I am 18 years old, and was born in Southern California. I've always done well in school, and been highly successful extra-circularly as well: I was a concert pianist, winning many awards; I played tennis, beginning with tournaments in Southern California and then going to Boston, Florida, Chicago, Michigan and Texas to play national tennis tournaments; I gained a national ranking of #8 in the U.S. in the Boys' 16's. Being extremely social, I got myself elected as president of the 11th grade in my school. I considered myself a very fortunate person and a very complete, or "full," person. I was doing so much that my life was a constant juggle.

Today, when I think of how I was, I realize that if I hadn't met Master JinBodhi, I would've been "half-empty" my whole life comparatively.

It was during the first part of grade 11 that I contracted an unidentified viral blood infection; my life fell apart. I was constantly dizzy and fatigued. After a 2-day hospital visit, and 7 specialists, I had to deal with the fact that none of them could clearly identify the type of blood infection. In the end, I know that they did their best; I was given various types of antiviral drugs to take, hoping that those might work.

I suffered a lot from my poor health, not to mention the side effects of the drugs: I couldn't play tennis; I had dizzy spells that prevented me from attending school regularly; I tried to run student council meetings lying on a cot. I was depressed that I had to stop doing all the things I loved--It was hard and confusing; there were times that I felt I couldn't go on.

It was at that time, the most difficult, helpless time in my life, that I encountered Master JinBodhi and his teachings. The first instant I met the Dharma Teacher, I felt that he had a kind of internal light that touched me. There was a language barrier (my Chinese being rough), but we still communicated somehow.

After that encounter, I became a student of Puti Dharma. I loved to listen to JinBodhi's songs on CD. What's more, over a period of 10 months, I practiced Puti Meditation everyday. For the first 2 months, there were ups and downs -- periods in which I would still feel hopeless. But whenever I felt down and out, Master JinBodhi would appear in my mind, and I would faithfully do my practice. After 2 months, I saw that my health was getting better and my mind was becoming clearer and more open; I made profound realizations of myself and of the world around me.

Those 10 months are far behind me, and I feel transformed. I am a 12th grader now, the student body president of my high school, and I can play tennis again. I've even been accepted by both Harvard and Stanford University for the fall of 2002.

When I look back, those periods that seemed at first to be the blackest were actually times that tested my inner strength. Everything seems to have had its course. Because of my experiences, I've started a meditation club at my school, inviting students to meditate half an hour at lunch, hoping that others will be enlightened by their own realizations.

Master JinBodhi's power and wisdom have guided me on my path. I want to help minimize the suffering of those around me; use whatever skills I've acquired to guide others toward a clearer state of mind. If I can fulfill these goals, then I know I will have truly thanked Master JinBodhi.