(Minghui.org) I obtained the Fa in mid-January 1995. Falun Gong learning sessions were held at my house two weeks later. Not long after that, my house also became a contact point for the new Falun Dafa practitioners or relatives and friends who have an affinity with Dafa and want to learn about the practice. I have since started to promote the Fa with a few other practitioners in Singapore.
In order to facilitate the promotion of Falun Dafa in Singapore, we began to prepare for the setting up a society in mid-October. In December, we received notice from the Beijing Falun Gong Research Society saying that practitioners from all foreign countries who have members, should register a society with the relevant government authorities. This notice was said to have received Master’s agreement.
In mid-March 1996, we held the last meeting to finalize the details about the setting up of the Falun Buddha Society (Singapore). During this meeting we elected the society’s official members, and confirmed the registration address. A few days later, we officially went to the Singapore Registry of Societies to submit our registration for the Falun Buddha Society.
Master came to Singapore on June 15! For the first time, we met Master at the hotel where he was staying!
At that time, a practitioner told Master, “We have already submitted our registration for the Falun Buddha Society, and are currently waiting for approval for the registry. We hope that Master can script some words for the society.” Thus, Master gladly wrote “Falun Buddha Society (Singapore).” Master also told us to inform him if our registration was approved. He said he would come and preside over the founding ceremony of the society.
Master scripting some words for the Falun Buddha Society (Singapore)
Our registration was approved one month after Master left Singapore. At that time, I did not understand that it was with Master’s empowerment that we received the approval so quickly. It took only four months from submitting the registration to its approval. The process generally takes about six months. Therefore, we immediately informed the Beijing Falun Gong Research Society about this news and hoped that Master could come to Singapore to preside over the founding ceremony of the society.
On July 27, 1996, Master really came to Singapore again! More than ten practitioners went to the airport to welcome Master and his family.
Master met the practitioners at the Singapore Airport.
Master then accepted our invitation for dinner. During the meal, a practitioner who was sitting at the same table passed his name card to Master and Master also took out his name card to exchange with that practitioner. He also let me distribute his name card to the other practitioners who were there. After finishing the meal, as we walked out of the restaurant, we passed through a wide passageway, and a practitioner suggested that we take a group photo with Master. At that time, many of the practitioners who were there were married couples. Master asked them where they would like to take the photo. Wherever the practitioners suggested, Master walked over for a photo shoot.
Seeing this, I deeply felt how Master is always so compassionate. He does not put on airs, and will even cooperate with the practitioners’ request to walk here and there. Since then, 15 years have passed.
Master hosts the founding ceremony of the Falun Buddha Society (Singapore)
Cultivation States of Beijing and Singapore Practitioners
One matter that also left a deep impression in me was the Beijing International Fa Conference held in Beijing that year. I attended that conference with some other Singapore practitioners. At that time, my cultivation state was not so good. We did not study Fa much and we only practiced the exercises. During the Fa conference, the conference’s person in-charge arranged for us to visit a Beijing practitioner’s home to exchange cultivation experiences. This exchange immediately made us realize the large gap between ours and the Beijing practitioners cultivation states. As we listened to the Chinese practitioners share their cultivation experiences, we realized that we had never thought about what cultivation experiences we had, much less talked about our cultivation experiences. The difference was really large!
On the last day of the Fa conference, Master came to give a Fa lecture. When the large doors opened, the hundreds of practitioners who were having dinner in the hall immediately stood up and warmly applauded to welcome Master! The degree of order really alarmed the waiters and waitresses who were serving the food. After the meal, all the practitioners rearranged the tables in a very swift and orderly manner and waited respectfully for Master to give the Fa lecture. This scene of the Falun Dafa practitioners working with a common purpose and cooperating with each other truly amazed me.
Master’s Lecture
When Master was giving the lecture, the Singapore practitioners sat in the front row and listened to the lecture at a close distance. After the lecture ended, Master walked over to shake hands with the Singapore practitioners. When I saw Master walk over, my heart seemed to be afraid that Master would come over because I felt very ashamed that I had not been diligent in my cultivation. However, Master’s hand has already stretched out, so I quickly stood up and shook hands with Master. When I was shaking hands with Master, there was a sort of tremor in my head. I do not know how to describe that feeling. I was very stirred up emotionally as I knew that Master had adjusted my body, and also adjusted my mind.
After returning to Singapore, I knelt in front of Master’s portrait and said, “Master, what I saw and heard in Beijing made me feel the gap in my cultivation state as compared to the Beijing practitioners. I will cultivate diligently.” I subsequently started to transcribe Zhuan Falun. One month later, another practitioner who also went to Beijing to attend the Beijing International Fa Conference exchanged his cultivation thoughts with me and suggested that we organize the practitioners to study the Fa together. The local practitioners then started regular group Fa study sessions.
The second anniversary of the founding of the Falun Buddha Society (Singapore) was in 1998. The original plan was to hold the Southeast Asia Fa Conference at the end of July. However, in order to suit Master’s schedule, the conference was postponed to August 22 and 23. When the other countries’ practitioners knew that Master was coming to Singapore, within a short time, more than 2,000 practitioners from more than ten countries registered to attend the conference. In the end, the Southeast Asia Fa Conference became an international Fa conference.
Master giving Fa lecture at the 1998 Singapore Fa Conference.
On the last day of the Fa conference, before the end of the meeting, Master took group photos with the foreign practitioners from different countries and also the practitioners from the local practice sites. During the group photo shoots, Master took a look at a practitioner and told this practitioner, “After you go back, you must practice the exercises more and study the Fa more.” This is what that practitioner told me after the event.
The Falun Buddha Society (Singapore) has gone through 25 years, stumbling and bumping, where we transcended from the period of personal cultivation to Fa rectification period cultivation. On the 25th anniversary of the founding of Falun Buddha Society (Singapore), with limitless gratitude, I kowtow to the benevolent and great Master, and to thank Master for protecting and looking after me all this while! Thank you Master for everything!
I will do my very best to do well all the things that I need to do. I also hope that all the Singapore practitioners can become more diligent and cherish the limited time we have before the end of Fa rectification.
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