(Clearwisdom.net) I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1993. I was fortunate to have been able to meet Teacher several times before he went to teach abroad. After reading the book, A Cherished Recollection, I could not calm down for a long period of time. Those precious moments of the past vividly came to mind again and made me emotional.

It has been 15 years since Master first introduced the Fa to the general public. I would like to share my stories with you, as I have realized that every practitioner, particularly those who obtained the Fa very early on, is a witness of Falun Dafa. In these 15 years, we have experienced a lot. We have witnessed Teacher's honesty, modesty and kindness, as well as his mercy and care. We have also witnessed that Falun Dafa has helped people recover from illnesses and has instructed people to be more virtuous, bringing back the moral standards of human civilization.

I was lucky to have attended three of Teacher's lectures--in Beijing at the Hall of the Second Research Center of the Spaceflight Department in August 1993, in Tianjin's Bayi Hall in March 1994, and in Guangzhou at the gymnasium in December 1994. I also attended several other lectures and consultative meetings. I also met Teacher during the Beijing Oriental Health Exhibition at the International Exhibition Center in 1993 and the inaugural Zhuan Falun book publication ceremony in the auditorium of the National Public Security College in January 1995.

All these occurrences have become everlasting, happy memories.

When Teacher lectured on the Fa, he talked smoothly from beginning to end. Sometimes he took out a small piece of paper from his pocket and glanced at it, and then he continued lecturing. During the breaks, after class or at other times, Teacher patiently answered all of the practitioners' questions. Teacher's words entered everyone's hearts and you could see the tremendous changes in people.

Teacher instructed us to be good people in all situations and to care about others. I remembered one time when many people wanted to get the "best" seats to better see Teacher. However, Teacher kindly criticized that type of behavior and told everyone that as a practitioner one should have a higher standard and not act like everyday people. Afterwards, this type of incident never occurred again. Veteran practitioners would leave the front seats and tickets for new practitioners. They even encouraged new practitioners to help pick up garbage after class and would only leave after the place was cleaned up, even though there was a cleaning crew to do that.

Another amazing thing that happened during Teacher's lectures was that no one smoked, spat, shouted, or littered in the classroom. Everyone courteously helped each other. Immediately when Teacher began to talk, the room became silent and no one needed to keep things in order, which was unusual in today's Chinese society.

During Teacher's lectures, he always made sure that everyone could hear him clearly. He would lecture while standing if the conditions were not good. At the exhibition, Teacher stood for one or two hours, sometimes for half a day, to answer practitioners' questions. He also granted everyone's requests to shake hands with him, get his autograph, or to take pictures. Those who had recovered from their illnesses wanted to thank Teacher by offering him gifts, but he always turned them down. Instead, he encouraged them to study the Fa more. When practitioners were learning the exercise movements, Teacher walked around the entire lecture hall without resting. I witnessed that Teacher walked through every area, even the second floor, to check every practitioners' movements and correct them. He also touched little practitioners' foreheads, helping to adjust them.

Practitioners always felt at ease because of Teacher's kindness and affability. However, if someone tried to interfere with his teaching of the Fa, Teacher would just clear it away and continue with his lecturing.

I remember during the 12th lecture in Beijing, the amplifier would suddenly get loud and then soft. Sometimes it even sounded distorted. The light on the stage would also switch from being bright to dark. We didn't know what was happening and did not quite understand what Teacher was doing at that time. Later, in a report in Tianjin Teacher discussed the story of a snake spirit stirring up trouble in Beijing and we understood. In Tianjin, when someone asked Teacher why he coughed, he then talked about the interferences from other dimensions and the difficulties of imparting the Fa. He mentioned that they thought that it was not worth imparting the Fa to human beings because they should be destroyed. However, now many higher level beings do not oppose Teacher imparting the Fa. Everyone has pulled through.

At that time, many practitioners whose third-eyes were opened saw Buddha Amitabha and Laozi on each side and eight Guardian gods protecting the Fa. In the front, other Buddhas, Taos and beings from other dimensions were on their knees listening to the Fa, while Celestial soldiers and generals guarded each side of the door and the seats. Teacher mentioned that no one else dared to be seated when listening to the Fa, only Dafa practitioners. In later lectures, Teacher explained why practitioners are so special. However, it is a pity that we practitioners do not know how to value ourselves. Many people who had obtained the Fa have stopped cultivating or even assisted the evil in torturing practitioners during the Chinese Communist Party's brutal persecution of Falun Gong.

At that time I could not understand and could not see anything. In every class, Teacher required people not to come late to class so as to not miss any words or disturb others listening to the lectures. Now I understand the importance of listening to Teacher's lectures carefully.

The classes were also very inexpensive. Sometimes, the additional money was refunded.

Teaching the Fa

The day following the Fa-lecture in Beijing, when my six-year-old daughter and I were waiting to go to the Wukesong Subway Station, I saw Teacher with other practitioners walking towards us. I happily said, "Hello, Teacher." I also asked Teacher why he was taking the subway train. A practitioner said Teacher lived far away and did not want to bother practitioners to drive him home, so he took the subway train.

When we got to the train station, my daughter and I entered a different door from Teacher. After a few stops and with fewer people inside the train, I saw Teacher sitting not too far from me. Being too excited to remember practitioners' words, I walked up to Teacher and asked if it would be possible for my daughter to understand the Fa. Although he was busy at that moment, Teacher later talked to my daughter and touched her forehead.

We got off the train at Fuxingmen Station with Teacher and parted ways. After that, my daughter always told me when it was time to leave the house, even if it meant skipping a meal, because we didn't want to be late to Teacher's lectures. Normally, she could not sit still, but since that special encounter with Teacher, my six-year-old daughter could listen to Teacher lecturing for over an hour peacefully. She could also read any page from the book China Falun Gong and liked to see portraits of Teacher.

On the third day of Teacher's lectures, he told us that he not only adjusted practitioners' bodies in class, but also made arrangements for them. He would still adjust practitioners' bodies and help clear up their space even after the lectures. He had a lot to do in a limited time and asked for practitioners' understanding to not disturb him.

This has moved me for a long time. Normally, other qigong instructors would not have been able to work tirelessly for the benefit of others and then walk home in the humid weather after their lectures. Instead, they would arrive and leave in an air-conditioned car. Teacher was truly different.

He was always concerned about others. Fellow practitioners were moved when they heard that Teacher took the train to teach the Fa every day.

At the 1993 Oriental Heath Exhibition, many Beijing practitioners hoped that Teacher would hold another class in Beijing after hearing that there would be no more Fa lectures in the Capital city. Teacher then mentioned that practitioners from other cities were able to attend the lectures in Beijing even though they had to overcome financial as well as other difficulties. People traveled from as far as Xinjiang and Guangzhou to attend the Beijing lectures so they could obtain the Fa. Yet, Beijing practitioners, whose living conditions were better than others, could still not attend the Fa lectures in different cities. At that time, Teacher was going to give a lecture in Tianjin. He said Beijing was close to Tianjin, so it was possible for practitioners to attend the lectures without any problem. The only reason why Beijing practitioners asked Teacher to hold another lecture series was because of their attachment to laziness. In fact, more Fa lecture series were held in Beijing than anywhere else. Teacher also mentioned that Beijing practitioners should learn from other practitioners. One has to lose in order to gain something.

Everything that Teacher said was correct. Why did we Beijing practitioners think we were special compared to practitioners from other cities? After listening to Teacher, many people corrected their thinking and made up their minds to go to Tianjin. Later, many Beijing practitioners rented buses to go to Tianjin. In the daytime, they went to work and then attended the lectures in Tianjin after work. Those who went had an unforgettable experience even though there were difficulties to overcome. After that, Beijing practitioners were the same as others. Wherever Teacher went, we went. It was Teacher's first time mentioning about stepping forward to help encourage us to go further in cultivation.

Since then, Teacher has talked about stepping forward during the Fa-rectification period. Therefore, we should have a deep understanding of stepping forward and the relationship between loss and gain.

Every time I saw Teacher, he always looked the same--his hair was dark and thick and his skin was very soft and smooth like a baby's skin. I was the same age as Teacher, but he looked much younger. Teacher always knew what practitioners were thinking. It was Teacher who gave me another life. In the months and years that followed, no matter what I suffered, the expression in Teacher's eyes is what has helped me overcome those difficulties and encouraged me to never give up and firmly believe in Dafa.

May 13, 2007