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Leaving Behind an Upright Legacy: A Practitioner's Recollections of the Early Years of Falun Dafa in China (Part 1)
By Yuanlu, a Falun Gong practitioner from northeast China, edited by a fellow practitioner (Clearwisdom.net) In the spring of 1992 there appeared in northern China an
extraordinary and wonderful practice called Falun Gong. Falun Gong resembled a
resplendent bright pearl with its dazzling brilliance scattering away the dust
that had settled in people's minds and illuminating the way for cultivation. In
order to spread Falun Gong and save all beings, the founder of Falun Gong, Mr.
Li Hongzhi, left home for Beijing, Shandong, Taiyuan, and other places to hold
classes in order to spread the teachings and teach the practice.
Because there were more and more people coming to learn Falun Gong and there
was no formally published Falun Gong book, Master wrote the manuscript of
China Falun Gong. Since Master had no money to buy the number for the
copyright, he borrowed 8,000 yuan to have China Falun Gong published. The
first batch of books were distributed and sold in every local bookstore. When
people having predestined relationship had no money to buy the book, Master
would give them a copy for free. After retailing all the books, Master still
didn't have enough to pay off the money borrowed for the copyright number. It
was very difficult for Master to spread the practice at the beginning. Master
only requested the lowest possible fees for the classes. It was impossible to
offer free classes in society, since the lecture halls needed to be rented, and
the departments or units that undertook the event asked for a handling charge.
After assorted fees were taken out, there was little money left. Even for this
little money left, Master himself wouldn't take any of it. He wanted it to be
safely kept by a practitioner from each assistance center in different regions.
For the use of this sum of money, Master once clearly pointed out that this
money represented the dedication of Falun Gong practitioners, and their support
for Falun Gong. As such, it could be only used for the development of Falun
Gong. For instance, one time Master's daughter needed money to register for
classes, and since it was right at the end of the month, the family had no money
left. Master's wife borrowed 5 yuan from Master. When Master's wife got her
salary later, Master asked for the 5 yuan back and said, "It's Dafa's money;
these special funds can only be used for this specific purpose."
Master lived only a very simple life. He lived in a simple building that had
no heating in the winter. The only electronic appliance was a TV set, and all
the furniture was of an outdated style from the 1980s. Master was strict with
his daughter and only gave her 100 yuan for living expenses every month
including school fees. One summer, Master's wife brought their daughter to
Beijing to meet Master, and Master bought a pair of shoes costing only 2 yuan
for his daughter. The standard of living for Master's family was among the
lowest even in Changchun City.
Wherever Master went he always taught by personal example and set an example
for disciples. At the end of 1994, Master ended his teaching in China, and in
the beginning of 1995, he went overseas to spread the practice. Dafa is now
widely spread in over sixty countries and benefits people everywhere.
In early summer 1995, Master took out all the money that was left from giving
the lectures in China to have the lecture video recorded and distributed to all
the assistant centers throughout the country. The entire set contained 5
videotapes and lasted a total of 900 minutes. At that time, there were almost a
thousand assistant centers in China, which used this set of recordings to spread
the practice. In just a few years, over 100 million people started practicing
Falun Gong and benefited from it, obtaining healthy bodies and minds, and
upgrading their morality. This helped the mentality and spirituality of human
civilization to improve. Master's contribution of merit and virtue to China, to
all the people, to all of humanity, is beyond expression. It is boundless and
enormous!
(To be continued) |