to the detriment of my cultivation. How can I get better control of myself and stay diligent?”
Master replied:
“I’d like to give you my take on what people normally refer to as “addiction.” In the medical sciences it’s believed that addiction occurs when the part of the nervous system associated with addictive behaviors is stimulated and develops to a sufficient degree. But that’s not it. What’s happening, then? Over time, that addictive substance accumulates, and forms inside of your body an identical version of you that comes to control you. Because it is composed of strong attachment, and has your appearance, it has an equally strong desire to control you; it was formed out of strong desires, after all.
“This holds true for drug use as well. Some people say that recreational drug use is no big deal and that it seems harmless. And sure, people feel pretty good when they try it. What if they do it again? There’s no apparent problem. How about one more time? Then their self-control starts to erode. But why is that? When that substance is inhaled, inside of your body it forms a very thin and light version of you. One hit is all it takes, since it’s highly poisonous. And with the second hit, that version of you that was thin and light grows a bit denser. And it will continue to get denser with each subsequent hit, growing stronger and sturdier. It will have the full structure of your body as well as thinking, and be an entirely drug-induced and demonic version of you. Of course, it may not do anything other than crave drugs. It can’t bear to be without them. That’s because it is now alive.” ( “Fa Teaching at the 2019 New York Fa Conference,” Team Yellow translation)
Master’s teaching enlightened me to the fact, that due to my laissez-faire attitude about my long-term obsession with TV, a powerful life—a false self—was formed inside me. It wants to control me, magnify my attachments, and kill my will. In the end, by indulging in this useless pastime, my thousand years of waiting and efforts to return to my true nature may be for naught.
Master’s Fa allowed me to see clearly the life formed by this attachment, how harmful it is and its purpose. Master has endured so much to extend the Fa-rectification time so that disciples can cultivate themselves as quickly as possible, save as many sentient beings as possible, and achieve the mighty virtue of Dafa disciples. What I did was waste my time “enjoying” myself and slacking off. I feel guilty about my slacking off.
Master stated:
“Cultivation and Fa-rectification are serious. Whether you are able to treasure this period of time is, in fact, a matter of whether you can be responsible to yourselves. This period of time will not last long, but it can forge the mighty virtue of magnificent Enlightened Beings, Buddhas, Daos, and Gods of different levels, and even Lords of different levels. It can also destroy overnight a cultivator who has reached a really high level but who has become less strict with himself. ” (“Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciples, ” Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I knew the direction of my future cultivation. I decided that, from now on, I will never let Master down. I will cherish this one-time opportunity and truly take on the responsibilities and mission of a Dafa disciple. I will cultivate to get rid of all human attachments and let my main soul be in charge.
I will return to the state before I indulged in TV, practice like when I first started, break up with the false self, stay away from the TV, keep a clear mind in this chaotic world, practice diligently, learn the Fa well, cultivate myself well, clarify the truth more, save more sentient beings, follow the path of cultivation arranged by Master, and fulfill the prehistoric great wish of Dafa disciples.
The above is a detour that I took and my determination to correct it.
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Category: Improving Oneself
