The Turning Point of My Life
By Yuan-Bing, San Francisco
Plagued by Uterine Fibroids
‘Meditation’ was a foreign word and concept to me.
My life was a life of ease coupled with a hectic job. Day after day I worked mechanically, wasting many years pursuing a materialistic lifestyle. Along the way, I unwittingly lost sight of my purpose in life. Occasionally, I would even ask myself, “What is the purpose of life?” Alas, I never found an answer.
February 2011 marked the lowest point of my life.
My health started declining. My uterine fibroids increased rapidly from 8cm in 2008 to 12cm in 2011, leading to the oppression of my nerves which subsequently led to numbness in my right leg and uncontrollable frequent urination. Hence, I went for resection surgery. What I did not envisage, however, was that this surgery would cause major problems to my urinary and digestive systems.
The second day after my surgery, I realised that I could not feel any sensation in my lower body and was unable to control my bladder. As a result, the urine built up in my bladder and my lower abdomen was bloated like a balloon. Panicking, I requested help from my doctor and he inserted a urinary catheter into my bladder to help drain the urine out. Only then did the pressure in my bladder ease. Later, my doctor instructed me to take diuretics to control my urinary system disorders. At the same time, I also took Traditional Chinese Medicine. Both treatments barely controlled my urinary problems.
Furthermore, problems started surfacing in my digestive system. After swallowing my food, I would feel as though the food was stuck in my chest. This made me lose my appetite and in just one month, my weight decreased from 110 pounds to 95 pounds.
To make matters worse, my immunity also decreased considerably. Earlier in my life, when I was down with the occasional flu, I was able to recover rather quickly. After the surgery, I took at least a full month to recover from the flu. The cycles of illness made me feel even more depressed.
These problems were a serious blow to me. I felt my life going downhill and every single moment of my life was submerged in fear. I was worried that I would have to rely on medication to function.
Is this how my health will be for the rest of my life? Will I ever be healthy again?
Road to Recovery
Regaining Physical and Mental Health
April 2011 marked the turning point of my life.
Through the encouragement from my husband’s friends, my husband and I sceptically participated in the Meditation Retreat at Bailian (White Lotus) Bodhi Meditation Centre.
At that point in time, I was suffering from a severe cold. Despite my cold being contagious, Master Jue-Wu, the meditation teacher, was very compassionate. Not only did she not keep her distance from me, she even took the initiative to hug me. I was very touched.
My physical condition gradually improved after a few days of healing and practice of The Meditation of Greater Illumination. Subsequently, Master Jue-Wu advised me to attempt the prostration exercise to relax the muscles in my whole body, which alleviated the problems of my urinary system.
In the beginning, I could only do the prostration exercise for a mere 15 minutes. With consistent, deter-mined practice, my endurance level increased and the amount of time I could continually prostrate steadily increased. Now, I can easily complete one hour of prostration. True to Master Jue-Wu’s words, through prostration, my urinary system gradually returned to normal and I can naturally pass urine now. I began to reduce the dosage of my medicine (diuretics) and last November, I have recovered my urinary function despite completely stopping my medicine intake.
Concurrently, my digestive system started recupe-rating. The previous sensation of being unable to swallow food disappeared, and with an increase in my food intake, my weight returned to normal. My immunity also improved significantly; in the past year, I did not suffer from flu at all. In addition, the severe insomnia that had plagued me for two decades has slowly subsided. Originally, I had to consume sleeping pills daily. After meditating, I can get at least four hours of good rest every night, in spite of the fact that I have stopped taking my sleeping pills.
With the improvement of my physical health, my anxiety and depression disappeared. I became more relaxed, happier and have also gradually regained confidence in life. Furthermore, I started to volunteer at Bailian (White Lotus) Bodhi Meditation Centre.
Clearer Outlook
After entering Bodhi Meditation, I have achieved great progress on my spiritual path. In July 2011, my husband and I attended the Chanting Retreat conducted by Grandmaster JinBodhi at Los Angeles Meditation Centre. Throughout the Retreat, I was deeply impressed by the compassion and tolerance of Master. And through Master’s teachings, I began to realise my past mistakes in handling people and circumstances around me; I saw clearly how wrong I was and how much suffering my selfish personality and bad temper had brought upon others. Tears of repentance flowed – I regretted the unpleasant words I had said to my family as well as the conceited and demeaning attitude I had towards my colleagues.
Finding My Purpose in Life
The surgery brought me to the lowest point of my life, but at the same time, it also brought me to a precious turning point in my life. Although this experience caused me much suffering and despair, I am very grateful, as it led me to Bodhi Meditation. It opened up to me many meditation methods and life lessons. More importantly, it led me to finding a purpose in life – treating and helping everyone with love and compassion.
I started applying this goal to my daily life. I remind myself constantly to have good thoughts, to be kind to others and help others without asking for anything in return. Soon, my relationships with my colleagues and family became more harmonious.
Now I am leading a rich and happy life. Bodhi Meditation has not only restored my physical and mental health, but it has also given me a clear purpose in life.
