Sim Young Hee | Busan, South Korea
I am Sim Young Hee from Korea Seomyeon Bodhi Meditation Center and I want to share a story about my son. As a single mother, despite my efforts to provide the best care for my child, I struggled to devote all my time to accompany him. I always assumed my son had bypassed the typical teenage rebellion phase until two weeks ago when he suddenly declared he didn’t want to go to school anymore. He confessed he had been dealing with depression for three years but hadn’t told me for fear of worrying me. His depressive state had recently worsened, with severe palpitations and difficulty breathing at night.
I began volunteering at the Seomyeon Bodhi Meditation Center last year (2022). During the Bodhi Meditation Health & Happiness Retreat, my primary role was to cook meals for everyone. It wasn’t until the fourth day of the course that I found time to practice with everyone else.
That’s when something amazing happened! Previously, my son didn’t like being close to me, wouldn’t chat with me, or even communicate. He ignored any messages I left for him. But, after practicing with everyone on the fourth day and coming home that night, I found my son leaning on me for support. Yesterday, for the first time in his life, he opened the door to greet me when I came home, saying, “Mom, you’re back.”
Additionally, due to his depression, my son had a poor appetite and would only eat a few bites of his meals, which pained me to see. Surprisingly, when I came home these past few days, I found that he had finished all the food I cooked for him. Not only that, but his previously rigid and expressionless face seemed less stiff and much softer. This brought me great comfort and joy.
I believe that volunteering at the meditation center and practicing with other participants at the retreat has been a wonderful opportunity to bring about a change in my son. My son has promised me that he will definitely participate in the youth camp. I believe he can learn from the Grandmaster at the camp and solve all his worries.
Gratitude to Grandmaster.
(Note: The effects of meditation vary from person to person.)
