Happy Memories

(Clearwisdom.net) The four days from July 15-18, 1994, are my most memorable. I was very fortunate to be able to attend Master's four-day lecture held at the women's volleyball court in Chenzhou, Hunan Province.

Early on July 13, 1994, the volunteer Falun Gong assistant in my town and I, together with the driver, went to Changsha to meet Master. When we arrived at Hengyang City, the traffic was heavy. The No. 107 National Highway was under reconstruction. There were roadblocks everywhere. The queue was so long that by 2:00 p.m. we still hadn't left Hengyang municipality. July in Hengyang is hot and humid. The blazing sun, the exhaust fumes from the cars, the heat radiating from the muddy road, and on top of that, our car did not have air-conditioning--it was like a steaming sauna. I hadn't been physically well. Now, with all the adverse conditions, I got heat stroke and felt extremely sick.

I hadn't been practicing Falun Dafa for very long then, and my understanding of the Fa principles was still limited. Along the way, I was hoping to find a herbal shop where I could get some herbal medicine to relieve my discomfort. Somehow, there wasn't one. I had to put up with it all the way to Changsha. The next morning, we were busy looking for accommodations for Master. After lunch, we drove to the airport to meet Master. The weather was not helping. There were thunderstorms and lightning. Master's plane was delayed and it did not arrive until late in the evening. By the time we had taken Master to the hotel, I was completely worn out. I did not know how it happened, but two blisters appeared on my big toes and they made walking extremely difficult for me. While I was about to leave Master's room, the head of Yizhang County came to pay Master a visit. After the usual formalities, he asked Master to condition his body for him. Without a word, Master just treated his body. I was tempted to ask Master to do the same for me. But, seeing that it was late and Master needed to rest after a long day trip, I did not think it was proper to trouble Master.

The three of us from Chenzhou shared a room. When I entered, the other two were already asleep. I decided to sit down and do some meditation. As soon as I sat down, Master's fashen appeared, stood behind me, and motioned for me to sit up straight. Instantly, my whole body was light and relaxed. All my aches completely vanished. I don't know how long I sat there. Suddenly, I remembered that I had to settle the accounts, as we had to leave early the next morning. When I had settled the accounts, I went back upstairs to my room on the third floor. Amazingly, this time I climbed the stairs effortlessly, like a new person. Thank you Master, for purifying my body.

On July 15, 1994, notwithstanding travel fatigue, Master gave a lecture at the volleyball court. The participants included the Qigong Association representatives and the town's senior executive officers. I was fortunate to be invited. Master started with an introduction and explained the characteristics of Falun Gong. Hearing Master's introduction, I really felt it was a marvelous qigong. Master was so compassionate to pass it on to us. However, the town's senior executives did not seem to think so. They were retired senior officers. Apart from the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) conflicting philosophy, they did not believe in anything else, not to mention qigong, gods or Buddhas. From their expressions, they did not take Master's introduction seriously. One quietly remarked that some qigong practices worshiped money and Falun Gong worshiped gods. Master showed neither signs of annoyance nor paid any attention to what he said. Knowing that Master was the most welcome and reputable qigong master in the whole country, and to share a bit of the honor, they requested to take a picture with Master. After setting up the tripod, the photographer, the town's best known, took two photos just as a precaution. We were told afterwards that neither of the photos came out. There were no images on them. "Strange!" they said.

Suxiancen, also known as one of the eighteen Blessed Lands, is one of Hunan's most popular tourist sites. It is about three kilometers from Chenzhou Town, and a wonderful scenic spot.

It was mid-summer. Because of the tight schedule, Master's normal nine lectures were condensed to four days. Hence, Master had to talk for four to five hours every day. We felt sorry for the rush. Chenzhou's practice site suggested inviting Master to Suxiancen, and Master accepted. On the morning of the 16th, as a local, I accompanied Master on the trip.

There are three pathways leading to the Suxiancen hilltop. Tourists had to rely on a map for directions. I intended to lead the way, but Master was too quick for me. I had to follow behind. The way Master took was the same way I had intended to take. Somehow, Master seemed very familiar with the site. Looking at Master's confidence, I asked, "Master, when did you come here last?" Without saying a word, he put out four fingers. I did not quite get the meaning--whether Master meant he had been here four times, or he was here 400 years ago. After a while, Master said, "I am very familiar with Chenzhou houses during the Ming Dynasty." From this comment, I guessed it was possible that Master had been here 400 years ago.

When we were approaching the hilltop, a piece of rock jutted out, suspending before us. On the rock were carved a chessboard and a footprint with the characters for "immortal rock." Pointing at the rock, I tried to explain the story of Suxian, the immortal who obtained the Dao and left on a white crane just where the rock was. Master said he wasn't what people called immortal. Pointing to the rock, Master said, "This is a passage way to another dimension."

On the hilltop was a Daoist temple called Suxian Temple. Just as we were about to step over the threshold through the front door, Master stopped us with a warning. "We practice Buddha cultivation. In the future, if you need to enter a Daoist temple, enter it from the side door." Master then took us in through the side door. After coming out of Suxian Temple, Master said, "I have cleaned up the whole mountain." While going down the hill, Master looked somewhat serious and said, "Coming to the end of the havoc period, human beings are like ripened lychees, about to go bad." Master then encouraged us to value our cultivation opportunity.

On the afternoon of July 17, Master continued with his lecture at the volleyball court. It was a hot and a humid day. The barometric pressure was high and we could hardly breathe. Shortly after the lecture started, the sky got dark, black clouds gathered, lightning and thunder followed. As soon as the rain started, it poured without letup. After Master finished speaking, the rain still continued. Although the lecture had finished for the day, we could not leave. Everyone was waiting along the veranda and some in the restrooms. I stood near the door and waited with the others.

When I looked around again, Master had descended from the stage. He walked past me and went straight out the door, as if there was no rain at all. I quickly grabbed an umbrella from a student and decided to walk Master back to the hotel. Master turned around, looked at me and said, "When have you seen a qigong master carry an umbrella?" While talking to me, he continued to walk. I thought I understood what Master had said, so I quickly returned the umbrella and followed him back to the hotel.

The interesting thing was, that although the rain kept falling, there was no sign that Master's clothes got wet. The rain did not affect me, either.

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