(Clearwisdom.net)
I became a Falun Dafa practitioner in June 1993. I was fortunate enough to attend two of Teacher's week-long seminars.
In those years, Teacher took the trouble to travel throughout China and to teach us Falun Dafa, whether in the harshness of winter or the heat of summer. Nowadays, when the brutal persecution against Dafa and Dafa practitioners has lasted for six years and Dafa's mighty Fa-rectification force gets closer and closer to the surface, every Dafa practitioner should cherish even more this precious predestined chance and Teacher's compassionate salvation, and continue to steadfastly make progress to realize our ancient promises.
In 1993 I was in the second year of studies at a university in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province. After I learned that Teacher would be holding a seminar in Jinan City, Shandong Province, I overcame some difficulties and attended Teacher's first seminar in Jinan City. It was during my winter school holiday in January 1994. There were relatively few in attendance, and many of them came from other regions.
The first day Teacher gave a brief introduction to Falun Gong. He told us to stretch out our hands and placed a Falun in the center of everyone's palms to let us feel the Falun rotating. When Teacher asked if we had felt it, all of us answered, "Yes!" In fact, I did not have a very strong feeling. It was seemingly yes and no, but I was attracted to Teacher's comprehensive and profound lecture. I finally found the answers to the questions that I had been trying to solve, but always failed to do so after so many years of practicing Qigong. I considered myself lucky to have attended such a wonderful seminar.
In the following eight days, my body experienced great changes. Just in the first two or three days my body was entirely purified, as Teacher said. I felt that my whole body was energized without illness. I went to the class by bike every day, just as Teacher said, " ...When you're riding your bike it feels like somebody is giving you a push,..." (Zhuan Falun). Whenever I entered the auditorium, I felt a really peaceful and powerful field that penetrated my whole body so warmly. However, what really made my heart change entirely was the Fa that Teacher taught thoroughly and deeply.
Although I still considered Dafa as a kind of ordinary Qigong practice to study because of my poor comprehension, I realized that my world outlook had already changed completely. It finally became clear to me that the materialism that I had studied throughout my life was wrong, while the so-called "superstitions" I had strongly objected to and mocked were right.
Although my body felt very comfortable for the first few days, I felt very sad realizing that I had lived in such a muddle for over twenty years and that I had not been able to distinguish between right and wrong, good and bad. At the same time, I felt very happy and lucky that I finally learned such a good practice and that Teacher himself purified my body and placed a Falun in me.
I remember that at that time it was very cold and all of us wore cotton-padded clothes or down jackets, but Teacher only wore a common, coffee-colored, artificial-leather jacket. However, Teacher wore a suit whenever he lectured on the platform. At that time there were very few copies of the book "Falun Gong." Later, a practitioner from Beijing brought a very big bag of the books and in a little while, all were sold out. Every day in the middle few days, there was a crowd of practitioners who took the books and asked Teacher for His signature. I also got closer to ask for Teacher's signature. Teacher was always very patient signing our books for us. When the class was over, the practitioners from various regions took group photos with Teacher one after another. I was also fortunate to have a photo taken alone with Teacher. Unfortunately, this most precious photo was lost when the police searched my house and confiscated my personal property four year ago. I deeply regret this.
One day during the seminar, I saw that an older man had knelt down at the entrance gate to kowtow to Teacher while weeping. The man said, "Teacher, I come from Beijing. I have finally found you. You have saved me and all my diseases have disappeared." Teacher hurriedly helped the old man stand up by the arm and said, "Stand up quickly. You needn't do so. It's enough for you to try your best to cultivate yourself."
The eve of the Chinese lunar new year fell two days after the seminar was over. Chinese value the New Year highly. But Teacher could only have a rest for two or three days. On the second day of the lunar New Year, he would again take pains to teach the Fa in the Shengli oilfield in Dongying City, Shandong Province.
On April 30, 1994, Teacher gave the seventh Fa class in Changchun City, Jilin Province. The auditorium in the Jilin University could not hold very many practitioners. But a larger place could not be found. Teacher had to lecture twice every day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Most of the practitioners from other regions listened to the morning lectures.
In the morning, I usually came to the class ahead of time. Before class began, around the fourth day, a few persons helped an elderly man in a wheelchair come up while I was exchanging understandings of the Fa with several practitioners outside the auditorium. After a while, Teacher also arrived and saw the man. A moment later, Teacher told the man's relatives to help him stand up. Then two relatives held him by the arm as he walked several steps. Then, Teacher asked them to let go and let the old man walk by himself. After the two relatives stopped helping him, the man seemed to stand unsteadily. All the practitioners around encouraged him, "Teacher is helping you walk by yourself, so you must be able to do so." Finally the old man plucked up his courage and took some more steps. He staggered along like a baby learning to walk. The practitioners watching applauded him and his relatives were excited enough to shed tears all along and to quickly express thanks to Teacher.
When Teacher taught the Fa and the Falun Gong exercises in all parts of the country, we encountered very big interference from all sides. Just as Teacher said,
"As a matter of fact, many of our veteran practitioners in Changchun know that it wasn't easy at all when we first began teaching this Fa and our exercises in the early days. We went through a difficult period of trials and tribulations before we were able to spread this Fa far and wide and make it known to more people. So our work wasn't at all easy in the beginning." ("Teaching the Fa at the Assistants' Fa Conference in Changchun")
At that time, all kinds of fake Qigong classes throughout the country were collecting money everywhere, while Teacher charged very little wherever he taught the Fa class. The fee for an eight-day class was only 40 yuan and veteran practitioners need only pay half that amount. Because of the low fee, those fake Qigong masters went to the Chinese Qigong Research Committee to ask Teacher to increase the fee. But Teacher insisted on not doing so all along, because many practitioners were hard up. In the Changchun lecture, I missed the first class because I came one day later. According to what the present practitioners said, a power failure happened suddenly while Teacher was teaching the class in the daytime. And later, Teacher continued the class outside the auditorium. At that time, it had been raining a little.
At present, under Teacher's compassionate care, our practitioners have gone through all kinds of tribulations to be where we are today. Looking back upon the past difficult years, we hope that every practitioner can cherish this time and not slack off. Teacher said, "...This instant is precious beyond measure. Completing the last leg of this journey well is what's most magnificent..." ("Teaching the Fa in the City of Chicago")
