(Minghui.org) I am a person who has a short memory. Most things slip off my mind soon after I experience them. However, there is one experience always in my mind, though it happened 17 years ago. It was the first Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference held in the Cangzhou Region on October 1, 1995.
The conference was to be held in the Basketball Stadium of the Cangzhou Regional Sports School. There were open platforms surrounding the stadium. At approximately 7:00 a.m., buses full of Falun Gong practitioners from nearby counties arrived one after another. Soon the platforms were filled with seated practitioners. Then the court in the center of the stadium became filled with people. However, there were still many more buses full of practitioners that were still waiting in line outside the stadium or who were still on the way to the stadium. The person in charge of the sports stadium was very worried.
He said to the host of the experience sharing conference, “As per our previous discussion, only 6,500 can attend the conference. But now, the people here are already outnumbering the agreed-upon 6,500. And many people still haven't come in yet. Now there are two points: First, it's for sure that this location cannot hold all the practitioners who want to participate in the conference. Second, the stairs and platforms have not been maintained for many years. They may collapse if overloaded and this may result in danger. So we must move to another location. There is a large sports field outside of this stadium. It's very spacious and can hold all the participants today.”
It's easy to say “move to another location.” However, it's very difficult to do so. It’s not like it was a small group, which would have been quite easy to move. Approximately ten thousand people were sitting there; if such a big group moved even a little, there could be chaos. It seemed so difficult to make it!
The host of the conference broadcast the reason for changing location using a loudspeaker. He announced: “People on the east side of the stadium, please move up and then walk outside. After that, people on the south, west, and north sides of the stadium will follow.” As soon as he finished making the announcement, people took action immediately, group by group. They had no complaints, did not rush, but moved quickly and steadily. They seemed like soldiers that had been trained for years. They were so harmonious and calm. Just think: they were people from different places, who didn’t know each other at all. Within less than half an hour, more than ten thousand people were seated on the sports field.
At this moment, we were informed that the city would be out of power for half a day. We inquired with the electricity department and figured out that the power was still on about several kilometers away. All practitioners in the Cangzhou Assistance Center started solving the problem. They immediately decided to use power cords to bring in electricity temporarily so that the conference would be held as scheduled. Some went to purchase the power cords, and some went to purchase the conduit and buried them in the earth, while others cooperated with other necessary jobs effectively.
Everyone sat on the sports field. Some practitioners were studying or reciting the Fa; some were sharing their cultivation experiences. Then, someone brought there a big stereo recorder and played the exercise music on the stage. The practitioners who sat close to the stage stood up and started practicing the exercises. Those who sat far away started practicing the second exercise, the Falun Standing Stance. The second exercise includes only several postures, so the practitioners could do it just as well even if there was no exercise music played.
The whole sports field was very quiet. The bus drivers who were chatting were moved by the scene. One said, “Falun Gong practitioners are so nice and well-organized. If this happened to a group of ordinary people, there would have been chaos. It’s unusual to have so many people here, but still be quiet. Everyone is so nice and disciplined.” Those drivers immediately joined us in practicing the exercises. Approximately half an hour later the power came back on and the conference started immediately. We know that the fellow practitioners from the Cangzhou Assistance Center did a lot of work for us.
The conference ended at approximately 2:00 p.m. For an unknown reason, we were given only a small gate to get through when it was time to dismiss the conference. Just think: more than ten thousand people passed through a small gate. There was no chaos, no crowding, no pushing or hurrying. Everyone walked ahead quietly and soon left the stadium. Finally, the conference host asked the person in charge of the sports school to check and see if we had left the site in good order. That person said, “It’s unnecessary to check. Just look at how you’ve behaved today; we are absolutely assured all is well. Just seeing how you’ve come through such a small gate, we know how unusual your group is. If these were ordinary people, at least several people would have been hurt. It’s already afternoon, so I guess everyone wants to get back home for a good meal. You did so well!”
As practitioners, we all know the reason for the orderliness. The sports ground was clear of rubbish because we are practitioners who follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
Actually, those ten thousand practitioners who attended the conference had been practicing Falun Gong for only several months.
Whenever I recall that conference, I say in my heart silently, “Falun Dafa is good. Master is great!”
