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The Buddha Light Illuminates the Land of Guanzhou: Commemorating the Fourteenth Anniversary of Master's Teaching the Fa in Guan County, Shandong Province, Part 3
(Clearwisdom.net) (Continued) Part 1: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/3/26/83927.html Part 2: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2007/3/27/83952.html 3. Teacher Graced Guan County for the Second Time On May 12, 1993, when Teacher taught the Fa in Linqin, he decided to visit
Guan County to meet with Falun Gong practitioners. At about 2:30 p.m., Teacher
gave a Fa lecture in a conference room at the Guan County Winery for more than
an hour. Mr. Xin Chengfu from the Chinese Qigong Association is from Linqin. Just as
Mr. Han Yu'an from Guan County did, Mr. Xin introduced Falun Gong to people in
his hometown. Teacher accepted the invitation from the Linqin Qigong Association
and visited Linqin on the morning of May 7. Teacher stayed at the Linqin Hotel
(formerly called City Government Guest House). The small guest house that
Teacher stayed at, the auditorium where the Falun Gong classes were held, and
the restaurant where Teacher dined with practitioners in Guan County no longer
exist. On the evening of May 8, the city government officials and staff members
held a welcoming ceremony for Teacher in the conference room at the Linqin City
Government Guest House ("Guest House"). Chairman Li of the Linqin
Qigong Association made a welcoming speech and recited a poem. "On behalf
of people of all walks of life in Linqin," Mr. Zhang Rongkai said,
"Welcome, Master Li, to Linqin. Thank you for imparting the Fa and passing
this treasure to us." Over 30 people from Guan County attended the
welcoming ceremony. Afterwards, Teacher made a report to the Linqin Qigong
Association. (It may have been the first Falun Gong class in Linqin. Mr. Xin
Chengfu and Mr. Han Yu'an both attended.) In the afternoon on May 8, some practitioners in Guan County went to the
Guest House at different hours. Mr. Li Feng (pseudonym) from the Guan County
Traffic Bureau was among them. He was paralyzed from the waist down and was
unable to live independently. Because Teacher cured the illness of a middle-aged
woman from his workplace, he asked his family to take him to Teacher in Linqin
and beg Teacher to cure his illness. Teacher was busy, so practitioners from
Guan County approached Elder Sister Liu. [It is a Chinese custom to refer to a
middle-aged woman outside the family that is not old enough to be your aunt as
Elder Sister as a sign of respect and affection.] She was assisting Teacher in
teaching the Falun Gong exercises. Teacher had unlocked her supernormal
capabilities and permitted her to use these capabilities to treat people's
illness [for free.] Sister Liu treated Mr. Li Feng in the courtyard of the Guest
House. Some veteran practitioners from Guan County stood in a circle around her
and Li Feng. She touched Mr. Li's problem area firmly to repel his sickness
karma and removed the bad elements from his body. Within a short time, Li Feng
stood up and walked like a healthy person. He looked as happy as a child. Li
Feng and his wife, Sun Qing (pseudonym), had the good fortune to have breakfast
with Teacher on May 9. It is a pity that Li Feng eventually gave up practicing
Falun Gong. We would like to take the opportunity to remind practitioners and
non-practitioners who are still lingering, "It will be no use crying over
spilled milk once the predestined opportunity no longer exists." On the morning of May 9, practitioners from Guan County waited for Teacher in
the courtyard of the Guest House. Some veteran practitioners wanted to ask
Teacher to select a group practice site in the park. After Teacher came to the
courtyard, everyone followed him. We crossed the small bridge in Wenshui and
entered a public park. There is a traditional Chinese architectural style
building near the entrance of the park. A man was practicing singing there.
Teacher didn't stop there. When we came to a bamboo grove in the east, we saw
some people practicing some kind of qigong. They were shaking their arms and
legs while shouting out loud. Teacher smiled at the scene but did not comment.
Teacher walked around the park and selected a location at the south side of the
old building. After we left the park, we stopped at a food stand across from the Linqin
City Museum. Teacher told everyone to sit down and have breakfast. After Teacher
took a seat, a practitioner from Guan County brought Teacher breakfast. Teacher
had a small egg sunny-side up, a steamed bun, and a bowl of tofu soup.
Practitioners from Guan County wanted to pay for Teacher's breakfast, but
Teacher didn't accept it. Finally Elder Sister Liu paid for everyone's
breakfast, but it was actually Teacher who paid for several dozen practitioners'
breakfasts. (As we were writing this paragraph, we felt we could not express our
immense gratitude to Teacher.) After breakfast, Teacher invited practitioners to take photographs together
in front of the museum. Next Teacher had Sister Liu pass the word that he had
decided to treat illnesses for about one hundred people in Linqin, in the hope
that they would learn about Falun Gong as soon as possible. Teacher asked
practitioners from Guan County not to follow, as he needed to concentrate. We
were reluctant to part with Teacher, but we finally bid farewell. Those of us
who were not going to attend the Falun Gong classes in Linqin returned home. Within six months, between November 1992 and May 1993, the number of
practitioners in Guan County increased from just over 100 to over 300. For
various reasons, the majority of them did not have a clear understanding about
cultivation practice. Only about a dozen practitioners stayed and attended the
Falun Gong classes in Linqin. The rest of them bid farewell to Teacher and
returned home. When those practitioners returned to Guan County, they told everyone that
Teacher was in Linqin. Practitioners in that area wished for Teacher to come
again to Guan County. Teacher accepted our invitation and came on the morning of
Wednesday, May 12. Practitioners who received the news early went to Elder Dai's
home early in the morning to wait for Teacher's arrival. [It is a Chinese custom
to call an older acquaintance, friend or colleague outside the family by his
last name preceded by the word "Elder."] Many arrived later in the
morning. We all felt we had so much to say to Teacher, but we were all lost for
words once we saw him. Teacher sat in a chair against the western wall in the
living room and answered questions. This time Sister Liu, Young Li, and several practitioners from Linqin came
with Teacher. [It is a Chinese custom to refer a young man as "Young"
followed by his last name.] We had lunch together at a small restaurant north of
Guan County Guest House. (The small restaurant is no longer there.) The deputy
mayor of Guan County, Ms. Qi Yufen, came to have lunch with Teacher as well.
Over 30 people had lunch with Teacher that day. Before lunch, Teacher said, "I have returned to my hometown." A
practitioner asked, "Teacher, isn't Changchun your hometown?" Teacher
explained, "I was from Guan County in one of my previous lives." We
did not understand what Teacher meant until we had studied the Fa
and cultivated solidly for some time. It was not until a practitioner from
Changchun told us that in one life Teacher was a beggar in Guan County that we
realized Teacher's special relationship with Guan County and how much hardship
Teacher had endured to save the people in Guan County. (Note: Wu Xun, 1838 -
1896 A.D., was a common civilian and an educator who got the funds to establish
free public schools by begging throughout his lifetime. Mao Zedong once
criticized a Chinese movie honoring Wu Xun.) After lunch, Teacher went to the Guanyichun Wine Company, Ltd. (Guan County
Winery) at around 2:00 p.m. Practitioners had arrived early in anticipation of
Teacher's arrival. Among them were Assistant Secretary of Guan County Mr. Shi
Yongzhao and other government officials. Because it had rained, some
practitioners were not able to get there as they lived quite some distance. When
Teacher stepped on the stage, everyone applauded loudly. Teacher signaled for
silence. We felt transported to six months before when Teacher taught us the Fa
for the first time. First, Teacher summarized the country-wide development of
Falun Gong over the previous six months. Teacher repeatedly emphasized the
importance of studying the Fa and cultivating our minds. Teacher also brought us
the book China Falun Gong that had just been published. (After the Falun
Gong classes in Linqin concluded, Teacher gave us practitioners in Guan County
about 100 copies of China Falun Gong.) Teacher also promised to provide
us with a copy of the audio recording of the Fa lectures in Linqin. Teacher also
answered our questions about cultivation. Finally, Teacher cured our illnesses.
(In the audience, there were people who had just started practicing Falun Gong,
as well as non-practitioners. Those everyday people were very lucky, but it was
their predestined relationship with Falun Gong that brought them there.) Standing on the stage with a microphone in his left hand, Teacher told us to
think about the illnesses we wanted to get rid of and to stand relaxed with eyes
closed. (Those who were not ill were asked to think of their family's
illnesses.) Teacher waved his large hand and grabbed something invisible from
our direction. Then He asked, "How are you feeling?" Some said they
were cured, but some said they were not cured. Teacher said, "I will cure
one more of your illness. Those with good enlightenment quality are lucky
because illness cannot be cured casually." Teacher grabbed something
invisible again. The majority of the audience was cured, but a few individuals
were not cured. There were two elderly women who were related through their children's
marriage. One of the elderly women had suffered from Hepatitis B for around 20
years. She had already developed ascities because of the hepatitis, and she
could hardly eat. Both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine did not
help her. She was counting her days on this earth. In the morning, her son
approached Teacher and talked about his mother's illness. Next Teacher took two
pieces of the banana from the table, put them between his palms for a while, and
offered them to the son. The son said he didn't want the banana pieces. Teacher
said, "They are not for you." The son then realized that they were for
his ailing mother. Before the class, the elderly woman ate the banana containing Teacher's
"gong." When Teacher grabbed the sickness away from the
audience in the afternoon, she felt a cold waft of air traveling down from her
liver to her right leg and to the ground. She no longer suffered from Hepatitis
B. To this day, this elderly women remains firm in practicing Falun Gong. She
has been following Teacher's requirements to cultivate herself, clarifying the
truth and saving sentient beings. She finished only the first year of elementary
school, but she can study Falun Gong books without any difficulty. There are
many practitioners like her in Guan County. When Teacher was leaving, we saw him off at the door and did not want to
leave until Teacher's car could no longer be seen. After Teacher went back to Linqin, a group of practitioners went to Linqin
again to see Teacher on Saturday, May 15. Teacher does not accept gifts and does
not drink wine or tea. (Back in Guan County, someone offered a bottle of Mao Tai
Wine as a gift, which Teacher graciously declined.) Those practitioners that
arrived in Linqin in the afternoon saw Teacher talking with a middle-aged women
named Wang from Linqin when they entered Teacher's room. Young Li invited
everyone to take a seat and offered everyone tea and oranges. After Teacher saw
the visitor off, he returned to the room and talked to us. Teacher also offered
us tea and oranges. Teacher also raised the cup and drank. We saw tea leaves in
Teacher's cup and asked what type of tea it was. Teacher pointed at Elder Rui
and said it was his tea. Elder Rui smiled. Teacher made an exception and
accepted a bag of tea offered by Elder Rui. Elder Rui had in his hands a photograph of Teacher sitting in meditation in a
sweater and a copy of China Falun Gong that had just been published. On
the first page of the book, Teacher wrote two lines: "Cultivate in the
Righteous Fa Wholeheartedly. Climb one more flight of stairs." (Later a
practitioner from Shaanxi Province borrowed the book, but it was confiscated by
the wicked police from the Guan County Public Security Bureau.) Other
practitioners brought home copies of Teacher's photograph. Teacher brought many
copies of China Falun Gong to the classes in Linqin. After the class,
Teacher gave the majority of the books to practitioners in Guan County. There was a light drizzle before dinner, which refreshed the air. A group of
practitioners took photographs with Teacher in the courtyard. Afterwards Teacher
invited us to have dinner together. Elder Rui bought a box of juice and shared
it with us. We remember it as the best juice we had ever had. After dinner Teacher held the final class in Linqin. There was a simple
closing ceremony before the class started. A female practitioner who suffered
from terminal breast cancer was cured at that time. She was so excited that she
choked up in tears. It was a most touching and unforgettable moment. After practitioners gave their speeches, Teacher began to answer questions. A
few practitioners from Linqin felt warm and were sweating profusely. We also
felt extremely sleepy. A public security officer who was usually very energetic
slowly closed his eyes. He tried to keep awake, but he fell asleep eventually.
However, he heard Teacher's Fa lecture in his sleep and did not miss anything. On the morning of Sunday, May 16, Teacher was scheduled to return to Beijing.
Practitioners from Linqin rented a van. Practitioners from Guan County arrived
at the courtyard of the Guest House early in the morning, waiting to see Teacher
off. Teacher came downstairs and shook hands with every practitioner from Guan
County. We were reluctant to see Teacher get into the van. The van began to
drive away. We could not bear it any longer. We chased the van. A female student
burst into tears. Other practitioners' eyes were also wet with tears. Although
the van was driving slowly, it moved further and further away from us. 4. Teacher Prepared to Grace Guan County for the Third Time In January 1994, Teacher held the first series of Falun Gong classes in Jinan.
The class location was Shandong Province Chinese Communist Party Youth Group
School in Jinan, Shandong Province. At about 7:00 a.m., Thursday, January 27,
Elder Rui, Elder Dai, Mr. Du (chairman of the Science Committee) and about three
more men went to Jinan West Station to pick up Teacher. The host organization in
Jinan also had people pick up Teacher at the station. After breakfast, and after Teacher had checked in, he went to the conference
room of the school. At around 10:00 a.m., Teacher was scheduled to present a
qigong report. The conference room was also known as the small auditorium. It
was located on the north side with its door facing south. It was close to the
entrance of the school. The conference room can seat about 600 people. About 40
practitioners from Guan County were also taking the classes. There is no side or
back door in this small auditorium, so everyone had to come through the main
entrance. Therefore, everyone kept looking at the main entrance, anxiously
awaiting Teacher's arrival. At close to 10:00 a.m., Teacher appeared with his daughter. Practitioners
from Guan County approached Teacher. Teacher shook hands with us and had a smile
on his face while walking up to the stage. Teacher made it in time. Besides
practitioners from Guan County and veteran practitioners, there were few people
that knew about Falun Gong, so the audience did not give Teacher a warm
applause. Next, the chairman of the Guan County Science Committee got up on the
stage and bestowed the highest respect for Teacher on behalf of all the Falun
Gong practitioners from Guan County. The chairman also briefly reported on the
development of Falun Gong in Guan County and the physical and spiritual
improvements that Falun Gong practitioners had experienced. He also told a few
stories of people whose illnesses were cured from practicing Falun Gong. Next he
presented a congratulatory letter from practitioners in Guan County and wished
Teacher success for the very first series of Falun Gong classes in Jinan. The
audience applauded loudly. Teacher taught the Fa for about an hour. Admission for this session was five
yuan for each person. Many people changed their minds and decided to
stay in Jinan to take Teacher's classes. They bought tickets for the Falun Gong
classes right away. The admission fee for a series of ten Falun Gong classes was
40 yuan per person and 20 yuan for each practitioner that had attended Falun
Gong classes before. This is the truth about the fees charged for Teacher's
classes. Jiang Zemin and his henchmen lied by telling the entire nation that
Teacher's classes were expensive. Teacher left the auditorium after all the students had left. Mr. Li Xuexiu
(pseudonym) was the first who spotted Teacher coming out of the auditorium. He
called out to Teacher and raised everyone else's attention. Many who had just
bought China Falun Gong immediately approached Teacher and asked Teacher
to sign the book for them. Teacher graciously obliged. Teacher produced his pen
and signed these new practitioners' books. Elder Rui's car was waiting. Teacher
did not get into the car until he had signed everyone's book. It was nearly
12:30 p.m. Teacher had not had any rest for more than ten hours. The car turned to the east of Jinshi Road and turned north at the foot of
Yanzi Mountain. After a while the car stopped in front of a restaurant at the
east side of the road. Elder Rui, the Science Committee of Guan County, and the
county's qigong association welcomed Teacher with a lunch. We took two tables.
About ten practitioners joined the lunch with Teacher. After lunch Li Xuexiu opened the door of the restaurant for Teacher. After
Teacher came down the stairs, he opened up the car door for Teacher. Teacher
took a seat next to the driver. After Li Xuexiu closed the door for Teacher,
Teacher rolled down the window and told him while facing east, "Guan County
practitioners' gong is growing steadily." We believe we remember Teacher's
words verbatim. During lunch, Teacher also told Elder Rui, "The sky above
Guan County is shielded with red light." After we returned to the Guest House, Li Xuexiu carried a box of apples, a
gift from the Science Committee, to the fourth floor. Next we bid farewell to
Teacher. Elder Rui was the last to leave. Teacher wanted to see him off, but he
begged Teacher to stop at the second floor. While he was saying these words, his
eyes welled up with tears. Teacher was also reluctant to see him leave. This was
the last time he ever saw Teacher. Most practitioners from Guan County knew that Teacher had been to Lingyan
Buddhist Temple, so a few practitioners attending this class took the
opportunity to visit the temple and trace the path Teacher had once taken. These
practitioners went to see Teacher at the end of the class that night. Teacher
was very busy, but he still met with them. Teacher told Young Li to divide the
western pears among these practitioners. (Actually these practitioners ate
snacks that Teacher brought from Tianjin. He had attached his gong to them at
the beginning of class.) One of the practitioners said, "I will save the
pear for my mother. She is not well. Could I please ask Teacher to send gong to
this pear? I'd like to take it home to my mother." Teacher took the pear
and put it between His hands for a while and handed it to him. Next Teacher gave
him another pear. We sat in a circle with Teacher and ate the pears. Teacher was
very pleased. Three of them said they would have to go back home the next
morning because of work. Teacher asked, "Do you have to go back?" Two
of them explained their work situations and told Teacher they had to return.
After listening to their explanations, Teacher was silent for a long time.
Finally Teacher said, "If you have to go, so be it." (Teacher was
reluctant to see them leave.) One of the two said, "But I will come
back!" We chatted with Teacher for a while and said our goodbyes to
Teacher. Teacher saw us off at the door and did not return to the room until we
went downstairs. The fourth day of the class was Sunday. Teacher had planned to check on
practitioners in Guan County for the third time. When Teacher spoke of going to
Guan County, Ahua (pseudonym), a practitioner from Guan County, heard it. He
immediately said, "As long as you are sure you wish to visit Guan County, I
will have them send a car over right away." However, there were matters on
Mount Tai and Qianfo Mountain that needed taking care of, so Teacher was not
able to visit Guan County. One winter evening in 1996, a practitioner in Guan County had a dream in
which Teacher arrived riding in a truck. The truck stopped, but Teacher did not
get off. He called out to Elder Qian because he had a jeep. Next he opened the
door and invited Teacher to get out. Teacher told him that he would not get out
and then drove northeast. The next morning a practitioner said at a group
practice site, "Last night Teacher traveled from Handan to Jinan. Teacher
passed by Guan County, but he did not get out of the car." This was the
third time Teacher visited Guan County. In order not to disrupt practitioners'
cultivation, Teacher came and left silently. But there was not a moment that
Teacher did not think of each and every practitioner. Teacher did not want to leave any practitioner behind. We should treasure
more each second and each minute Teacher is giving to us. We should do our job
well and fulfill our responsibility, promise and prehistoric pledge. There is
Teacher and there is the Fa. We have to have faith in Teacher and the Fa and
steadfast righteous thoughts. We shall succeed in assisting Teacher in His Fa-rectification
and saving sentient beings. There is nothing that can stop sentient beings from
getting back their righteous thoughts. Practitioners from Guan County shall not
let Teacher down. We shall do better the three things Teacher
requires of us! With 2007 waiting just around the corner, practitioners from Guan County
would like to share this article and wish our magnificent Teacher a Happy New
Year! We practitioners in Guan County miss Teacher very much. We hope that
Teacher will one day come back to Guan County and see us. Epilogue The content of this article is based on the verified collective memory of
practitioners who participated in the aforementioned events. It is our goal to
present only historically accurate information, especially time, location and
individuals. If any other practitioner from Guan County publishes any
information conflicting with this article, such as the time of Teacher's first
visit to Guan County and the time and location of the first series of Falun Gong
classes, please correct it. Because of the current situation and limitations in China, this article is
very limited in scope. We are sure it needs improvements. We hope that fellow
practitioners, especially those practitioners from Guan County who also
participated in the aforementioned events, will kindly provide their suggestions
to make this article more complete. Thank you all! Posting date: 3/28/2007 |