Looking Back to The Time When Falun Dafa Was Introduced to Taiwan - Part 1

It has been 13 years since the first introduction of Falun Dafa to the public in May of 1992. The number of practitioners in Taiwan is second only to that of China. Right now, about 300,000 people practice in parks, government agencies and on university campuses. About 1,000 practice sites can be found in over 200 counties and towns throughout Taiwan, including a dozen sites in Penghu, Jinmen, and Mazu on the outskirts of the island.

10,000 practitioners doing exercises in front of the Office of the President	Practising the exercises at the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Zheng Wenhuang and his wife He Laiqin went to China twice to learn about Falun Gong and then introduced the practice to fellow Taiwanese. The author of this article visited the couple at their home in Yilan County and listened to their story of how they came across and started to practise Falun Dafa. He wishes to serve as a witness for the historic spreading of Falun Dafain Taiwan.

Grave Illness Leads to practising Falun Dafa - Attending a Falun Dafa Lecture for the First Time in Jinan City in China

In 1994, He Laiqin had suffered from both insomnia and migraine for three decades. She went to well-known doctors and specialists of both western and eastern medicine. None of whom could find the cause of her illnesses. She had no choice but to take increasing amounts of painkillers. Every day was a trial for her. Aside from her daily chores, she also had to take care of three children. Her husband Zheng Wenhuang commented, "All of her internal organs had stopped functioning properly!"

As they were struggling, in June they received a letter from their relatives in Mainland China saying, "Mr. Li Hongzhi is great at treating difficult illnesses. He'll have a series of lectures in Jinan City, Shandong Province beginning on June 21st. You guys should get your visa and go to his classes!"

Zhen Wenhuang and his wife arrived in Jinan City two days before the classes began. He Laiqin experienced great changes on arrival and felt very comfortable and at ease. For the first time in years she was able to fall asleep without pain. Recalling this period of time, she smiled and said, "Being able to sleep was wonderful!"

They attended the second session of the Falun Gong Class in Jinan City, with about 4,000 students present. Mr. Li Hongzhi said, "Today, two students are from Taiwan." He asked the assistants to bring the Falun Gong books to them. The couple was surprised that Master knew they were from Taiwan. Master proceeded and started the lecture, "Qigong is cultivation...This is a great Buddha School cultivation exercise." He Laiqin was touched and thought, "This is what I want!"

Learning the Cause of Illness - Body Purified During the Nine-day Lecture

Teacher said,

"It is because there is such a principle in the universe: Ordinary human affairs, according to the Buddha School, all have predestined relationships. Birth, old age, illness, and death exist as such for ordinary people. Due to karma resulting from past wrongdoing, one has illnesses or tribulations; suffering is repaying a karmic debt, and thus nobody can casually change this. Changing it means that one would not have to repay the debt after being in debt, and this cannot be done at will. Doing otherwise is the same as committing a bad deed."

"In order to cure illness or eliminate tribulations and karma, these people must practice cultivation and return to their original, true selves. This is how all the different cultivation schools view it. One should return to one's original, true self; this is the real purpose of being human. Therefore, once a person wants to practice cultivation, his or her Buddha-nature is considered to have come forth."

"Some people think that treating patients, curing their illnesses, and improving their health are good deeds. In my view, they have not really cured the illnesses. Instead of removing them, they have either postponed or transformed the illnesses. To really dispel such tribulations, karma must be eliminated."

(Lecture One, Genuinely Guiding People Toward High Levels, Zhuan Falun)

Teacher also said,

"The body purification will be done only for those who come to truly learn the practice and the Fa." (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)

"Some people may have physical reactions somewhere. Some may feel uncomfortable in one way or another as different kinds of discomfort will manifest. These are all normal. I am telling everyone that no matter how uncomfortable you are, you must continue to attend this class. Once you walk into the classroom, all of your symptoms will vanish and there will not be any danger."

"A few individuals may fall asleep and wake up as soon as I finish my lecture. Why is that? It is because their brains have illnesses that need to be treated. One will be unable to stand it if one's brain is worked on. Therefore, one must be put into a state of anesthesia or become unconscious. Nevertheless, some people do not have a problem hearing me. Though they may sleep soundly, they hear everything without missing a single word. They will become energetic afterwards, and will not feel sleepy even if they go two days without sleep. There are different syndromes which all need adjustment. Your entire body will be purified."
(Lecture Two, Zhuan Falun)

Mrs. Zheng felt very comfortable when listening to Teacher's lectures. She fell asleep right after the lectures started. Her husband said to her, "Why are you sleeping? Are you here to attend the class or are you here to sleep?" She answered, "I just couldn't keep my eyes open, but I heard everything Teacher said very well!" What she experienced was exactly as described in Zhuan Falun.

Before the class started on the second day, Teacher approached Zheng Wenhuang and his wife. They said, "Hello, Teacher!" Teacher said, "Do you understand everything I say in the class? If not, ask the assistants to help you." They answered, "Yes, yes, we understand." Teacher continued, "No matter what condition you have, we have a predestined relationship since you came to my class. I'll remove the root of your illness from other dimensions. You'll have reactions within two or three days; you'll either vomit or have loose bowels."

On the fourth day Zhen Wenhuang said, "I probably don't have any illness. I haven't had any reaction at all!" Later in the evening, however, after he checked into the hotel, he started to vomit and have diarrhea. He threw up many things with traces of blood in it. His throat hurt even when he swallowed water. The next morning, his wife didn't ask him to eat breakfast because she thought he needed rest. But he insisted on having breakfast and asked for food (some deep fried food) himself. And he ate as if nothing had happened.

Mr. Li Hongzhi posing for a picture with students at the Jinan lecture in China	Mr. Li Hongzhi(in the middle), Zhen Wenhuang (left) and his wife (right)

After the class they returned to Taipei. After they settled down, Mrs. Zheng caught a fever and had diarrhea. She knew Teacher was cleansing her body for her, and she was fine after about eight days. She walked from Tianmu to Shipai on a daily basis to buy food, and felt that her shopping cart was much lighter than before. She felt as if someone was pushing her. After she started to practice Falun Dafa, Mrs. Zheng was cured of numerous illnesses that had tortured her for 27 years. She is tremendously grateful to Teacher because of it.

About a year later, one day Mrs. Zheng suddenly experienced pains all over her body and she could not sit still. She knew that Teacher was pushing out karma for her as he described in the article "Sickness Karma" in the book Essentials for Further Advancement, as the karma must be periodically eliminated. She found three poxes on the skin near the position of her liver, and they itched intensely. She scratched them off and the skin bled. Soon it healed and she felt very comfortable and was able to eat food she could not eat before.

Travelling to Guangzhou to Attend a Second Class - Maintaining Firm Righteous Thoughts at Critical Moments

In December of 1994 the couple's relatives in China phoned them and said, "Mr. Li will hold another class in Guangzhou City on December 21st, and this will be the last class. It's close to Taiwan. You should take advantage of this opportunity!"

After they booked plane tickets, Zheng Wenhuang was sent to the Taipei Veterans General Hospital due to a stomachache. He was in a serious condition and could not walk on his own. He was diagnosed with gall stones and he was drained of bile. The doctor announced that immediate surgery was in order. This surgery was planned for December 21st, the same day as the lecture. The couple had a discussion and decided to go to Guangzhou for the Falun Gong class. Mrs. Zheng went to negotiate with the doctor. The doctor insisted, "This is a very serious case. There have been 20,000 such cases at Veterans General Hospital alone, and no one in this situation was able to avoid surgery." In the end, the couple signed an agreement and relinquished the hospital of any responsibility should anything happen to Zheng Wenhuang.

Two days later, Zheng Wenhuang and his wife stepped onto a plane to Guangzhou. They only wanted to listen to Teacher's lectures and had no other thoughts. While on the plane, Zheng Wenhuang gradually recovered. He looked at the dessert given to him by the flight attendant and said to his wife, "I'm hungry!" He had not eaten during his week's stay at the hospital. He quickly finished his dessert and looked at his wife's dessert. He said, "Are you going to eat yours?" She laughed and said, "It's all yours." By the time he got off the plane he felt like a completely healthy person and was able to walk by himself.

Teacher Li lecturing in Guangzhou City in December 1994		Teaching the Falun Dafa exercises

When they went to the Guangzhou Stadium, practitioners from Beijing encouraged them and said, "You should teach the exercises to others when you return to Taiwan, so more people will benefit from Falun Gong." The couple answered, "We are not very familiar with the exercises yet, how can we teach others?"

(To be continued)