(Minghui.org) I have read quite a few sharing articles on Minghui.org about the dangers of the Telegram messenger app for mobile phones. I would like to share its dangers from additional angles.
Practitioners who use Telegram often rely on the app for the fear of missing important messages or items for coordination. This consumes some amount of time and energy. Because the app sends alerts all the time, practitioners have to constantly check for alerts.
Sometimes practitioners use curse words when they don't maintain their xinxing. The app sometimes services as a medium for emotions or sentimentality. Practitioners write messages to each other that they would otherwise be reluctant to say in person.
If the sender doesn't maintain a righteous mind, the entire group may be affected. For example, a practitioner I'll refer to as A enlightens to something and posts it for other practitioners. Another practitioner, who I will identify as B, does the same the next day. Practitioner C does the same a day later. If these understandings are off track, then it may affect the entire group.
Some practitioners stepped forward late or weren't very diligent. They couldn't break through to talk about Falun Gong in person and would like to do something to validate the Fa by participating in the Telegram group. Therefore, their abilities to discern right from wrong or good from bad are not very strong. They are happy with having something to do. Anything would be okay for them.
Some post a paragraph of Master's Fa to the Telegram group to prove that they are right.
A practitioner once said, “I have to install Telegram messenger; otherwise, I'm not catching up with the progress of the Fa-rectification and am not collaborating with the one body.”
She forgot what Master taught us,
“It is not that Minghui Net does not make mistakes, however, on important matters, practitioners must pay attention to the attitude of Minghui Net.” (“Notice: A Second Authentic New Article of Master Li Since July 22, 1999 Will Be Published in a Few Days”)
From what I know, practitioners who rely on Telegram usually don't use computers or do not have computers. Once they have the app, they have no need to use a computer to visit Minghui.org. Some coordinators post Minghui.org articles or information, however, what they post are selective based on their preference and understanding. That's not the entirety of articles on Minghui.org.
Coordinators sometimes post other information, such as the Shen Yun performance schedule. The practitioners don't see the importance of visiting Minghui.org even further. Some think that they can have the same amount of information and can read Minghui articles in the app. They haven't thought about that those who post such information have actually severed the connections between practitioners and Minghui.org and have somewhat replaced Minghui.org as their source of information.
Some even think that not installing Telegram is not collaborating with the one body. Practitioners start to follow the information in the Telegram app. Have they thought about in what direction these messages are leading them? How is the cultivation of the one who hosts the Telegram group? Will the group take a righteous cultivation path?
A coordinator once shared at a gathering of about 30 practitioners: the Fa-rectification is approaching its final stage. Do you think that clarifying the truth to a few people on the street is following the progress of the Fa-rectification? Can you reach Consummation? He had the same thoughts as the one who hosted the Telegram group. Where are they leading other practitioners?
We used to visit Minghui.org for information when no one used Telegram. Once a practitioner was arrested, practitioners in the entire area would know. We acted as one body.
Once some practitioners started using the Telegram app, they posted the information on the app but not to the Minghui.org inbox. This has produced a gap among us: one group uses the Telegram app, and the other doesn't. Practitioners who don't use the Telegram app are mostly elderly practitioners. They go out and clarify the truth every day.
When a coordinator was approached with a request to post the same information to the Minghui.org inbox, his answer was: install the Telegram app yourself. A coordinator requires each Fa study group to install the app and refuses to share information otherwise. If this coordinator could really do so, then the entire area's cultivation would be in his palms. It satisfies his desire to direct others and his attachment to achievements. However, he has effectively cut off other practitioners' ties to Minghui.org and led the area's cultivation off track.
I don't know how many Dafa disciples are still using WeChat. Regarding the Telegram app, many are using it in Heilongjiang Province. This has become a trend. Those Telegram users that I know are usually sleepy during Fa study, sending forth righteous thoughts, and doing the exercises. However, they are energetic when they browse their Telegram messages.
I think there's another reason for some practitioners to be attached to the Telegram app: they are afraid. They think that the app can help them to validate the Fa without leaving their homes. I urge those practitioners to think about it: is your desire or attachment to Telegram more important than returning with Master?
I'm not well educated, and I'm not good at expressing myself in writing. It took me a long time to write this article. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.