Respect

On East Broadway in Vancouver, in a small, established market, there is a flower shop that sells fresh flowers all year- round. I am a long-time customer of the flower shop.

I go to the flower shop every week, and carefully select a bunch of fresh flowers. The shop assistants all know me and wrap up the flowers in the same way for me with a smile. The flowers are not for welcoming a guest, so there is no need for special wrapping. I take the flowers home, and I always put them at the same place-- the same flower vase.

The bright and beautiful flowers are for my Teacher. He is the most supreme teacher, and only He can appreciate my deepest respect with flowers in this most crowded world.
When humans on this earth were driven by their desires for material benefits, with morality falling out of control, and when they had almost given up on themselves, Teacher came. He spread his Dafa of high virtue. Suddenly a myriad of golden rays broke through the clouds and fog. So many damaged souls awakened, and humanity finally had its long awaited hope.

It is already the Dharma-ending period, and only Teacher's Fa can change the human heart--nothing else will work. It is Falun Gong which has been spread throughout the world for 17 years and practiced by 100,000,000 people.

One hundred million Falun Dafa practitioners have 100,000,000 stories. My story began in a library--from a flier left there with a message about a free exercise class. Even before the implications had sunk in, I had already darted out to learn. Falun Gong is different from other practices. Falun Gong emphasizes "cultivation" first and then "practice" from the beginning. Therefore, practitioners need to read the book and study the Fa.
Before I had even finished learning the five sets of exercises, I had read the book Zhuan Falun. After reading it, I closed the book, with a long sigh. Although there are many books in our world, I no longer need to search for one, as it is the best book that I've ever read. I know it is the best. Dafa has spread so widely, as it answers all puzzles in the human world. No human wisdom and knowledge can compare with Dafa. For this life, there is no more worry and no need to look back again. I only strive to abandon distracting thoughts in this and previous lives, to follow Teacher home and to return to the origin of my true life... my wonderful and eternal home.

I didn't think to remember the day when I framed Teacher's picture and placed it in a prominent place in the study. I added flowers in a crystal jar in front of Teacher's picture.
I remember Teacher said that he doesn't want any repayment from practitioners--doesn't want kowtowing or worshiping. Teacher only wants the practitioner to have a genuine heart. I also very, very deeply understand the implications of Teacher's words about infinite mercy. Nevertheless, I have continuously put fresh flowers in front of Teacher's picture for many years.

That is a kind of respect, beyond all human sentiment and all human hoping. When I stand in front of Teacher's picture and heshi, I know, I have no distracting thoughts. I am pure like a bathed baby--that is true respect to Teacher.

I always remember that Teacher said, he likes children, as children are pure, and their thoughts are very clean, without human notions. The goal of this practice is our return to that realm of pureness.

On my second year of practice, I went to Chicago for a Falun Dafa experience sharing conference, where we practiced exercises at Lake Centre Park in Chicago. Teacher came also. As a child passed through in front of Teacher, He compassionately touched the kid's head. I too, want to always have a child's purity in front of Teacher.

That June day at Lake Center Park had light clouds and wind. We surrounded Teacher, and He always compassionately looked at us with a smile. One practitioner became confused and disoriented during practice. He somehow fell into the lake. The water was not deep there, and he stood up with water dripping from his body. Teacher gently pulled him out. I recalled this scene many years later and suddenly enlightened... Aren't we all actually fished out by Teacher from the big dye vat of this human world which has destroyed so many people?

In the beginning, I presented a small bunch of carnations or lilies in front of Teacher's picture. As the years of my practice increased, I refined my sacredness as I realized with eternal gratitude the deeper meaning of the word, "Teacher." So, one day I took away the small crystal jar and replaced it with a three-foot high crystal vase. Now I can even better display the beautiful flowers for Teacher.

Every day, I heshi to Teacher to pay my respects. Sometimes I feel I am not diligent enough and dare not look at Teacher, so I look only at the flowers. I say to myself, Teacher, I will do well. I know, only by striving forward and becoming a selfless true enlightened being can I pay the greatest respect to Teacher.