Some Thoughts on Cell Phone Etiquette among Practitioners

(Clearwisdom.net) Cell phones are very disruptive. In ordinary society, people have gotten used to cell phones going off in public settings. But as practitioners, we need to be mindful of the consequences of bringing in a cell phone to the sacred pure land of group Fa study and Fa conferences.

I attended the 2007 Washington D.C. Fa Conference. I think practitioners would agree that it was a very successful conference, and the speeches were excellent. However, even after the hosts repeatedly asked practitioners to turn off their cell phones and take out the batteries, cell phones could be heard ringing throughout the entire conference. Cell phones went off no less than 50 times, and I even heard cell phones ringing during Master's Fa lecture.

As Fa-rectification Period Dafa Disciples, who are supposed to be setting an example for the cultivators of the future, how can we let this continue to happen?

This is not only a problem at Fa Conferences. This is a regular problem at group Fa studies in North America. Not only is the ringing of cell phones disruptive, but often the practitioner will answer the phone call and start having a conversation while the rest of the group is studying the Fa. This is not just a matter of how serious some practitioners regard Fa study. Quite simply, this behavior is rude.

On a more serious note, cell phones at a Fa conference is a security risk that the evil could take advantage of.

No one seems to bother to bring it up, perhaps out of fear of criticism, fear of practitioners not taking it seriously, or an incorrect thought that the phone call is about a serious project to save sentient beings and therefore "acceptable" for disruption. But this is no excuse. Dafa is solemn and we must uphold the pure environment of group Fa study.

If a large number of practitioners won't listen to the hosts of a Fa conference and allow their cell phones to go off, then I think it shows that this behavior is deeply ingrained in some and requires a change in mindset, and actions, to fix.

Almost all cell phones have a "vibrate" feature. Before walking into group study, if those practitioners with cell phones don't want to set their phone to "voice mail" mode (as Master suggested at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference), they should be respectful and set their phones on vibrate. If they receive a call, they should leave the room before answering the call. If a practitioner takes the call in the same room as Fa study, we should not hesitate to tell that person to leave. Likewise, if a practitioner has his cell phone go off, we should talk to that practitioner after the group study and remind him to set his cell phone on vibrate before the next group study.

As for Fa conferences, I think security personnel need to start asking every practitioner whether or not they have a cell phone, and get them to take out the batteries before they enter the conference hall. Teacher said,

"I think when you study the Fa you should just study the Fa, and no one should interfere. That's because if you don't cultivate yourself well, you won't have mighty virtue in anything you do."

("Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference")

These are my suggestions. I hope others will comment or critique my article and share how they think we can improve in this regard.