Modern life has become increasingly tense. Sedentary lifestyles are common, with many of us having fewer opportunities to engage in physical exercise. As a result, more people are getting tired easily and entering a state of suboptimal health. Let us follow Grandmaster JinBodhi’s advice on how to regain health through practicing meditation and overcome the constant stream of daily stresses.
Let’s chat today. Many of you are meeting me for the first time, right? (Yes.) Please raise your hand if you are one of them. Quite a few of you. OK, hands down. Welcome. If this is your first time learning from us or visiting Bodhi Meditation, please raise your hand. First-timers. Good. Welcome.
I believe you heard about us because our meditation methods have brought health and happiness to many. Nowadays, technology is rapidly advancing. With the advent of the Internet, we can get news from around the world without leaving home. Students can even complete assignments online, right? Most of you don’t do assignments online. Kids nowadays do. Technology is truly advanced.
The advancement of technology means that we move our bodies less than we used to. Being less active is both good and bad. If we don’t move or physically exert ourselves, it is not healthy. What do you think? (Yes.) The more technologically advanced, the less opportunity we have to use our bodies. If a person works in front of a computer, there is no need to dance with it, right? No need to box with a computer to get work done. Sometimes, one person can do the work of 1,000. But there is a cost to one’s health.
Don’t you get tired working on a computer? (Yes.) Some who don’t work on computers also nodded because they know the feeling, right? (Yes.) I am also talking to those who don’t work on computers but tire themselves out and fall sick from watching too much TV, rendering themselves more pathetic than TV characters. You look at data, not stories, on your computer. Human and machine communicate through programs. Typing a 6 or an 8 yields a 6 or an 8. Boring, isn’t it? If we work like this for 5 hours, besides exposing ourselves to computer radiation, won’t such drudgery make our eyes tired? (Yes.)
Even if we watch TV shows with storylines, characters, pictures and music, won’t we feel tired after watching many episodes? When we face a dull computer, we might fall sick. The brain is overly stimulated. Many people cannot tolerate this type of work. Computer workers are prone to developing problems in their nervous system. What other impact? The heart, kidneys and blood may be adversely affected.
So in short, with less physical labor, we are more likely to fall sick. Many people are not very healthy, which is also referred to as sub-optimal health as symptoms aren’t obvious and can go undetected by doctors and medical devices. However, with sub-optimal health, one feels uncomfortable, such as listless, fatigued, frustrated and depressed for no particular reason. Food you used to love becomes tasteless. Chatting and fun times you once enjoyed with friends now seem boring. Experiences you once found joyful don’t have the same effect anymore. You feel drained and listless. Perhaps your vision is deteriorating. You often feel sleepy or lose your temper easily. Are these problems considered illnesses? You tell me. (Yes.)
Who has some medical knowledge? What illness is it? Give a diagnosis. Depression. Aging. Anxiety. Positive emotions give you health while negative emotions make you sick. In California, where sunshine is plentiful, there should be relatively fewer depressed people as compared to Vancouver, Canada, where winters yield little snow but lots of rain. Many are prone to depression as it is often dark and gloomy outside, making one feel dejected and low-spirited. Environment, light, sound, and age are all factors that can affect one’s health. If you often mingle with young people, you may be healthier. If you are always around seniors, who tend to laugh less and move slowly, you might feel depressed.
There are so many causes of disease. As mentioned, technology reduces our physical labor, hence making us unhealthy. Another cause of disease is diet. When I came to the US, I realized I didn’t need to lose weight at all and was relatively slim. When I arrived at the airport in the US, I found that I was quite small compared to others. This is due to diet. Americans like hamburgers, but too many and you become as chubby as a hamburger. “I am the hamburger and the hamburger is me.” You can change your last name to Hamburger, and you have got an English name!
Eating too many hamburgers will cause blockages in your system. For instance, if people living in the West, especially those of Chinese descent whose ancestors were raised on noodle soup, suddenly started eating lots of bread and meat, the body may experience discomfort. I also like to advise our English-speaking Western friends to eat less high-calorie and dry foods, especially those who can’t stop eating as they contribute to weight gain. When you stuff in such food, it digests very slowly, allowing the body to absorb all the protein and sugars. Your health suffers as a result.
An American professor’s health study states that a good portion of 2nd and 3rd generation Chinese-Americans are overweight because they take their cues from their peers who are tall and sturdy. They eat to be as sturdy as their peers. Since they can’t grow to be as tall, they grow to be as wide by eating a lot. Their frames might be smaller, so they make up for it by eating. In the end, they become overweight. Thus, what kind of diseases are common to Chinese-Americans? Heart disease. Maybe diabetes due to overeating.
So, your environment affects your diet. It is common for people to watch TV while eating dinner, stretching mealtime to 2 hours. One pancake should be sufficient, but instead people eat 10 and still don’t feel full. Thus, they put on weight. If you are going to indulge in a feast, I advocate standing during the meal. Second, I advise all ladies and chubby people who can’t control themselves to wear a belt and buckle it tight when eating good food. The most powerful weight-loss belt is elastic and wide. The Energy Bagua practice belt doubles as a slimming belt. When eating, wear it and you will feel full after only half a bowl of food when you would normally eat 2 bowls. You can even wear it while you are sleeping. It will reduce your waistline by 2 or 3 inches. This is the best method for losing weight.
I have also spoken to fellow practitioners about what they should drink and when, in order to lose weight. Who knows? (In the morning.) You have obviously paid attention to my teachings. First thing in the morning, instead of going to the bathroom, drink a cup of warm or room-temperature water. I don’t suggest icy-cold water as it is too stimulating and can make your stomach sensitive. Just plain warm water, but not hot water. We Chinese like drinking hot water. Drinking hot water is not good for your stomach. If you drink very hot water, you will have foul breath. Please take note of that.
If you have constipation, drink a cup of water half an hour before each meal. This will lubricate your digestive system. Many overweight people suffer from constipation. The most severely afflicted only go once a week, so the body keeps absorbing toxins that were supposed to be excreted. This can lead to colon cancer or other forms of cancer as your body is still absorbing toxins from the contents in your intestines. Regular bowel movements are necessary for your health. For the severely afflicted, add a pinch of salt to your water for greater effectiveness. But if your throat feels sore and you cough after drinking the water, you have added too much salt.
Almost all weight-loss drugs have side effects. They are harmful to your health. I have read about fashion models suffering from anorexia because of dieting. Dying from anorexia is unfortunate and excessive. Diet pills harm your body. Drinking water doesn’t. It helps us lose weight and promotes bowel movements. OK, that is all for now about weight loss.
Poor diet causes illness. Eating too much meat, pasta and dry foods such as bread can be detrimental. Even if you eat bread with soup, the ratio of dry foods to liquid may be out of balance, and you can easily fall sick. If you eat too much dry food and don’t consume enough liquids, you will have issues with digestion and bowel movements. People who like eating dry foods must drink plenty of liquids. Some people are picky eaters who only eat a small range of foods. This is problematic.
A newspaper reported that a 13-year-old girl ate an American-brand of fried chicken 3 times a week for 3 years. She got a severe illness – which I forgot. Perhaps a serious kidney problem. Dietary extremes make people sick. I am not saying fried chicken is always harmful to your health. Eating too much of anything isn’t a good idea. Some say eating McDonald’s causes weight gain, but what about eating Chinese steamed buns? It would be the same. If you eat buns and don’t drink enough water, you will put on weight and suffer constipation. So make sure you balance dry foods with liquids.
As for beverages, I don’t think that all those processed, bottled and canned drinks are healthy. Manufacturers need their products to stay on the shelf for a long time. Canned drinks don’t even need to be refrigerated, right? Such drinks are made in the US, China or Vietnam and shipped worldwide. It takes at least 3 days to transport the drinks from the factory to the ship. Transportation by cargo ship takes 2 days, making it at least 5 days so far. It takes 10+ days to go from the US to China. Ships aren’t fast like planes. When the goods are unloaded, they go through several wholesalers before reaching the supermarkets. By the time we consume them, at least a month has elapsed. This is the freshest we can get.
However, the product can be on the store shelf for 1, 2 or 3 months. Finally, 6 months later, you buy it and drink it. It is loaded with sugar and flavoring. Why doesn’t it go bad? Preservatives, right? We know preservatives can be harmful to our health. Drinking an occasional bottled drink may not be an issue, but drinking too many causes problems. But people enjoy flavored drinks, especially kids who like acidic and sweet drinks. Kids may get sick from such drinks. Adults who know the truth should avoid consuming bottled drinks.
Dietary extremes lead to illness. I met a young girl who was suffering from acne. She was attractive and slim, but her skin problem was severe. Her skin was like a guava, full of small bumps. I learned that she only ate fruit, thinking it would keep her figure trim. I believe the acne was caused by mites on her skin, due to her excessive sugar intake. Eating only fruit causes illness. Your ancestors ate a balanced diet of grains and vegetables. Keep it that way. A balanced diet is the way. There are insects that eat rice, vegetables and fruit. Which are you? You are not built to be a fruit insect or an aphid. If aphids reside on your skin, might they also be in your internal organs? Don’t know. Dietary extremes cause illness. Would eating only fruit cause diabetes? I don’t know, but it is possible.
There are many causes of illness, including those related to work, computers, industrialization and diet. Emotions also play a role. Negative emotions cause illnesses. Losing your temper can be a trigger of ill-health. You will feel uncomfortable for 3 days after blowing your top. Do you agree? Our emotions are very important. To improve our mood, do you know what methods we use? (Meditation.)
Meditation is definitely the best method. Other methods? (Prostration.) There is also prostration. (Helping others.) Helping others? Why do we help others? Also, forgiving others? Why do we need to forgive others? We can’t take criticism. If we are not reasonable, we want to destroy those who have hurt us. Only after we understand the greater truths can we begin to forgive others.
We often get really angry over an issue. Recall your childhood or look at children. They get angry on the spot or cry over an eraser. “He didn’t have permission to use my eraser.” They may continue crying even after they get their eraser back. Some kids cry when they see others eating candy because they don’t have any or don’t have money to buy their own. They cry from anger and greed. As adults, would you cry along with the kids? That would be childish. Sometimes, angry adults look very childish to me.
Sometimes, a child doesn’t study hard enough and their grade drops from 90 to 85. The mother gets so angry, right? It is pointless to be angry. Such a mother is childish. Sometimes, after finishing his homework, a child is hyper and burns off energy by running around. In response, his mother gets angry and abusive. The mom is being childish. She doesn’t realize her kid’s energy allows him to have future achievements. Her abuse may destroy her child, turning him from hero to zero. Being energetic is a sign of being fortunate. Instead, the mother’s abuse cuts her own kid down.
The mother may tell the doctor that he is ill because he keeps running around. The doctor says it is ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). What if your child doesn’t move? If he is paralyzed? Which is better, moving a lot or not moving? Hyperactivity is a good thing, right? If your child can’t move, you would be worried, right? If he doesn’t move at all, even his eye lids don’t blink, that is death. If you understand the truth I have spoken here, and if your child is hyperactive, you should be overjoyed.
If the child’s voice is loud, his eyes are very bright, and he runs around when he has nothing to do, this means his qi and spirit are strong. These are good signs. So will you still be angry if your child is running around?
You should understand the truth broadly. Begin with having a kind, loving heart. The love in your heart should be bigger, not restricted to only loving your sons, daughters, husbands or wives. This sort of love is also known as “small love.” Small love is fine, but it also causes you to get angry. For example, your child is beaten up by his classmate, and you are so furious that you want revenge. Why seek revenge when your child isn’t dead? Actually, a few days earlier, your child beat the other child badly, but he didn’t tell you. Yes, we should understand the truth.
There are also relationships between family members, between in-laws and between boss and employee. Some employees see their boss as a friend, but when the boss is critical, some see him as an enemy. Those who see their boss as an enemy, please raise your hand. Shy about doing so? Your boss as your friend? No hands either. In between then. Neither friend nor enemy since you didn’t raise your hand either way. You just take your salary and work for him.
With such a mentality, few do their work conscientiously. Some work for their boss, but slack off whenever they can, right? Very good. Don’t blame your boss when you lose your job. If you were the boss, who would you fire? Employees who are lazy, dishonest and either don’t work or aren’t able to work, despite taking wages, would be fired first.
You need to know these truths. Actually, it is not difficult to know them, but to apply them is really challenging. Listening to me or others talk about these truths, you know they are true. Yet when you get demoted or fired by your boss, you hate him. Many moan and complain after losing their job.
Every time I come to Los Angeles, I seem to talk about unemployment. In modern cities, people work for others to make a living. Many don’t have the facts straight, especially those who grew up in China. We were taught, “The boss is our enemy”. To farmers, the landowner was the enemy who exploited them. Workers in cities thought their bosses were exploitative capitalists. We were educated to think this way, but when I grew up, I realized that things are not always so.
Whether a worker or a boss, everyone’s character is different. Some bosses are petty and cruel, and bully others. However, aren’t there those who take wages but don’t work? Too many. So the boss is forced to brainstorm to resolve the issue. Instead of being paid for working hours, they are paid for work done. Car salesmen or real estate salesmen earn commission based on how many cars or houses they sell. If there are no sales, they aren’t paid. Do you think that is reasonable? Yes, it is.
Hearing me talk about such mundane things, some may suggest I talk about liberation and how to achieve nirvana. How do we achieve nirvana? Research it yourself. I don’t intend to go yet and don’t know how to purchase a ticket. When I reach 180 years old, I will research this topic. For now, I only think about what to have for lunch. I only care about real matters on Earth.
Buddha’s wisdom teaches us how to alleviate suffering and gain happiness. It is just that simple. Alleviate suffering and gain happiness. You suffer from unemployment, illness, fear and sadness. You suffer from joblessness, poverty, not knowing how to conduct yourself and having setbacks in life. If you are asked to sell cars but don’t make a sale for 3 years, wouldn’t you starve? If you are alone, you starve by yourself. If you are supporting 2 people, all 3 of you starve because of you, right?
Let’s be practical in facing these issues. Let’s learn from them. For employees, if you have a job, do it well and be grateful to your boss. If you’re unemployed for, say, 3 years, you will garner sympathy. A phrase was coined on TV: “The pitiful may be pitiful for good reason”. You are given a job, but you don’t work conscientiously. When you lose a job and can’t support yourself, you are miserable. How do these issues arise? You don’t understand the truth. Thus, when we understand the truth, we won’t be unemployed. After knowing the truth, you will quickly find a job.
Many years ago, in Beijing, a couple worked for government-run factories. Then, Deng Xiaoping, the president of China at that time, advocated reform and the dissolution or privatization of unnecessary governmental enterprises. The couple both worked for such enterprises and lost their jobs. They wanted to commit suicide after becoming jobless. They were then introduced to me.
I asked them, “Why do you want to die?” The wife said that in the past, her husband was the deputy manager of the factory. She talked about joyful memories of receiving gifts and feeling glorious. They appealed to her vanity. Now that they were jobless, I pitied them.
I suggested, “Let me introduce you to one of my meditation students. He sells vegetables. Monthly rent on the fairly large 4 square meter stall in a good location is only 15 RMB.” My student earns over 30,000 RMB a year. Do you know how much a medium-level governmental official earned a year? At that time, 2,000 RMB a year at most. A medium-level official means anyone above a department head. A vegetable stall vendor can earn tens of thousands. They were so pitiful. So, I recommended they sell vegetables.
The business was good, and not too tiring. Some farmers even delivered the produce. You just need to sell. What was the wife’s response? She turned up her nose and said, “Such a lowly job. I would rather die than do that.” I asked her husband, “What about you?” He replied, “Hmm… Let me think about it.” I said, “If you are like this, you may as well entrust your kid to the government or an orphanage. Make a decisive choice.” I left feeling really angry. It is better to leave than to talk to such people.
They just couldn’t figure it out. As a father and husband, do you love your kid and wife? If it is true love, then you would be happy to provide for them any way you can. That is love and sacrifice. That couple only cared about themselves. Nothing wrong with selling vegetables. You are not stealing or murdering. They only cared about their vanity and were stuck mentally and spiritually. Out of snobbish pride, they let the whole family die. Unfortunately, the couple did kill themselves as they couldn’t face reality. They felt they would lost their dignity.
The founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni Buddha, spoke of intention. As we cultivate to alleviate suffering and gain happiness, from the start, we learn to accept and then change ourselves. We perpetually cultivate to attain a selfless state. A state where there is no ego, no dignity, no honor and no vanity, as they obstruct each and every one of us. This is how we “alleviate suffering and gain happiness.” If we comprehend this, then we understand that as long as we can support our family, that is true love. Then, we are a true, righteous and loyal person. That couple chose to die, not caring about their kid.
We come here to learn how to be healthy and happy. What is that? The truth of how to conduct ourselves. However smart a person may be, when they encounter afflictions in life, they may feel stuck and can’t find a way out. What you need in such a situation is someone slightly wiser to point the way and then you will see through it and be liberated. You will realize, “I obstructed myself, my pride, identity and ego.”
Many Eastern cultivators who have awakened gave up their beautiful jewelry and ostentatious clothes. They became unattached and felt at ease and serene. They go out without expensive cosmetics and fancy attire.
About 10 years ago in Los Angeles, I went to a new practitioner’s house with 2 fellow practitioners. The 2 who took me there were old friends of the new practitioner. Usually, they would call each other before visiting. But on that day, prompted by a sudden impulse, they said, “Grandmaster, let’s drop by this practitioner’s house.” I said, “OK.”
The practitioner answered the door without makeup, wearing casual clothes. Upon seeing me, she immediately closed the door. We heard a commotion coming from inside the house. Half an hour later, suddenly, the door squeaked open and a graceful lady stood there. Blushing, she said, “Grandmaster, please come in.”
You couldn’t see her true skin. This is not a bad or disgraceful thing. But people who don’t understand the truth will be obstructed by the concept of “self.” What if you are not made up and dressed up? When you cook and do laundry, you are in house clothes. I don’t believe that you would wear a ball gown to cook and do morning chores. If you did such a thing, I would feel like I was at a funeral.
At a funeral, the deceased are always well-dressed. When we are at home, especially in the morning, we are our true self. Many cultivators let go of such things. Their dress is natural and beautifully at ease. Their expression is serene. It is not dull, which indicates lack of hope. It is tranquil. You can still meet people without being made up. No problem.
Sometimes when I visit a park, someone says, “Grandmaster, sit on this. The ground is dirty.” I reply, “The grass is clean. How is it dirty? Do you know what dirty means?” They don’t know. At the beach, they say, “Grandmaster, sit on the cushion. The sand is very dirty.” I reply, “How is sand dirty? Your mouth is dirty. Why do you view everything as dirty?” They just don’t understand. In fact, the natural human response to fatigue is to go to a natural environment with soil, sand and water. If you want to sit down, your body may be telling you it needs certain nutrients.
A protected grassland in Africa is home to animals but not people. A volcano there spews smoke and ash every 2 or 3 years. As it falls on the land like fertilizer, it is very hot and burns up all the grass. When new grass grows, animals all come to feast on it. They instinctively know to eat the new grass because the ash contains micro-nutrients that make them strong and healthy.
You should understand what I am saying now. Humans and animals alike sometimes need to roll around in soil. Who has stayed in a rural area? Some have. What do tired horses, cows and donkeys do? Do you know? (Roll around.) Yes. Very smart. They roll around on the ground. When they roll around, with their spine on the earth, it is stretched and loosened, muscles relax and they absorb Earth energy. The soil, sand and water relaxes their skin. It is like taking a bath. After working all day, you relax after a hot bath. Your anxiety disappears right away.
Animals are immediately less fatigued after rolling around. They shake their bodies and make a sound or two and feel less fatigued. Do humans need to do this? Yes. So don’t think of Nature as dirty. We need to return to Nature. We need natural nutrients from rolling around on the ground. Children are especially intuitive. When they roll around on the ground, they are expelling disease. It is a natural, healthy behavior.
But adults, who tend to be more status conscious and ego-driven, like to wrap themselves up tightly. In Vancouver about a dozen years ago, I hiked alone in the mountains. There weren’t many people and it was very foggy. I couldn’t see 15 meters away. As I walked, I saw a human-like apparition. The figure passed me. I couldn’t see the face clearly. It was weird. I smelled perfume. A female apparition perhaps. I ran up to her and had a good look. She turned to look at me. I discovered that she was wearing a mask with eye-holes.
I said, “You scared me. Why are you wearing a mask?” “I am sorry.” She replied with a Taiwanese accent. “Are you trying to scare people?” She said, “I am vain. I don’t want to expose my skin to the sun.” I said, “It is foggy in the morning, where is the sunshine?” “Wanting fair skin is women’s business. You don’t understand.” “My mother never used a mask. Why are you doing this? Are you ashamed to be seen?” “No. I am afraid that sun will damage my skin.”
She doesn’t understand that unexposed skin lacks nutrients from the sun. She said, “When I am exposed to the sun, I get allergic and feel discomfort all over.” I said, “You are exposed to too little sun. You are not healthy because of this.” Of course, later, I helped heal her. Since then, she goes out without a mask, but does wear a big hat. If you don’t expose yourself to sunshine and Nature, how can you absorb nutrients? Many of you are like this. You probably give people a heart attack.
Now that I mention it, a male practitioner in Vancouver, upon seeing me, said, “Grandmaster, I haven’t felt well these past 2 days.” I asked, “What happened?” “My kidneys shake.” The muscle around his kidneys physically shook. I said, “Tell me about it.” “It is embarrassing. Grandmaster, don’t tell anyone.” I didn’t tell others, but today I am telling you this story. “The evening before yesterday, I showered. “When I came out of the bathroom, I saw a ghost on our bed. “When I focused, I realized it was my wife wearing a facial mask. I was so scared that I passed out on the spot. When I came to, my kidneys shook.”
Reminds me of my childhood teacher who said, “Chairman Mao says to be vigilant.” The Monkey King said, “There are monsters everywhere.” Use facial masks when your husband is out. Create a safety zone by locking your door. Don’t scare anyone to death. The husband was so shaken. Thankfully, they already had kids. Sometimes, a scare like this can make a man sterile and infertile. He was scared silly. I do find it funny.
All the ladies who are laughing probably use facial masks at home. Notify the public with a skull and cross bone sign, as seen on dangerous cargo. When you apply a mask, hang a “Restricted” sign on the door. That forewarns people. You are lucky your husband isn’t the Monkey King. He would have struck you as he yelled, “Monster!” Husband aside, your son would have been scared silly too.
We should find time to get more in touch with Nature. Don’t think of Nature as dirty. We should walk on sand and step in seawater to absorb its energy. So, we should not think of Nature as dirty. If some soil sticks to your clothes and hands, it is not dirty. But people are sometimes restricted by labels and commercial norms. A practitioner showed me a skincare product she used. It was a bottle of black stuff. I said, “This is black mud. What is it for?” She said, “It is very expensive. It is Italian black mud.”
Black mud is found the world over. This mud was put into an Italian bottle, which may have been made in Vietnam. Black mud is good for the face. Especially black mud high in alkaline. Smeared on the face for 10 minutes, skin becomes fairer. Why is this so? Don’t know. Because it is black mud. Labeled with a brand-name, it becomes very valuable – $200 or $300 USD. But when your hands are soiled with better quality mud than the bottled stuff, you wash it, calling it dirty.
You should return to Nature. Play on the ground and touch the soil. In ancient times or your childhood, people let kids play with mud – a very healthy behavior. To gain health, aside from a healthy diet, get in touch with Nature. Ignore the modern dictate to wash away soil and mud. If you continue like this, everyone will become allergic. If you don’t connect with Nature, you won’t develop immunity. Nowadays, there’s no smallpox because of vaccines – the round scar on your arm. No smallpox anymore. With the vaccine in the body, you have antibodies. No contact means no immunity.
I hope everyone can be healthy by returning to Nature. You should understand the way to maintain health, including the mind. Almost every teaching of mine touches a bit on the way to be healthy. If you are interested, listen to them. I believe you will benefit. Nowadays, there are so many opportunities to get sick but fewer ways to get rid of illness. Many viewpoints are unhealthy and incorrect, thinking natural behaviors are ill-conceived. But some of your behavior is due to wrong perceptions. Many perspectives and viewpoints are wrong. From the divine perspective, all sentient beings are sick, especially humans with wrong ideas.
When you learn Bodhi Meditation, you are using meditation and the essence of ancient and present-day cultivators’ wisdom to grasp the truth of Nature so as to achieve great health. When you know the truths of life, you will slowly become healthy and wise. Many truths are interconnected. Once a concept is understood, other concepts will also be clear. So, after you understand life’s truths, you will have a healthy diet, healthy mindset, and healthy relationships with people. It is also very beneficial for creativity. If you need inspiration and creativity in your work, meditation is the best.
As you listen today, I want you to relax so you can receive more. Once you are relaxed, while you listen to me, your illnesses may disappear. (Got it.) The more relaxed and sincere you are, and the more forcefully you applaud, the more your illnesses will leave you. You all have good intuition.
Many of your illnesses are caused by emotions, diet and wrong ideas. Listening to me and watching me makes your illness disappear. Don’t question whether illnesses can just disappear. Here, illnesses are visible and tangible. But I think that everything, including gold, copper, iron and stone, is actually air. Everything can become energy and energy can become everything. For unclear reasons, air turns into different matters, people and illnesses.
Under certain conditions, when we return to a state of extreme purity, our state of perceived existence transforms into non-existence. A contemporary renowned scientist, Stephen Hawking, said, “Maybe the time-space we’re in is fake.” We believe it truly exists, but in fact it doesn’t. Seemingly hard to understand. Buddha said the world we are in is an illusory world, not real. It is like yesterday’s suffering and extreme misery disappearing today. Thus, many feelings are fake, including illnesses.
By hearing my voice and the sound of the singing bowl, your headache and lower-back pain are disappearing, as are your other illnesses.
All illnesses are disappearing.
Some have recovered. Some will start spontaneously fasting. They won’t be hungry at all. Others will eat only one or half a bowl of food instead of 2 bowls.
Now, sing after me.
Palms together. Rub your hands and rub your face. As you rub your face, visualize that you are 7 years old again. Some worry that if they are 7 again, what will their grandson call them? Don’t worry. You will only be 10 years younger. You are still grandpa. OK, comb your hair with your fingers, from your forehead to the back. Become wiser and purer. Let your mind be purer and calmer than a serene lake. Only purity and calmness beget wisdom.
OK. Pat all over.
After patting, do the closing. Just gently run your palms over your body. It is strange, like sweeping away fog.
Meditation is a peculiar behavior. Usually we need to exercise to be healthy, but meditation is almost motionless. In the past, I searched for wellness methods. After trying meditation, I thought that it was impossible. It is an inactive practice, and we think that only dynamic exercise can produce energy, oxygen and vitality. But from the perspective of benefiting health, meditation works better than normal exercise.
I am not rejecting exercise. I hope everyone will live, work and exercise as needed, but if you want to become healthier, meditate. Meditation is a static practice, but it helps you gain health. It is achieved through a specific simple posture and visualization, or even a quieting of the mind. It sounds strange and is hard to explain.
Different schools vary in practice methods. Some schools involve no visualization, just sitting still. Most safe meditation methods may also include counting breaths, listening to sounds inside the ear, and contemplation. Bodhi Meditation uses guided visualizations that I designed. You just visualize as instructed. I have contemplated for many years why this special meditation method causes such effects.
There may be many reasons. One of the most important is compassionate thought combined with extreme calm. We calm ourselves down, become still, and become more sensitive to positive, healthy and inspirational energy from the divine. Meditation, such as our school’s, originated in ancient India. In China, meditation was practiced since pre-historic times, before written language.
Chinese Taoism has over 30 schools of meditation, many of which are very good. Only later, people made it superstitious, wanting to become deities. Becoming a deity was the ultimate, blind goal of cultivation for many ancients. In the beginning, one cultivates for health. After acquiring health, one may unwittingly acquire some special abilities. When a practitioner develops special spiritual powers, people often call him a deity.
According to a story from ancient history, a Taoist master was practicing on a mountain when a young attendant came to him with news. “Master, a general sent a message saying he’ll visit you the day after tomorrow.” The master said, “Oh. Bring me the flute.” The disciple wondered why he wanted the flute. “Do you want to play it now?” “No. Just put it here.” Two days later the general arrived, and he needed the flute. Two days before he arrived, the master already knew the reason for his visit and prepared the flute in advance. He was so accomplished that he had acquired special abilities, and ancients considered him a deity.
Cultivators are more inspired and sensitive than ordinary people. Many Bodhi Meditation practitioners have special abilities, including psychic power. Meditation is very special. In calmness, one gains inconceivable, multi-faceted energy. Once we have wisdom, we do many things differently than we did before.
Meditation is very mysterious. The founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni Buddha, meditated in the mountains when he was young. Why did he leave home? He needed to leave behind the demands of home and work in order to find peace. So he went to a place where no one knew him. Few people were around. And he sat there. Without work, he focused on one thing: Meditation. After meditating for 7 or 8 years, he became enlightened and gained great wisdom. This is the tough process of becoming a buddha.
Has anyone here today benefited health-wise after meditating at Bodhi? (Yes.) No need to share. Just raise your hand. Good. Almost everyone here has benefited. I myself was the first beneficiary. I benefited from meditation because my health was very poor when I was young, for many reasons. Perhaps my struggle was fate, a blessing in disguise. When I was in poor health and without a cure, I met my master, who taught me methods of cultivation. I practiced conscientiously.
Later, when I thought about how many people are afflicted with illness, I vowed to teach these methods to people in need. So I started teaching Bodhi Meditation, and today you came and benefited from it. But it is much easier and more convenient for you to learn than it was for me. I have summarized and extracted from all the methods, so that you get the best and easiest. Practice well. Maybe someday you will become a buddha or an enlightened being.
When you practice well, you may become enlightened and gain wisdom. Thus, you will grasp life’s truths and see through matters. That you can become a buddha sounds impossible now, but you can become enlightened and full of wisdom. (Got it.)
