Recalling A Grand Occasion in 1997 - Changchun Falun Dafa Calligraphy and Photo Exhibition
By Dafa Practitioner from the North Liaoning Province, China
(Clearwisdom.net) May 14, 1997 has become an unforgettable day for Falun Dafa practitioners in
our area. It was the 5th anniversary of Teacher's introduction of
Falun Dafa to the public, and our honorable Teacher's 46th birthday.
We arranged a wonderful event to commemorate the occasion, the Changchun Falun
Dafa Calligraphy and Photo Exhibition to be held in Teacher's hometown, in the
well-known Nanling Gymnasium in Changchun. I will recount several unforgettable
memories from our visit to the exhibition. On Teacher's birthday, the spring rain fell from morning to noon, everything
on earth glowed, we saw vitality in everything, the grasses and fresh flowers
were fragrant. For a few days before the event, a sandstorm had blocked out the
sun. There had been a prolonged drought in China's northeast. The wheat crop had
withered and all the grasses and trees were drooping due to lack of moisture.
Practitioners from my area got up before dawn and took a bus from north
Liaoning to Changchun. The driver got lost. We were extremely anxious, so the
assistant asked the group to silently ask for Teacher's help. A miracle suddenly
occurred. A shining Falun appeared in front of the vehicle and directed us to
the Gymnasium, and then disappeared. Practitioners from all over China, Hong Kong and Taiwan were lining up in
four lines, waiting to enter the exhibition hall. It was the third day of the
exhibition. The exhibition was held only for ten days and it could hold more
than 10,000 visitors daily. We entered the main hall with the others. The glorious Dafa music immediately
dissolved the worries of the human world. It was as if we escaped from the human
society that strives for fame and self-interest. Teacher's portrait, more than
two meters high, was placed on the front wall of the hall. Colorful fresh
flowers were placed in front of the portrait, with pine and cypress branches in
the background. We stood in front of Teacher's portrait and took a photo (the
photo was lost later, after my home had been searched many times). The eight exhibition rooms could hold more than 10,000 people. The first room was spacious and stately. The entire room was designed with
the theme, "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance." Multicolored silk banners
were hung on all four walls. Practitioners had embroidered all the banners with
Teacher's poetry and beautiful words. This was done to sing praise to Teacher
for teaching the Fa to save sentient beings. Several exhibition rooms held pictures that showed calligraphy, drawings,
signboards, handicrafts, many touching pictures, computer designs and so on.
There were many styles on display. All of them reflected practitioners' pure
minds and deep respect for the Fa. Several drawings were marvelous descriptions
of what Dafa practitioners saw with their Celestial Eyes. One drawing showed
beautiful and magnificent Chinese style buildings and pavilions in other
dimension. This righteous and mysterious scenery allowed people to think as if
they just stepped into fairyland. Many people sat in meditation. We saw large drawings of Teacher's law body
(1) and gongshen (2) as they manifest in other dimensions. They were all taller
than a person's height. These were seen by Dafa practitioners with their
Celestial Eye and then reproduced by computer. The energy field there was the
strongest. Many people in the exhibition room saw Teacher's law body, and
strings of Falun sent out by Teacher from the portrait, rectifying
practitioner's bodies. Many supernatural stories occurred in there. One person
with a serious leg injury had arrived on crutches. He unconsciously threw away
the crutches when leaving and could walk freely. The picture-and-story book exhibition room made people forget to leave and
everyone urged practitioners to practice diligently. Some were stories of
practitioners passing tests, some expressed cultivation experiences and others
described the process of abandoning unhealthy habits after practicing
"Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance." There also were those that showed
triumphing over interference and one's demon-nature. Practitioners from our area displayed a drawing called, "Ladder to Heaven."
This drawing calls to people to ponder deeply, and could be called thought
provoking. In the drawing, a ladder reaches beyond the three realms. A
cultivator is climbing from the first to the next levels. We can see his body
changing color at each level, in the order of red, orange, yellow, green,
sky-blue, blue, purple, to colorless, until he transcended the three realms.
This drawing suggests to the viewer that the cultivation process is as difficult
as ascending to heaven. It also forecasts the magnificence of the practice's
future, urges people to strive forward, and be diligent unerringly. Another drawing showed a cultivator sighing in front of a huge mountain. The
mountain reached to the sky and was really difficult to climb. Suddenly, Teacher
appeared and cut the mountain in half. But, no matter how teacher tried to ease
the passage, the cultivator still couldn't get across. Then Teacher divided half
the mountain into various tribulations, which he would have to pass on the
cultivation path. Finally, the disciple passed tests one by one, and continued
diligently on his cultivation path. It provoked deep thoughts, enlightening
suggestions and a heartfelt thank you for our honorable Teacher. There was another drawing named "Attachments." It clearly described the
various attachments that the cultivator needs to abandon. It received high
mention during the exhibition, and recognition from fellow practitioners. The last exhibition room was prepared for practitioners to do on site
calligraphy and painting. One could find pens, ink and paints, needed for such
activities. Several famous calligraphers were there to write "Truthfulness,
Compassion, Forbearance" and quotes from Teacher's articles for those attending.
Afterwards, I heard these respected elderly men were the organizers of the
exhibition. There was a visitors' book. Many practitioners wrote their deepest and
heartfelt feelings in the book, thanking Teacher for his kindness and salvation
of humankind! Practitioners in Changchun worked round the clock for seven days
to prepare for the exhibition. They recounted the miracles that happened during
that period. It was said that one day late at night, practitioners felt hungry.
What did they find? Much food and drinks placed on the side. After finishing the
food, they asked each other if anyone knew where the food had come from, but
nobody knew. It was midnight and no one had left the area. Had the food come
down from heaven? Finally they guessed that the nearby shop owner (a
non-practitioner) had delivered the food. They wanted to pay him for the food,
but the shop owner said, "This food was given to you by your Teacher." No one
could ever explain this mysterious appearance of the food. During the ten-day exhibition, there were visitors who began to practice
Falun Gong immediately. One after the other established a connection with Dafa.
Practitioners who were not diligent began to strive forward. Some had earlier
been suspicious about the principles of Falun Gong but now became firm in the
practice. The visitors were all inspired to different degrees. It built a stable
foundation for anti-persecution and truth-clarification today. Just like Teacher
said in the article "Seeking Discipleship with Teacher": "Dafa is being spread
far and wide. Those who hear about it are looking for it. Those who have
obtained it are delighted with it. The number of cultivators is increasing daily
and becoming countless." We sincerely hope that fellow practitioners who have fallen will quickly get
up and make the best use of the time left to us. Note: (1). Law body - A body made of gong and Fa. (2). Gongshen - A body made of gong (energy).
Chinese version available at
http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/8/4/80967.html
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