Following Teacher for Thousands of Miles Around China (Photo) -- Part 1

By a Practitioner in the United States

(Clearwisdom.net)

I fell ill when I was young, and since then I went to see many doctors and was on various medications for quite a few years. Nothing worked, and as a result I eventually lost my trust in doctors and medicines. At the end of 1992, my health condition suddenly deteriorated. My family flew me to Beijing, where we were to see some Qigong healer. However, after many treatment sessions, my health didn't improve much. In July 1993, I saw a book entitled Falun Gong on my friend's bookshelf. I took it out and skimmed through it. In the book, it said that a Falun would be planted in the practitioners' lower abdomen. I was shocked because nobody had ever been able to truly know the origin of life, and yet the founder of Falun Gong was able to create a living object. Something like this was unimaginable! I felt there must be something to it after all, and mused that a Falun in my lower abdomen could very possibly heal my illnesses. So I hurriedly asked my friend to help me find out where I could learn Falun Gong.

On July 25 1993, I attended the eleventh class that Teacher gave in Beijing. It was at that moment that I started my cultivation path.

A Proclamation from the Oriental Health Expo in 1993

The eleventh class given in Beijing was held in an auditorium in the Beijing City Public Security University. I was fascinated by the first lecture in which Teacher talked about prehistoric culture; I listened with my heart and I found it amazing. I was born in 1948, and as teenagers, my generation experienced the Great Cultural Revolution firsthand. From the bitter lessons learned then, we learned to think for ourselves rather than blindly following others. Despite this insight, I had always felt depressed in this confusing world. I didn't know what kind of standard I should use to judge others and myself. I liked reading magazines such as Mystery during my spare time, and I also thought a lot about things that were beyond our daily lives.

On that first day of the lectures, I learned and understood a lot. This left me very excited. Upon attending the lectures daily, I felt better and better. That being the case, I decided to take the class again. The twelfth class given in Beijing was held in a company locale in the Wukesong Area. After attending a few lectures, I came down with a fever, and my chest would ache whenever I coughed. I couldn't even speak. Some veteran practitioners told me, "Please try to come to the lectures no matter how sick you feel." After three or four days, the fever suddenly disappeared, and at the time I perceived that a piece of some substance had been removed from my body. Next I attended the thirteenth class held in Beijing, at the Two Seven Automobile Factory. After those three classes, I didn't need a housemaid anymore since I was finally able to take care of myself.

Class after class, I listened to Teacher's lectures. All the things that Teacher talked about were new to me. The question was, should I believe them or not?

I thought that since life is short and a single person's own experiences are limited, it would be impossible to try to prove or experience everything oneself. So I decided that I needed to closely observe Teacher, for if he is trustworthy, the things that he talked about must be truthful. I started to observe Teacher, including his every expression, smile, and every little act. One day after a lecture during the twelfth class in Beijing, I took the subway home. As I awaited the train at the Wukesong Station, I saw Teacher coming, with his family members and another practitioner. They were carrying their lunch boxes. When the train came, people pushed towards the door, shoving one another. However, Teacher was not in a hurry at all. He let others in first and was almost the last one that got on. I noticed that by the time he got on the train, there were only one or two seats left. So Teacher could have gotten a seat if he hurried a little bit. But he just stayed there, and it seemed as though he didn't even notice the situation. In the space of a few seconds, all the people took their seats. In the end, he was probably the only one on the train who was standing.

I was deeply touched. I felt that he was so different from us, and I wondered how he handled things in this world. I finally came up with an answer, which is that he is simply "righteous." How righteous he is! He has nothing to hide; everything of his is so truthful. During the classes, he always started the lectures right on time. He also didn't talk in a roundabout way and would instead immediately cut right to the point.

Teacher cleaned out our bodies during every class, and many practitioners' health conditions dramatically improved. It was remarkable. During the class, some people got rid of the illnesses that had tormented them for their entire lives. I was so glad for the improvement of my health, yet, I was even more delighted with the feeling of joy I had. I had never been so happy in all my life. Everything was so clear. Whether from near or far or being rich or poor, all the practitioners held the same thought even though we didn't really know each other: we all listened to Teacher and wanted to cultivate ourselves. After each lecture, we didn't even want to go home. When I was alone with myself, I couldn't help asking, "Why am I so touched?" I later came to realize that Teacher, and all the things that he talked about, touched something from the bottom of my heart, which is "truthfulness." Teacher is so noble, unsullied, and indestructible. I was deeply moved.

Teacher Lecturing at the second class in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, in March 1993.

The next class after the thirteenth class in Beijing was to be held in Wuhan City. I wanted to go, but it was difficult for me to travel by myself. Although my health had improved a lot, I had been ill for so long that I was still too weak to even pick up a thermos bottle. But I really wanted to go. I encouraged myself, and at last I left for Wuhan City by train. My bed was on the top bunk in the sleeping carriage, and as such it was hard for me to climb up there. Just at that moment, the young guy whose bed was on the bottom bunk suddenly said to me, "Do you want to sleep on the bottom bunk?" I really appreciated his assistance. Similarly, when I arrived at my destination, Hankou Station, somebody helped me with my luggage. I felt so lucky. It was only until many years later that I came to realize that it was Teacher who had arranged all the help that I needed. Teacher consecutively held three classes in Wuhan City. Those were the third, fourth and fifth classes held in Wuhan City. The third class was given at the Finance and Economics College, the fourth class was held in the City Committee Auditorium, and the fifth class was at the Wuhan Steel Factory. By the time the three classes were finished, it was mid-October. The next class was to be held in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, and I followed Teacher to Guangzhou City to attend the second class given in Guangzhou.

The things that Teacher talked about were roughly the same from class to class. However, he would sometimes explain the same thing from different perspectives. Teacher's few sentences would make me suddenly enlighten to something, and in this manner I came to understand more and more. The more I listened, the more I felt that the things Teacher told us were extremely important and vast. Gradually, I clearly knew that what he talked about was beyond the principles of Buddhism and Taoism; it is the principle of the entire universe. Teacher can create Falun, he knows the origin of life, and he can eliminate karma for us. Then who is he? I dared not think about that. I knew that Falun Gong must be a huge event without precedent, so I told my husband about it and asked him to come and learn it with me. I also called my child who lived abroad, asking her to come back as soon as possible to take Teacher's class.

I remember that it was during the second class in Tianjin that, for the first time, Teacher said that he would leave the Fa to the world. The word "leave" exploded in my head. I realized that Teacher would not offer classes forever. At that time, I decided that if Teacher would offer classes later, I would attend them as long as I was allowed to, no matter where they would be. With my very weak body, it was very hard for me to follow Teacher's itinerary. However, the second I heard the lectures, all hardships were forgotten. In order to attend the lectures, everything was worth it. Each time I saw Teacher come out to lecture, joy would rise from the bottom of my heart. I felt very close to Teacher, and those days were so great and bright. At the end of each class, he would ask us to write something down in order to share our experiences with others. I felt guilty that since I had nothing to say, I didn't write anything. I didn't want to talk about how Falun Gong improved my health, nor about how grateful I was. The only thing that is always in my heart is, "I hope Teacher can stay with us forever. I hope Teacher's glory can shine upon our lives forever."

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2002/9/16/36648.html

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