(Minghui.org) The time between April 15-24, 1994, were the most important days of my life. After searching for a genuine cultivation way, I was fortunate to attend the second lecture series in Hefei City, Anhui Province given by Mr. Li Hongzhi, founder of Falun Dafa. I began practicing Falun Dafa and stepped on the path of returning to my true self.
Looking for Spiritual Guidance
When I was in middle school I often wondered about the things we were taught in textbooks. It seemed there were many things the teachers didn’t know. After I became nearsighted in high school, a classmate gave me a copy of a qigong magazine that described a way to cure nearsightedness. I was interested and followed the instructions every day even on hot summer days. There was some improvement so I became interested in qigong.
After I began working, I was fascinated by the phenomena related to qigong, thinking they were real and deeply connected with us. I thought about them every day and no longer pursued my other hobbies. Every week, I visited newsstands to buy newly published qigong magazines and I occasionally attended workshops.
When I went on a tour with coworkers in 1993, I took a special trip to visit Mount Qingcheng near Dujiangyan City in Sichuan Province, looking for a popular qigong system at the time. I remember taking a long-distance bus by myself and arriving in Dujiangyan City at 11 a.m. But the connecting bus to Mount Qingcheng left 10 minutes before. I sadly returned home. I had a feeling that I was waiting for something—and it wasn’t that qigong system. I continued searching.
Finding Dafa
I also liked to visit libraries and I read newspapers and magazines about martial arts and qigong. But I was selfish and often tore out the good articles for myself. When I read an article in a sports newspaper introducing Falun Dafa and showed illustrations of the exercise movements, I wanted to tear out the entire page and keep it for myself. Then another thought came to me: doing this is not good because other people also need to read it. So I stopped. It wasn’t until after I started practicing Falun Dafa that I understood: it was Dafa’s power that stopped me from doing bad deeds. Falun Dafa is able to rectify incorrect situations.
One day in November 1993, I walked by the former provincial government on Changjiang Road. There was a booth introducing Falun Dafa. I stopped and took a look. But it was cold, so I left instead of asking what it was about. I later regretted missing this opportunity.
Then in a qigong magazine, I read that Master Li would hold the second Falun Dafa lecture sessions in Hefei, starting on April 15, 1994. I decided not to miss this opportunity. I looked forward to the day I could register.
There was a hiccup on the day of registration. I went there in the afternoon and went inside. There was a man in his 50s smoking while drawing circles to cure illnesses for people. Because I was introverted, I was hesitant and walked out. After I rode my bike a few meters away, I thought something wasn’t right. So I returned and asked the man where I could register for the Falun Dafa classes. Pointing to a room behind him, he replied, “Over there.” It turned out that the smoking man had nothing to do with Falun Dafa. So I walked into that room, submitted a photograph and paid the registration fee.
I Begin Practicing Falun Dafa
I was somewhat restless during those days. But three days before the lectures were held I calmed down.
The class started on April 15 as scheduled in the auditorium of the provincial Party School. I sat in the back and had a serene feeling. I later realized that Master had already taken care of me before the class.
The first class started and Master walked to the podium from the left side. He was tall and walked quickly. Master began talking as soon as he sat down and spoke about things I never heard before. I immediately felt energetic and listened to the lecture attentively—I didn’t want to miss a single word.
During the class, Master also adjusted students’ bodies. He told everyone to think of an illness he or she had, and stomp one foot together following Master’s instruction. Those without illnesses could think of their relatives’ illnesses. So I thought about my father. My father was relatively weak and his illness surfaced several times a year. He is almost 90 and the illness never came back after that day. Thank you Master for giving my father good health.
I concentrated on listening to the lecture and could understand almost everything Master said except one term, “Dharma ending period.” What does that mean I thought. One day I came earlier and saw a group of students surrounding Master south of the auditorium. I could not see him, so I stepped on a giant rock about 10 meters away. Suddenly, Master looked in my direction and I was a little embarrassed.
After a while, Master walked to the south entrance of the auditorium. I followed him and asked, “Teacher Li, what does the Dharma ending period mean?” Master did not look back and said, “Now is the Dharma ending period.” When I thought about how I spoke to Master and got an answer, I always felt fortunate.
The qigong association divided the students into groups to take their pictures with Master. The sky was overcast that afternoon but it did not rain. The picture-taking place was at the front entrance of the auditorium and I walked close. Master was only two or three meters away and he was wearing a gray suit and a white shirt with vertical stripes. It was a little chilly that day and I wore a sweater. With a rosy face and dark hair, Master was tall and prominent in the crowd. I noticed Master’s hair was not only dense but also very dark and thick.
There was also interference during one lecture. While Master talked there was a sudden power outage. The auditorium was dark and the speaker had no sound. What should we do? But the power came on after a few seconds and everything returned to normal. Master just smiled and continued talking as if nothing happened.
The last class was for questions and answers. I had no questions. After Master answered questions, some students shared their stories. One woman said she used to cure illnesses for others and by doing so, she was possessed by an animal spirit. Master eliminated the possession during the lecture series and she became healthy. She wept as she walked on stage. Her speech was so touching that I was moved to tears.
When another student spoke, she said Falun Dafa resolved her paralysis. She had an accident in Nanjing. She spoke very fluently and moved her arms and legs to show how agile she was. Her talk brought laughter and applause.
When Master announced the lecture series was over, many students including me were unwilling to leave. We just wanted to stay with Master a little longer. Standing on the right side of the podium, Master performed some movements of rotating Falun (law wheels) towards us. I could no longer hold back my tears and wished time stood still so this moment would last forever.
Thirty years passed but that scene and my memories of those days are still vivid.
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