(Clearwisdom.net) Master Li Hongzhi, founder of Falun Gong, held a lecture series in Yuexiu Stadium in China's Guangzhou City from December 21 to 28, 1994. It was the fifth such class held in Guangzhou. On this occasion, Master Li had been invited by the Guangzhou Qigong Association. Many people gathered on the open ground in front of the stadium before the lecture began. At the entrance, qigong association staff (non-practitioners) were selling copies of Zhuan Falun for seven yuan per copy, and they sold out very quickly.
The lecture series continued over the course of eight days, and the cost was eighty yuan. It was the lowest fee that the qigong association would allow. Master Li wanted the price to be even lower to reduce the burden on the students, many of whom traveled great distances to attend. In the past, Master only asked for forty yuan and for veteran practitioners only twenty yuan. Compared to other qigong classes which usually asked for more than three hundred yuan and several dozen more for their materials, the fees for Master's lectures were the lowest.
Many people came from near and far to attend. Even some qigong masters who had taught several thousand students started to practice Falun Gong and became genuine Falun Gong disciples.
The five thousand seats in the stadium were soon full. When no tickets were left, many left still in line didn't want to leave, so they sat and meditated outside the stadium. Some shed tears because they were unable to get in to listen to Master's lectures. Seeing this, Master talked with people from the qigong association to open another room so these people could watch a live broadcast of the lectures. After some veteran practitioners heard about this, they left their seats and gave them to new practitioners to let them listen to Master's lectures in person and they went into the other room to watch the broadcast. When I heard about this, I was touched. Although I was only a teenager, I had experienced many hardships and I didn't want to pursue fame or personal interests. I had the wish to practice cultivation. I felt Master's lectures were righteous and great.
When the class was about to begin, Master walked in from the front door of the stadium. People all applauded enthusiastically and the atmosphere was very warm. I noticed that many practitioners were delighted. The atmosphere throughout the classes was so peaceful and pure. A tremendous field of compassion surrounded everyone in the class. Master is very tall and great, kind and dignified.
Master rarely paused during the lectures. He didn't use any notes, except for one or two small pieces of paper. Master explained profound principles with very simple language and He included everything in the lectures, from ancient times to present, from China to abroad, and from how to be a good person to the essentials of cultivation practice. Although the goal of practicing cultivation in Falun Dafa is not to heal illnesses, most people who listened to Master's lectures and studied the Fa conscientiously were cured of their illnesses. When Master installed energy mechanisms for the practitioners, He said that those people outside were also given energy mechanisms. Some practitioners whose celestial eyes were opened saw Master as a huge Buddha sitting on a lotus flower; some practitioners saw Master's halo reflected onto the wall; some practitioners saw Falun rotating; and some practitioners saw Master as a tall Taoist person, with His hair coiled on top of His head. Other practitioners saw numerous Buddhas, Taos, and Gods in the sky, listening to Master's lectures on their knees.
Master emphasized many times: This is cultivation practice, and He doesn't cure illness. If anyone wanted to have their illness cured, they should go to qigong masters or go to the hospital. The class didn't take any people who were seriously sick. Master told us that some cancer patients had also snuck in, and people like this should go to the hospital immediately if they experienced any discomfort.
Many students who put down their attachments to illness had a lot of unexpected cures. Mr. Zhang, who went to the class with me used to have heart disease and high blood pressure which lasted for a long time. Not long after he arrived at Guangzhou, he went to the hospital and had an examination. However, in the following days, after he listened to the lectures he was cured. When he returned to the hospital and had another examination, all his illnesses had disappeared. Many other practitioners who came from other cities recovered from all kinds of complicated diseases. Master doesn't cure illnesses, but He will purify the body a genuine cultivator.
While Master gradually explained higher and higher level principles, the energy sent out by Master constantly purified the practitioner's bodies. I felt the atmosphere in the stadium was getting more and more clear. During class, I felt myself surrounded by powerful and righteous energy which I couldn't describe. After Master taught the Fa on the issue of eating meat, I had a bowl of meat and I found it very sickening and I couldn't eat it. Very quickly, I overcame the attachment of eating meat.
Master gave the lecture for more than one hour everyday and then spent half an hour teaching us the exercises.
The principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and its magical effects touched everyone's heart. After class, some people always stayed behind and helped to clean the stadium. If they found gold necklaces, watches, cash and other things, they would hand them in to Master and Master would ask the owner to come forward to claim their loss.
I remembered other practitioners and I, as well as practitioners from Qiqihar in Heilongjiang Province, Changchun in Jilin Province and other cities, stayed together in Guangzhou College of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The living expense was very cheap, maybe five or ten yuan per day, and each meal was only one yuan. There was an old lady came from Heilongjiang Province. I asked her why she came all this way to Guangzhou to learn Falun Dafa, she said: "This practice is so good." Then she told me how she had benefited from practicing Falun Gong. Some people even came from Xinjiang to study Falun Gong. One night, after I had dinner with many other practitioners, we suddenly saw a huge Falun rotating in the sky, and there were colorful clouds floating around it. Some people took pictures of this with their cameras.
I met many senior practitioners and their faces looked rosy and healthy. They didn't have wrinkles and they looked very young. In the morning, sometimes I went downstairs to take a walk. I saw many practitioners from Changchun meditating and doing the exercises on the grassy areas outside of the college. The peace and purity that radiated from them, as well as the beautiful exercise music brought me to another world. Some practitioners from other cities had financial difficulties and thus they only ate instant noodles and crackers. Everyone just came to Guangzhou to learn the Great Law of the Cosmos-Falun Dafa. Later several practitioners who had traveled from far away ran out of money. When other practitioners heard about this, they gave them money to let them set their hearts at rest and focus on studying the exercises and the Fa. When Master heard about this, He asked the practice site coordinators to provide help to people who ran out of money.
Master is known by many people and has one hundred million disciples. He is very kind. At the end of the class, He said to us: If there is one day you can't seem to tolerate something, remember this sentence I am telling you - "When it's difficult to endure, you can endure it. When it's impossible to do, you can do it."
Most of the people who attended Master's lectures have been very diligent and steadfast Dafa disciples in these last ten years. They are doing the three things asked by Master and saving sentient beings, determined to fulfill their vows. But there are also other people who gave up practicing under pressure from the bloody persecution by the communist regime. How sad it is! For myself, I have gone through several experiences of being close to death due to the persecution and been protected by revered Master, I've firmly walked my cultivation path.
Those people who have predestined relationships with Dafa, please don't let such a precious chance to study the Fa slip by. We have waited for hundreds of millions of years for this opportunity! Such a precious chance happens only once and everyone should treasure it!
