(Clearwisdom.net) May 13 is World Falun Dafa day and it is also our Teacher's birthday. At this joyous occasion of the eighteenth anniversary of Dafa, the spectacular event of Teacher teaching the Fa in China still seems as if it were only yesterday. When Dafa was first introduced to the public in 1992, it quickly spread throughout China by word of mouth, and in a short seven years, one hundred million people were practicing it. Every morning, you could see 30, 50, 100, or 200 people doing the Falun Dafa exercises in the parks and public places all across the country. The melodious Falun Dafa music could be heard almost everywhere.

Tens of millions of people have gained good health and raised their moral standard, because practitioners try to be good people and follow Dafa's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance as their guide in daily life. This has also benefited the society. Teacher has said:

"Dafa is being spread far and wide. Those who hear about it are looking for it. Those who have obtained it are delighted with it. The number of cultivators is increasing daily and becoming countless." ("Seeking Discipleship with Teacher," Essentials For Further Advancement)

I have been a practitioner for 16 years and was lucky to have attended Teacher's Zhengzhou Lecture. This gave me the opportunity to witness the greatness of Dafa.

On June 11, 1994, Teacher came to Zhengzhou to teach the Fa. I was told that Falun Dafa was coming and was shocked when I heard these words. I followed others to the gymnasium to listen to the lecture. When I arrived I noticed that some practitioners were selling books, so I went over to look. I picked up a book called China Falun Gong. When I saw Teacher's photo on the cover, I excitedly shouted, "I know Teacher!" A practitioner next to me said: "Teacher is behind you. Take a look." I turned around and saw Teacher standing three to four meters away, talking to someone. Many images flashed quickly through my mind, as I felt I was very familiar with Teacher, but just couldn't recall when I had met him. After I had listened to Teacher's lecture, I understood. This was what I had been waiting millennia for--to obtain the Fa that day.

In "Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Canada," Teacher said:

"Some people say that Falun Gong is magic; the minute you practice it your illnesses and ailments are gone. Yes indeed, a genuine cultivator will change right away. His illnesses and ailments will be removed right away."

It is truly so. All my illnesses disappeared when I attended the lecture. I used to have dizzy spells and often lost consciousness when I was working or walking. It was so dangerous that I could have died. But after one class, all my illnesses disappeared. I walked as if I had wings and felt as though someone was pushing me when I rode a bicycle. My whole body felt light. I used to have very poor eyesight and would get a headache straining my eyes to read just two lines in a book. But, I was able to finish reading China Falun Gong in one evening. It wasn't until several years later that I realized my eyesight was healed, and that was only when someone mentioned it. As time goes by, my vision keeps getting better and better. Dafa is truly magical.

On the afternoon of June 12, the temperature in the gymnasium reached 39 degrees Celsius, and with more than three thousand people gathering in the old building, it was very hot and humid in there.

I tried to be attentive and listen carefully, but I just couldn't keep my eyes open (I was to later learn that Teacher was adjusting my brain). I decided to leave the building and buy some ice water to keep me awake and focused. When I walked out, I saw a fierce gale blowing up in the distance. It was sweeping up all the leaves, newspapers, and garbage in its path, and it headed straight towards us. It immediately got very dark in the northwestern sky and dark gray clouds were scudding across the sky. The darkness was scary. It seemed like a demon from a fairy tale was coming. I quickly went back inside and was so deeply shaken that my sleepiness disappeared. Strong winds came through the cracks in the windows, and torrential rain and hailstones hammered on the roof. Just then, the power was knocked out and all the lights went off.

It came on so suddenly, but there wasn't any panic inside. Teacher told practitioners not to move and then sat on the desk, with his legs crossed on top of each other, and started to do great hand gestures. Practitioners who sat on the floor also crossed their legs. It was very quiet. Although I didn't know the meaning of the hand gestures, I felt safe, tranquil, and peaceful. I was enveloped by Teacher's compassion and became completely unaware of the storm outside. The rain and wind gradually stopped. When Teacher finished the hand gestures He said, "The electricity will be back in ten minutes." When the power returned, the sun came out, and Teacher resumed his lecture. He told us that a big demon had got together with a gang of little demons in an attempt to stop Teacher's lecture. Teacher had destroyed the big demon and the little demons then fled.

When the lecture was over, we came out of the gymnasium and saw the devastation that the storm had caused. There was rainwater almost knee high. Trees, too thick to put your arms around, were either snapped in two or uprooted and sprawled across the streets. Broken branches, leaves, mud, sand, garbage, and large broken billboards were scattered everywhere. I heard that three out of four power lines were out of order, and it took several days to have them repaired. Only the power line by the gymnasium wasn't broken. No practitioners suffered any harm. This experience allowed me witness Teacher's benevolence and dignity.

June 18 was the last day of the lecture, and Teacher had arranged for a morning photo session for all the people attending. Over one thousand practitioners took part in the photo shoot. Some of us new practitioners were reluctant to leave and wanted to stay longer and enjoy the moment. Unexpectedly, Teacher came over and asked, "Are you from Zhengzhou?" We replied, "Yes." Then Teacher told us to wait there. We all wondered how Teacher knew we were from Zhengzhou. After participants from each province had finished getting their pictures taken with Teacher, Teacher came back and told us to go inside the gymnasium.

There weren't any chairs or benches inside, so Teacher told us to sit on the floor. Teacher sat down first and then we sat down. I was very close to Teacher as there were just a few of us from Zhengzhou. Teacher looked at us all and said, "You are the seeds." Teacher then continued speaking for some time. The most unforgettable words were, "You are the seeds." How lucky we were.

It has been proven that Falun Dafa is a great Fa. It is a righteous Fa to bring people to higher levels. It has improved millions of people's health and moral standards and played a great role in improving society.