The months of May and June are known as “plum rain season” in Taiwan, bringing a steady torrent of wet weather. Even in such a season, there are occasionally sunny breaks. However, in my memory, my childhood passed without any sunny days.

Born in a small, poor town in the Hebei province of China, my early years coincided with the Cultural Revolution, which was a period of immense social and political turmoil.  When my mother was pregnant with me, my parents became the victims of political struggles and were sent to a “re-education camp” in the countryside. Due to poor living conditions and lack of food, she suffered from severe malnutrition and gave birth to a very sick child. From the time I came into this world, I suffered from all manner of illness that doctors said was a direct result of malnutrition. I spent every single day in pain and misery.

Not only did I suffer from my own illnesses, but as I grew up I also had to witness the tragic deaths of my dear family members. My older brother died of starvation followed by my younger brother, who silently passed away.  I was haunted by my mother’s heartbroken crying, my father’s helplessness, the coldness of relatives, and mistreatment at school. All of these miseries were my first taste of what I later came to understand as the suffering of human beings.The grief of losing loved ones at a tender age, combined with the other attendant sorrows and struggles, left a deep scar on my young heart.

I watched other kids laughing and playing, but I was not able to join them. My poor health disabled me, and I could not lead a normal life. My entire childhood was full of suffering, hunger, hatred and hopelessness. Looking back, however, I’ve come to realize that traumatic early experiences provided me with an understanding of suffering, misery and despair, and an ascertainment of the true nature of life.

When I was six years old, our family moved to Qinghai, a plateau region marked by oxygen deficiency. As a result, my already poor health further deteriorated. My parents sought any possible treatments to save my life, but there was little improvement in my physical condition. Finally, they found a former lama (at that particular time no religious practice was allowed and monks were forced to return to secular life) and asked him to help me. As the wise maxim goes, misfortune may be a blessing in disguise – indeed it was for me. The lama found by my parents in a desperate bid to heal my body became my first master. He not only treated my illness, but also taught me Buddhist meditation practice. At the time, I did not quite appreciate his unique healing methods. Only years later, after gaining deeper understanding, I realized that the methods my master used to heal my illness were far beyond the ordinary approach.  Rather than, for example, using a painkiller to alleviate a headache, he utilized energy to achieve a systematic whole body adjustment and fundamental healing. That was my first encounter with Buddhist dharma, which led me to a lifelong journey of meditation practice. After a few years of study and practice, my master introduced me to his fellow apprentice, and after further study this apprentice sent me to another master. One by one, I studied and practiced with various great masters and traveled from one monastery to another throughout the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. My practice progressed, and a whole new world opened before me.

After nearly twenty years of practice and numerous – sometimes life-threatening – challenges, my perseverance has been rewarded with an in-depth understanding of Buddhist meditation. Through exploring the realm of meditation, I realized that the self is tiny and limited, and my view of the Universe was transformed. I no longer desired revenge for the sufferings of my childhood. Meditation altered the fundament of my perception, and the entire world became colorful and warm.  The deeper my understanding of the Buddha’s teachings grew, the more my life expanded with brightness. I not only completely recovered my health, but also gained special healing power. When I saw other people afflicted with disease, I felt pain in my heart as if their illness was happening in my own body. Helping others became essential to my existence. As my meditation practice progressed – particularly when the four-faced golden Buddha appeared to me during deep contemplation – I felt an urgency and responsibility to help others free themselves from suffering and regain happiness. My lifelong mission was born.

To me, attaining personal liberation and happiness is not my true bliss. I wish to see all people relieved of worries and suffering – that is my ultimate happiness. It is my quest to teach others, to share the depth of my understanding of the Buddha’s teachings and the meditation methods, and see all human beings liberated into health, joy and inner peace.

In August of 1991, I gave my first public dharma teaching in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province in China. In 1999, I extended my teaching into North America. The first Bodhi Meditation Center was established in Vancouver, Canada, followed by Centers in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and the Silicon Valley. Meditation Centers also sprung up in Korea and Singapore. In 2007, my disciples invited me to establish my practice in Taiwan, and I happily heeded their call. Many people have benefitted both physically and spiritually after studying and practicing the Bodhi methods, gaining fresh perspective about themselves, society and nature – and thus being reborn into new healthy and harmonious lives.

My profound sense of responsibility was further strengthened after I returned to the Medicine Buddha’s Eastern Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli during one of my deep meditative journeys. Returning to the Pure Land solidified my belief that what I have done all these years is simply to realize and fulfill the Medicine Buddha’s twelve great vows. The Medicine Buddha’s first vow, “When I have attained supreme, perfect enlightenment in a future life, brilliant rays will shine forth from my body, illuminating infinite, countless and boundless realms,” resonates so strikingly with the heart of Bodhi’s core practice, “The Meditation of Greater Illumination,” that it seems to be more than a mere coincidence.

It is my sincere hope that I can bring the Buddha’s teachings of compassion, as well as effective meditation methods, to ever greater numbers, giving everyone the opportunity to understand the importance of compassion, tolerance and Universal love to the individual, the family and society. Such virtues are the cornerstones of health, family and career, and are essential to arriving at a blissful destination after death.

Among Bodhi Meditation practitioners, there are those who have attained a higher level of consciousness and can predict their last days in this life. That allows them to arrange their business and family affairs in advance and leave without regret. When some of them pass away, their relatives and friends are visited by a beautiful rainbow arcing through the sky or a radiant halo surrounding the sun, together with a sweet fragrance lingering in the air and the soothing grace of celestial sounds. After the deceased is cremated, relics have on occasion mysteriously appeared. All of these otherworldly signs indicate that meditation practice can bring us fundamental changes. It radically alters the way we see ourselves, how we deal with others, and how we live life. The wonderful feelings and experiences made possible by meditation lie beyond the limits of description. In order to fully access them, an unwavering dedication to consistent practice is required.