I was one of four young people who were responsible for watching the entrance. On the first day of the lectures, practitioners entered the auditorium with their tickets. With our heads lowered, we were busy inspecting tickets. Around eight o'clock, Teacher and his daughter entered the main entrance with some practitioners. We did not see any tickets in his hand, so we stopped him and asked, "Where is your ticket?" Teacher answered gently, "I have come to give the lecture." We then discovered that he was the Teacher; we smiled uneasily. Teacher only looked about twenty years old and was tall and handsome.
After the lecture began, Teacher held one hand vertically in front of his chest to greet practitioners. Teacher was so easy-going and compassionate; he did not put on airs of self-importance. Teacher was very thrifty, and he usually wore a brownish colored jacket and only changed into a suit just before the lecture.
I remember that he wanted us to experience the Falun and asked us to put out our hands. I instantly felt that something was spiraling in my hands. Teacher also purified our bodies and asked each of us to think that any sickly Qi [1] we had was leaving through our right foot. With Teacher waving his hand downward, we all followed his instruction to stretch out our right foot. Next, he told us to discharge the sickly Qi through our left foot. Teacher said, "I can reach you, regardless where you are." When Teacher purified our bodies, sometimes his hand gestures were very quick, a series of movements that our eyes could not entirely take in.
The most memorable moment was when Teacher finished all the lectures: only a little more than ten veteran practitioners stood in front of the stage. Teacher shook hands with everyone and then left with his daughter. While walking past another practitioner and me, Teacher looked at me compassionately and stretched out his hand to me. At that time my mind was totally blank, and I automatically pressed my hands together and bowed to Teacher. He then gently held our waists and passed between us. At that time, my whole body was so relaxed and comfortable. This is my best memory--I was bathed in Teacher's profound compassionate salvation.
We were very excited after each lecture. Each night we shared our experiences and understandings when we returned to the dormitory. If I had any questions, Teacher always answered the questions during his next lecture. We felt that Teacher knew everything.
It has been ten years since I attended that first lecture in Jinan. During the past ten years of my cultivation and the Fa-rectification, I have been detained in prison, went astray and made mistakes because of my attachments. However, my heart is with Teacher and Falun Dafa and is always steadfast. Whenever I think of these ten-year-old memories, it is as if it just happened yesterday.
Notes:
[1] Qi -- In Chinese culture, it is believed to be a form of energy, but compared with gong, it is a lower form of energy.