Plagued with chronic asthma for over ten years, David Cai of Singapore participated in the twelve-day Meditation and Fitness Retreat Program (August 2006) at the Canada Bodhi Dharma Society Canada. Shortly after the end of the Retreat, we sat down with David for an interview:

“I’ve been afflicted for a long time. I’ve tried all kinds of medications, but nothing worked. I didn’t believe that there was a cure anymore, let alone that it would be Puti Meditation—something I knew so little about.

“My wife signed me up for the Retreat without my knowing. She even got us plane tickets before letting me in on anything! She had to ply me with threats and promises before I agreed to go.”

Regarding the long journey from Singapore to Canada for the Retreat, David spoke with a wry smile: “I was sure that my wife was doing what she thought was best for me. She knows what I’ve suffered these years.

“I’d already given up… but not her. She always believed that there had to be a solution—that it was just a matter of time.”

David revealed that he most feared the long term bouts of sickness initiated by his asthma. They would start with uncontrollable coughing. Consequently, that coughing would worsen his pulmonary inflammation—encouraging more asthma. It was an awful cycle. The coughing would generally continue day and night for 2 to 3 months, before slowly beginning to calm… Needless to say, David brought a bagful of medications with him when he came to Vancouver.

Immediately upon arrival, David’s fears seemed to be coming true—he fell sick… the coughing was constant.

“We were staying at a friend’s house in Vancouver. Everyone at the Retreat noticed the dark, unhealthy coloring of my face ...” David is emotional as we speak.

The Meditation and Fitness Retreat Program had not yet begun, but already David was unexpectedly ill. In an unfamiliar land, his asthma grew ever more severe. Feeling the need to back out, his only thought was of returning home to Singapore. Nonetheless, after intense deliberation, David decided to stay as long as he possibly could.

“It’s never too late to go home,” he thought to himself.

Rather than disappoint his wife, David was determined to attend at least the first part of the Retreat—despite his doubts. As such, he started the Meditation and Fitness Retreat Program, accompanied by both his wife and a mutual friend who was also registered.

David began to practice Puti Meditation in earnest.
As he had foreseen, David felt no better by the end of the first three days. He had to take his medication daily to relieve his asthma attacks as usual.

On his fourth morning, David coughed continuously and started feeling short of breath. After practicing the Meditation of Greater Illumination twice in a row with the other meditators, he was surprised to notice that the coughing had eased considerably. David was suddenly excited—it was incredible for him to show signs of recovery so soon after the onset of his asthma. Also interesting, he did not feel the least bit hungry when breakfast arrived. Prompted by his wife, David ate a small piece of fruit and immediately felt too full to eat anything else. The feeling persisted, even through lunch. Worried, he made himself eat a few biscuits. He chewed them over and over, but had difficulty swallowing. David explained: “Our friend, who’d already participated in the Retreat once before, said I was likely experiencing spontaneous fasting. Apparently, it’s not uncommon during the Retreat… I think it’s incredible!”

David Cai not only felt significantly better, he had also begun to experience spontaneous fasting. He became convinced that it was a good sign and began to believe that Puti Meditation might really be able to help. By the afternoon, he had decided to stop taking his medications.

David’s fasting continued on the fifth day. Other than a little fruit and water, he ate nothing.

“Spontaneous fasting is odd. I feel full even when I haven’t eaten anything,” he said.

Surprisingly, David still needed to eliminate—the odor was unhealthy… embarrassing, even: “I believe that the spontaneous fasting was purging poisons from my body.”

After ten years of heavy medication, the buildup of toxins in his body would probably have been enormous.

The Retreat started six days after David Cai ’s arrival in Canada. From that time on, he and his wife participated in the meditation program eight hours a day. David Cai stopped coughing five days into the program. His elimination normalized on the eighth evening. He felt light-hearted in a way he had never known before and other participants told him that his face was aglow.

Overjoyed, his wife tells us: “After so many years, he seems suddenly rejuvenated. He’s so handsome!”

On the tenth evening however, David had difficulty sleeping once more and fought a desperate need to cough. When the coughing finally began, it was with a vengeance.

Each time an attack came, he had to cover his mouth and get up to rinse—he was coughing up blood. Try as he might to go back to sleep, the attacks followed every few minutes. This continued until he finally fell into a deep slumber, which lasted till daybreak. Upon waking, he discovered that his breathing was totally unhindered—an amazing and unfamiliar sensation after the ten preceding years… Asthmatic and fighting obesity, he had forgotten what it was to breathe with ease.

“I am very grateful to the many teachers at the College… and for the wonderful care provided by Master JinBodhi himself.

“I just want to share my story with everyone… to let people know what I believe… that as long as they continue meditating and don’t lose hope, then everything will work out.

“Also, I want to express how thankful I am to my wife for everything. When all’s said and done, it was her perseverance—her faith—that gave me back my health.”