Lynn was a perfectionist who worked incessantly to move forward professionally.

Before illness struck, Lynn was a senior financial consultant at a commercial bank in Vancouver. Success abounded for her, but when things turned sour, she felt her reserves failing.

Being fiercely independent and competitive, Lynn had striven for perfection since she was little. Later, she began working in a bank—her performance always exceeded expectations. Physically, she had no major concerns, though she dealt with chronically bad circulation that left her cold most of the time.

In 2003, she was ranked her bank’s No.1 financial consultant.

At the pinnacle of her career, Lynn nonetheless felt the stress and confusion of many professionals: she worked hard, yet was unsatisfied with the results. Her family relationships were also highly discordant.

Lynn’s primary responsibility was loans. For some time, “the client” had been her life’s focus: making friends into clients, finding new clients, keeping and befriending them.

“I felt hurt,” Lynn shook her head. “Many of my clients really were friends too. I’d been doing my best for them since the beginning. But then, some of them withdrew their funds. I felt that I was losing everything. People were no longer coming to me, and the bank suffered as a result. I just couldn’t understand what was happening.”

Adding to the stress of her situation, the long-antagonistic relationship Lynn had with her 20-year-old son was worsening. Ever since Lynn’s divorce nearly eight years before, she and her son had been at odds. He’d refuse to look at her, or fly into a rage at the drop of a hat.

In general, she felt deeply rejected and wondered where she’d gone wrong.

Lynn wouldn’t allow herself to reveal her growing frailty, despite the horrible weakness she felt. She tried to fulfill her three roles simultaneously—to be a hard-working professional, a caring mom and a considerate wife… But everything was going wrong. Lynn felt stressed and anxious at all times.

One day in early 2005, after a session of “hot” Yoga, Lynn suddenly felt a discomfort in her chest—as though the air wasn’t flowing properly in her lungs. She figured that it would sort itself out at first, but the sensation worsened. After a week, she had to admit she needed medical help.

She was diagnosed with pleurisy. However, neither medications nor equipment-assisted methods offered effective treatment. Her breathing condition continued to deteriorate until, after a year and a half even normal speech was impossible.

She was confined to bed.

“Every ten minutes or so, I had to stand up because it was so hard to breathe,” Lynn explains.

During that period, she also required sleeping tablets to rest at night.

She struggled with breath most of the day, and worry set in: what would she do if her condition continued to worsen?

Lynn was forced to quit the job which had been so important to her.

The doctor then diagnosed her with depression.

Initially, Lynn rejected the diagnosis—she couldn’t believe depression alone was causing all her symptoms. She tried anti-depressants, but suffered from horrible side effects: excessive thirst, increased anxiety, restlessness, and irritability.

There didn’t seem to be any escape.

Remarkably, a certain relief appeared in the form of a book—Jiasha, a text recounting the childhood and training of Meditation Master JinBodhi.

The story touched her deeply, and often prompted tears. Uncannily, each time she cried, she discovered that she was breathing more freely after.

Lynn continued her exploration by reading Meditation & Health Magazine, and eventually chose to participate in a weekend Two-Day Introductory Program at the Canada Bodhi Dharma Society with Master JinBodhi. The evening of her first day, she was already benefiting: “It was probably the deep contemplation… Physically, it relaxed me completely. In the evening, I slept soundly without taking a single pill.”

Lynn grew more dedicated to her practice.

“Meditation wakes up the body’s potential energies—it’s revitalizing,” Lynn said.

A Chinese-born career woman who had lived in North America for over a decade, Lynn only thought of meditation as something for monks and nuns.

Originally, she had scoffed at the thought that meditation might help her with her ailments.

After her first short experience, Lynn decided to sign up for the 12-Day Puti Meditation and Fitness Retreat. There, she experienced an amazing transformation of both body and mind.

Her first Retreat in June 2006 was the most influential; even though there was no radical change at first, she felt she was getting better each day. By the end, Lynn was breathing freely more often than not.

Even more surprisingly, on the seventh day, she suddenly realized that she was no longer cold—her circulation had drastically improved somehow.

Lynn participated in three meditation retreats. She most enjoyed the distinctive qualities of group meditation: “There’s so much more energy somehow—it’s more effective for me.”

Each Retreat was a very different experience for Lynn: “The first Retreat made me believe recovery was possible. At the end of the second, I didn’t have any difficulty breathing at all. It would reoccur from time to time, but righted itself quickly.

“The third retreat was about consolidation.”

“It’s like the energies in my body are being renewed and enhanced everyday.”

Lynn says that she gradually discovered a gentler state of both mind and body—what Master JinBodhi referred to as her “Original Nature” and began to re-evaluate the world from a new perspective.

From a certain point of view, good business is based on the subtle art of social interaction.

Meditation also helped Lynn see through some of the confusion she was experiencing—keeping a balance between work and family. She began to view herself and the people around her differently:
“I’m hot-tempered and straight-forward. I don’t want to leave anything un-dealt with. I always said what I wanted and didn’t really care what others felt.

“When clients come to me—often full of hopes and dreams—they’re trusting me. In the past, if my answer was ‘no,’ then my word was final and there was no room for consideration… or even explanation.”

Lynn felt that her frankness might have hurt her client and co-worker relationships.

The constant pressure to be self-confident and strong had caused her to become mentally inflexible and physically unwell.

Though she would not allow herself even sick-leave previously, Lynn now intends to give herself more calm both at work and in her personal life. She intends to avoid the traps of unhealthy perfectionism, believing that meditation and business can compliment each other.

She also feels that she can adhere to her principles by showing more respect to clients and working to get them maximal benefit.

Improved family interaction was another unexpected benefit of her meditation practice.

Master JinBodhi says, “Never attempt to change others. No person can ever truly change someone else. We all only have the ability to change ourselves. When we do, we’ll feel others change in response.”

“Don’t confine yourself to conventions and formalities,” Lynn quotes the master: “Once you’re happy, others will echo that happiness. If you’re pessimistic, others will feel the same.”

Now, her son calls her every day, updating her on his life; he even invites her to go swimming or on vacations. Furthermore, he suggested that they set aside a room in their house for her meditation—which they did.

“Meditation has become an indispensable part of my life,” Lynn said.

Though she will soon be working fulltime again, she believes Puti Meditation is accessible and simple enough that she will still manage to practice everyday.

“Meditation is just like brushing your teeth. Once it’s a habit, you’ll probably get to it even if you’re dog-tired.”

Now, Lynn is a true meditation enthusiast. While it helps with her own health problems, she hopes that one day she will be able to help others with their ailments.

Lynn speaks with calm and composure: “Meditation brings real power to the spirit. It’s not a religious practice at all. It’s more like a philosophy for life. It alleviates physical pain, and clears debris from the heart.”

Lynn feels that meditation increases her adaptability and strength. She has a new life and a new perspective—more than ever before, she is convinced that everything is possible now.