Treasured Memories: The Founder of Falun Gong Lectures in Hefei City, China

Teacher taught the Fa, that is the Principles of Falun Gong twice in Hefei City of Anhui Province, giving two sessions of classes. The first one was held in November of 1993 and the second was on November 20th when Teacher held a seminar in the auditorium at Anhui College of Agriculture. The first session of classes officially began November 21st. There were more than 500 students. The second session began April 16th, 1994, at the Anhui Party School Auditorium. There were 1,200 students making it a full house.

I was predestined to participate in both sessions. As a volunteer during the second one, I had more opportunities to interact with Teacher, to listen to his earnest teachings, and to witness Falun Dafa's mysterious mighty virtues and powers. I will never forget those fond memories, and it is as if they just happened yesterday.

I hereby record my memories as a historical testimony.

The Magnificent Spread of Falun Dafa's Teaching in the Jianghuai Area

It is the good fortune of people of Anhui that Teacher taught the Fa there. The spread of Falun Dafa was unlike any other. It had tremendous influence. When the people of Anhui found out that "Falun Dafa is good," they decided that the provincial government should invite Teacher to come and teach.

After the two sessions in November of 1993 and April in 1994, the people of Anhui requested a third and a fourth session. In July of 1994, we even sent a contact person to Beijing to arrange for the additional sessions, but Teacher's busy teaching schedule was full, and he was unable to teach the Fa in Anhui again.

Teacher's Simple and Easy-going Lifestyle

When Teacher taught in Anhui, he stayed at a hotel that was quite ordinary--the "Jiangong Building" hostel--due to its close proximity to the auditorium. The furnishings in the hotel were plain and simple: the room had two twin beds, and the condition was substandard. One had to walk from the hostel to the auditorium, as there was no hotel transportation. Although the hostel had a cafeteria-style restaurant, it was closed by the time the lectures ended at 9:00 p.m. each night. Everyone dined out at nearby restaurants or eateries. I accompanied Teacher and his assistants several times to the eateries, and then I would go home. I also saw Teacher's assistants buying breakfasts of baked pancakes and fried twisted dough at the food stands.

Teacher Always Arrived Early at the Lecture Site

During the second session, one of my duties was to escort Teacher from the hostel to the lecture hall. Our circumstances were quite poor, and we did not have automobiles for transportation. Thus, we had to walk. It was approximately a 20-minute walk from the hostel to the lecture hall. The first day, I arrived at the hostel 20 minutes early to pick up Teacher. Surprisingly, I missed him. I panicked and thought, "How could I do so poorly the first day, Teacher does not know the route!" I felt awful and rushed to the auditorium to see if Teacher had arrived. I asked a few people, including the clerk that collected the entrance ticket, but no one had seen him. Then I went backstage and saw Teacher waiting. No one could explain how Teacher had arrived. After I apologised for not doing my job well, Teacher said that he had already visited the lecture hall the day before, so he knew his way around. Despite the exhausting journey to Hefei, Teacher arrived in the morning and checked out the lecture hall in the afternoon. He cleaned up the area, as he was concerned about sentient beings obtaining the Fa.

After the lesson on the first day, I arrived at the hostel even earlier the second day, but I missed Teacher again.

The third day I arrived at the hostel 40 minutes early, and felt better after finding out from the hotel clerk that Teacher had not left yet. When I noticed the door was closed, I waited outside of Teacher's room, as I did not want to bother his rest. Teacher seemed to know that I was waiting outside, he immediately opened the door and asked with concern, "Why are you standing out there? Please come in."

The Rain Stopped Once We Were Out the Door

Teacher did not have any manuscript when he lectured the Fa. Instead, he would take out a piece of paper with a few lines of notes. Each lecture lasted about an hour and a half.

On one rainy day, I brought two umbrellas. One was for Teacher, but he did not want to use it. Although I had prepared an umbrella for Teacher, the rain stopped as soon as we stepped out the door. I did not think much at the time, but as I recollect, I think that the gods were all protecting the Fa as a sign of respect for Teacher's mighty virtue.

Teacher's Concern: Leading the Practitioners to Cultivate

Teacher lectured about issues regarding sham qigong (exercises for cultivating 'qi' or 'vital energy'). In my line of work, I came in contact with other qigong practises. What was I supposed to do? I asked Teacher for suggestions regarding this issue, and he replied, "That is your job. All you have to do is ask, 'Teacher, protect me,' and then my Fashen will send a protective shield around you." Ever since then, I have carried Teacher's picture with me, and those different practises no longer touched me.

There was also the issue of "practising one cultivation way." Prior to cultivating the Fa, I had learnt about many types of qigong practises, including the health and fitness qigong. Because of my poor enlightenment, I could not let go of some of them. I once asked Teacher, "I'm determined to practise Falun Gong. I won't practise any other qigong practice. I will just concentrate on practising Falun Gong, but there is a massage gong that I do every morning, and it feels very good. Can I continue to practise that?" Teacher raised a question to answer my question, "Why are you still practising the massage gong? All the problems are solved when you practise Falun Gong." After Teacher pointed that out, I began to understand and thus stopped practising all other gongs. I got rid of all the sham qigong books and stopped practising all the other sham qigong practises.

I would also like to make a comment about my statement, "I'm determined to practise Falun Gong." At first I did not realise the meaning of this sentence. It seemed to be a casual word, but on second thought, I realised that it was the cultivated part of me that was making a serious statement to Teacher: To be determined to practise Dafa, to return to my true self, and to go home with Teacher.

The Buddha's Eye Recognised Sham Qigong Masters

When Teacher came to Hefei, the Qigong Association's coordinator showed Teacher the someone's photo and asked, "Teacher Li, what do you think of this person?" Teacher took the picture, glanced at it, and said, "He's possessed by a snake!" That person had obtained gong while digging in a mud pond. Thus, he could heal illnesses. He came to Hefei and opened a clinic to heal people's illnesses. He then found someone to organise the sham healing techniques and gave the gong a name. It actually harmed people. In Zhuan Falun, Teacher said:

"As soon as he gives off the energy, the forked tongue from that snake's head will come out to lick the ill part or the swollen part of the patient. There are quite a few such cases, and these people all got spirit or animal possession through their own pursuits."

Look at the way these people heal illnesses and teach gong. Aren't they harming others?

Teacher's Fashen Helped Clean Up Practitioners' Home Environments

Practitioner A, in her 60s, lived with her son. The son had epilepsy. Practitioner A attended the first session. One evening, the bookshelf in her bedroom suddenly caught fire. The cloth covering the bookshelf started to burn and fell on the floor, leaving a black mark on the cement floor. However, a matchbox on the bookshelf was not incinerated, and the books were intact. That was quite incredible! During the classes, she asked me to ask Teacher about it. When I described the incident, Teacher said, "I had to clean up her home environment."

"Everything will be cleaned up for you in other dimensions. Your home environment will also be cleared. If your environment is not cleaned up and you have all sorts of things interfering with you, how can you practise cultivation?" (Zhuan Falun)

Practitioner B, in his 70s, was very fond of qigong practice. He had once learnt a gong or cultivation method taught privately in a temple. He felt the benefit from learning such gong. When he asked Teacher about such gong, Teacher said, "That is a righteous way, and you can learn it, but I still suggest that you practise Falun Gong." Practitioner B said, "My leg was damaged during the war. I cannot squat down, so I cannot sit in a lotus position. Can I still practise Falun Gong?" Teacher replied, "It's ok. You will be able to sit in a lotus position." Then Teacher showed him how to do it. Practitioner B followed Teacher's instruction and was finally able to sit in a lotus position.

Not long after, strange things started to happen in his home, and they were quite unexplainable. Practitioner B lived on the top floor with his wife. One day while they were having a meal, they found two five-cent coins in the vegetable soup. They were very surprised! He said, "I picked the vegetables, and I washed and cooked the vegetables. There are no kids and no one else in our household. Where did the coins come from?" Another time when the couple was at home, a handful of pennies suddenly fell from somewhere, 14 of them. That was very strange, since they lived in a tall building, and the windows and doors were closed. Who threw them? When Teacher was teaching in Jinan, practitioner B asked someone to show Teacher the coins. Teacher replied, "That was interference from demons, and it was fine as soon as I cleared it." After Teacher's Fashen cleared up practitioner B's home, their home was peaceful and quiet.

Teacher Glanced at the Person: His Karma Was Eliminated and His Illness Healed

In "Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles," Teacher said:

"Many students saw before that when I did healings for ordinary people, I didn't need to lift a finger. I would just take a look at the person and he was cured. When I looked at him I was emitting certain things; I could emit supernormal powers from any part of my body. His ailment would be cured immediately over there upon my emitting those things."

When Teacher taught the Fa in Hefei, there were many mysterious incidents. I will mention two of them here.

Practitioner C, in her 60s, had a problem walking. Even with the help of a cane, she still moved step by step and needed to stop to rest. During the first session, she went up to Teacher. When Teacher saw her with the cane, he inquired, "Why are you using a cane?" After she explained why she had problems with her legs, Teacher said to her, "Get rid of the cane. You'll be able to walk." She was not sure about it, but with Teacher's encouragement, she put down the cane and took a step. The first step was good, and the second step was quite solid. She was ecstatic! What a miracle that was! Teacher asked her to walk downstairs without holding the handrail and then walk upstairs. And she was able to do it. Ever since then, as she practised Falun Gong, she was able to walk briskly, just like a young person.

I have a friend who is fond of qigong practise, and he told me his story. He has a young daughter who suffered from severe stomachaches. They had been seeking cures everywhere but failed, and he also tried to heal her pain with his qigong technique but to no avail. He was so happy to find out that Teacher was coming to Hefei. However, he did not want to disobey Teacher's rule of "unwilling to treat others' illnesses." He thought of a way to get around it. He bought a very nice apple at the store. He bought only one and paid the asking price without bargaining. Then he wrapped it with a new handkerchief. When he had the opportunity to get close to Teacher, he talked about his daughter's condition and handed Teacher the apple. Benevolent Teacher held the apple with both hands, and then quickly and without a word, gave the apple back to him. He took the apple and thanked Teacher. He rode home immediately on his bike. He asked his daughter to eat the whole apple, core and all. Upon eating the apple his daughter's illness was cured.

Miraculous Cures

Teacher said in Zhuan Falun:

"I do not talk about healing illness here, and neither will we heal illness. As a genuine practitioner, however, you cannot practise cultivation with an ill body. I will purify your body. The body purification will be done only for those who come to truly learn the practice and the Fa."

I'd like to discuss a few cases of miraculous phenomena after some practitioners obtained the Fa.

Practitioner D, in her 50s, had a stroke. She was wry-mouthed and unable to walk. She eagerly attended the first session in Hefei. The first day her husband took her to class on his bicycle. After the class she was able to walk home. Her husband decided to learn Falun Dafa after seeing the miraculous effect of the Fa.

Practitioner E, a young fellow in his 20s from a village, was born a hunchback with almost a 90- degree bend. One night he dreamt of a Mighty Buddha wearing a kasaya (the robe of a Buddhist monk). Two days later he came into town by chance and saw that Falun Dafa was being taught, so he joined the class. He sat in the back row. The large auditorium was so full of people that he could not see Teacher lecturing. Later he went to the podium during the break. Wow! Teacher was the Mighty Buddha in his dream. His back became straight after being in the class. Teacher said that the curvature of his back was so serious that it could not be straightened. He had to use a very powerful gong to smash the bones. One by one, the bones were reconnected while being smashed. When the bones were smashed, one could hear the sounds "ka-tsa, ka-tsa." Many people, including myself, heard the sounds.

A Tea Leaf Box

Teacher's lectures lasted between one to two hours, during which time he barely drank any water. Sometimes he would drink boiled water. Teacher came from thousands of miles to Anhui, to bring Buddha Fa and blessings to the people in the Jianghuai area. Anhui Province produces tea leaves. It was the season for drinking spring tea, and we did not even offer it to Teacher. I felt very apologetic! Thus, I bought a small box of tea called "Huo Mountain Yellow Sprout" and made a cup especially for Teacher. The tea is a type of green tea, with a very fragrant scent. Then I gave the tea box to the assistant for her to take it back to Teacher's room.

After the classes were over, we went to visit Teacher, and the assistant was there as well. She handed me the empty tea box. I asked her to leave the tea in the box to keep the tea leaves fresh, so that they could drink it on the road. She said, "Teacher told me to give you the box." I replied that I had plenty of tea at home, and it was best that she take it. Then she replied even louder, "Teacher wants me to give you the box. He is still sitting here. What is wrong with you?" I thought to myself, "This must be something mysterious." I took the box and opened it. Inside I saw a small piece of paper, about three inches long and one inch wide. I got very excited. I wanted to read it but was a bit embarrassed. I thought I'd better read it after I go home. I opened the box after I got home, but there was nothing in the box. Oh, I regretted that so much! I should have looked at it then. Maybe Teacher tried to enlighten me. I've kept the tea box ever since.

A Long-lasting Memory and an Unforgettable Goodbye

Every time Teacher went outside the lecture hall,or left the auditorium after the lectures, he would be surrounded by students, wanting to shake his hand or to ask questions. They all wanted to hear more and would not let Teacher leave. Being aware of my duties, I would become anxious and ask everyone to let Teacher go. Teacher would tell me, "It's all right, let's stop for a moment." With a benevolent smile, Teacher shook everyone's hand and answered everyone's questions. Some students even took photos of these exhilarating moments.

We felt extremely blessed and joyful to be able to listen to Teacher spreading the Fa. All the students wanted to take photos with Teacher. Because there were so many students, the organisers split the large class into 40 smaller groups of 30 people each. It took us the entire afternoon for the groups to be photographed with Teacher. There were some students who wanted to be photographed near Teacher. Teacher would say, "Please don't push, anywhere is fine. Please let this elderly man (in his 80s' with a white beard) come sit next to me."

After the classes were over, we took Teacher to the Hefei train station. We took Teacher to the train, and then Teacher turned around and saw us off at the door of the train, smiling and shaking our hands. I felt so grateful and touched. When I stood at the platform and saw that Teacher was still seeing us off, I immediately made the "heshi" gesture to pay Teacher my respects. Teacher then returned the gesture of respect, something I was not expecting. I was so touched that I felt it from the bottom of my heart.