1. At 19, I Almost Dropped Out of College and Gave Up My Dream…
-Penny-
I have been meditating with the Bodie Meditation for two years. It all started during my first year of college majoring animation when I was just 19 years old. During COVID, I had to adapt to online classes. I was struggling with my classes and got mediocre grades because the animation courses are competitive and time-consuming.
Out of all my classmates, I believe I was not good enough to keep up with the others. As a result, I found myself easily stressed and unable to concentrate on the lectures to the point where I considered dropping out of college, fearing that I couldn't pursue my dream career as an animator.
Fortunately, my aunt Wendy Lee stepped in with her wisdom and support. She convinced me not to give up and introduced me to the transformative practice of Bodie meditation. I struggled with a 10-minute frustrations during video calls with her and I was able to relax and focus.
Over the months, I delved deeper into the world of meditation, exploring various techniques like energy bwa and awakening wisdom. I felt like a completely different person.
I became more confident, hardworking, and dedicated, ready to take on any challenges that came in my way. I did well in my courses and regained my passion for animation.
It was a turning point that altered the course of my life in a positive direction. For example, I joined a young adult summer program called Unleash Your Potential. During the program, I had the opportunity to become a digital painting instructor for one of the workshops.
It was a significant step for me as it marked my first leadership role. This experience not only allowed me to share my passion for art, but also helped me grow as an individual.
Bodhi meditation plays a crucial role in helping me find the balance I need to manage my time between my friends, family, classes, and hobbies.
I am grateful for Grandmaster Jim Bod's teachings which have been the guiding light throughout my transformative journey. The practice of bodhic meditation helped me become a better version of myself.
2.All Three Kids Grew Up Successful. What Was Mom's Secret?
- Maggie –
I’m a mother of three. Before I came to Bodhi Meditation, I was constantly anxious and worried about my children.
Then one day, I suddenly experienced severe bleeding and was rushed to the hospital. Tests revealed a 12-centimeter uterine fibroid. My doctor told me it was very serious and that I might need to have my uterus removed.
I was devastated.
A friend introduced me to Bodhi Meditation Silicon Valley, where I joined the 8-Day Health & Happiness Retreat and began practicing Greater Illumination Meditation.
I practiced three to four hours every day. Two months later, I went back for a checkup, and my doctor was surprised—the fibroid had shrunk from 12 centimeters to 9.
That gave me so much hope. I continued practicing four to five hours a day and returned for regular checkups. The fibroid continued to get smaller. About a year later, my doctor told me they could no longer find it.
I was overjoyed. Even my doctor was amazed.
But the biggest change wasn’t only physical. Through meditation, I became calmer and less anxious, and my relationship with my family improved.
Before that, I worried constantly about my children. My oldest son stayed up late playing video games in college. My daughter couldn’t decide on a major, and I pushed her toward computer science because I was afraid she wouldn’t have a good future. My youngest was playful and didn’t like studying. The more I worried, the more I tried to control them—and the more stressed our family became.
After listening to Grandmaster JinBodhi’s teachings, I began offering lights for my children, especially before important exams or major moments in their lives. Over time, I watched each of them find their own path.
My oldest son is now a computer engineer with a stable career. My daughter became an attorney, and her husband is also an attorney.
I offered the most lights for my youngest son because I worried about him the most. He eventually studied nursing and worked in the ICU during the COVID pandemic. During that time, I offered a year-long light for his health and safety.
Later, when he decided to pursue a career in anesthesia, I offered another year-long light for him. He was accepted into his program, completed his training, and now has the career he hoped for. He also met a wonderful girlfriend who works in the same field.
Today, all three of my children are independent and doing well, and our family is happy and close. I’m healthy, peaceful, and grateful that I can continue volunteering at the meditation center.
Looking back, I feel deeply grateful to Grandmaster JinBodhi. My experience has taught me to practice sincerely, to have faith, and to offer my prayers with a genuine heart.
Whether you offer a large light or a small one isn’t what matters most. What matters is the sincerity behind it.
I’m truly grateful for everything I’ve received along this journey.
3. Three Months Before Graduation, a Job Found Her
- Shouxiu -
My oldest daughter is graduating this year. At the beginning of the year, she felt very lost and even considered putting her education on hold.
I encouraged her to apply to graduate school, but because everything was prepared in such a rush, she wasn’t accepted. She became very discouraged and anxious. At one point, she even asked me if she should see a therapist.
As parents, it was heartbreaking to see her struggling like that. I went to Bodhi Meditation and offered a light for her, praying that she would be guided toward the path that was truly right for her.
Then, in February, something completely unexpected happened. She suddenly received a job opportunity with the National Institutes of Health, or NIH—one of the world’s leading biomedical research institutions. What amazed us most was that she had never even applied for the position.
A graduate from her university was already working at NIH, and the professor there was so impressed with this graduate that she asked her to recommend another student. Several students couldn’t make the timing work, but my daughter happened to be graduating and looking for her next opportunity. Everything just fell into place.
The professor, an internationally recognized biology researcher, interviewed my daughter online and offered her the position right away. My daughter accepted without hesitation.
Just three months before graduation, when she had been feeling so uncertain about her future, an opportunity she never even applied for came directly to her.
Her whole outlook changed almost overnight. The anxiety and discouragement that had weighed her down seemed to lift. She became excited again and finally felt that she had direction. Our whole family was incredibly surprised and grateful.
Looking back, this opportunity came after I had offered a light and prayed for the best path to open for her. I’m deeply grateful to Grandmaster JinBodhi and to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for their compassionate blessings and guidance.
4. I Studied the Wrong Material, But a Light Got Me Through
- Aaron -
So the other day I was preparing for a test. I'm studying some computer hardware like troubleshooting type of thing and I study very hard for it and I feel confident I can pass this test.
But on the day of feel kind of tired so I come to Bodhi Meditation. I meditate a little bit clear my mind and then I offer a light just in case I need the extra help to pass the test.
I'm pretty confident, but when I actually take it, I feel like I failed 100%. I like don't know anything. In fact, it turned out I studied some of the wrong material. And so, like, there's no way I passed this test.
I'm thinking about when to schedule the next one to retake it. Very upset, but I'm like, whatever. Whatever happened.
I submit my test and somehow I pass.
And so, I 100% think it's because I light the light. So, thank you very much to the Buddhas, Bhapas, and Grandmaster JinBodhi.
It was very relieving. Thank you.
5. From Withdrawn and Isolated to Her Dream School — A Daughter's Turnaround
- Jenny -
My husband came from a family marked by tragedy and depression. His mother died in a car accident when she was only 36. His younger brother, at 23, was involved in a car accident and later took his own life after struggling with overwhelming guilt and depression. His father and sister had also been diagnosed with depression.
It seemed as though a shadow of depression had followed the family for generations. I knew about his family history, but at the time, I never imagined it would affect our own life together.
We got married in 2005, and our daughter was born in 2007. Shortly after her birth, my husband was laid off. Instead of immediately looking for another job, he decided to invest in real estate, hoping rental properties could eventually give the family financial freedom. He purchased five properties.
Then the 2008 financial crisis hit. Property values collapsed, and we eventually lost all five investment properties, as well as our own home. My income became the family’s only financial support. Under tremendous financial and emotional pressure, my husband’s health began to deteriorate. He developed severe allergies and a persistent cough that became so painful his ribs hurt. He also struggled with depression and insomnia, eventually reaching a point where I feared he might take his own life.
Our marriage was falling apart as well. We argued constantly and blamed each other. I often think, “Why has my life become so difficult since I married him?” I even considered ending the marriage, hoping that walking away might end all the pain. This continued for six or seven years.
Then, in 2013, I found Bodhi Meditation and began learning from Grandmaster JinBodhi. Through his teachings, I came to view the tragedies in my husband’s family and the difficulties we were experiencing through the Buddhist understanding of karma. Feeling there was little else I could do, I began chanting, offering lights, and dedicating merits to my husband, our daughter, our ancestors, and the family.
During the Medicine Buddha’s Birthday celebration in 2013, Grandmaster JinBodhi offered lights before the Buddha on behalf of those praying for relief from illness and suffering. I immediately offered a light for my husband. Then something extraordinary happened.
Early the next morning, while I was somewhere between sleeping and waking, I had a vivid experience. I saw Grandmaster JinBodhi appear beside our bed in the midst of a powerful wind and raise his hand to bless us. I felt as though a tremendous wind was moving around me, while waves of electricity seemed to pass through my entire body. The sensation continued for what felt like a very long time.The next morning, my husband woke up and told me, “My whole body feels so much lighter.” To my amazement, he said the allergies, coughing, and chest pain that had troubled him were gone. I could hardly believe it.
From that point on, my husband gradually became healthier and more positive. He started exercising and eventually lost more than 20 pounds. Then came another unexpected blessing.
In February 2014, although he wasn’t actively looking for work, a former colleague contacted him. The colleague was now a manager at a major Silicon Valley technology company and happened to have an opening on his team. He arranged an interview for Joanna’s husband. He didn’t pass the first interview, but his former colleague gave him another opportunity. The second time, he succeeded—and received an offer from the company.
This was remarkable. My husband was a software engineer who had been out of the workforce for seven years. In Silicon Valley, where technology changes so quickly, returning after such a long career gap and landing a position at a major technology company felt almost impossible. Yet somehow, the opportunity had found him. The changes in the family didn’t stop there.
My daughter was very much like her father, quiet, withdrawn, and prone to feeling down. When my daughter was in middle school, the COVID pandemic began. She attended school online, spent most of her days alone in her room, rarely talked, didn’t eat much, and had few interests or friends. I watched my daughter become increasingly unhappy and worried deeply about her.
All I felt I could do was continue offering lights, chanting, and praying for her. When my daughter entered high school, she was fortunate to be selected for a face-reading session with Grandmaster JinBodhi. Grandmaster offered guidance about her future direction and personally offered a light for her.
After that, I began to see a real change in her daughter. She became much more outgoing, joined several school clubs, and made many new friends. Whenever she became sick, anxious, or overwhelmed before an important exam, I would offer lights and chant for her. I also encouraged her to carry blessed items from Grandmaster JinBodhi. My daughter went on to earn straight A’s. And this year, she was accepted into New York University to study communications her first choice school.She was so happy that she cried several times. Even she could hardly believe it. She immediately went to express her gratitude to Grandmaster JinBodhi.
Looking back at everything my family has been through, I feel deeply grateful.
I believe that through Grandmaster JinBodhi’s teachings, blessings, chanting, light offerings, and Buddhist practice, my family gradually emerged from years of darkness. My husband regained his health, confidence, and career. My daughter found happiness, friendships, and direction. My family slowly found its way back to health, joy, and hope. these changes didn’t happen all at once. They came step by step, through some of the most difficult years of our lives.
“Thank you, Grandmaster JinBodhi. Thank you to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for blessing and guiding our family again and again. You helped our family find our way out of the darkness and gave us hope again.”
6.Mom Offered a Light for the Son, and the Offer Came 5 Days Later
- June -
Before the pandemic, my son enrolled at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to study mechanical engineering. We had high hopes for his college experience, but he had a difficult time adjusting. Then the pandemic hit, the campus shut down, and he was alone in his apartment taking classes online. He became increasingly discouraged, and his grades suffered.
Eventually, the university suggested that he attend a community college to improve his grades and earn more credits, so he came home and enrolled at De Anza College.
But the setbacks had taken a toll on him. He lost his motivation and couldn't see where his future was going. His grades remained average, and he became withdrawn. He rarely wanted to talk to us and often stayed alone in his room. My husband and I were worried and frustrated, but we didn't know how to help him.
Finally, I told myself: “I can't guide him anymore. I'll entrust him to the Buddha.”
I continued chanting and offering lights for my son. I prayed for blessings and guidance, hoping that one day he would regain his confidence and find a path that was right for him. In April 2025, things finally began to change.
I was attending Grandmaster JinBodhi's Health & Happiness Retreat and volunteering during the program.
During the retreat, I was fortunate to receive a special blessing from Grandmaster along with the other students who had April birthdays.
That very evening, my son told me he had been accepted to San Jose State University!
He had applied there before and been rejected, which had been very hard on him. So when he was finally accepted, we were thrilled. After years of setbacks, I finally felt that he had hope again.
But there was another school he wanted even more: Santa Clara University. Its academic environment and program seemed much better suited to him. But admission was highly competitive.
During the Buddha Bathing Festival in May 2025, our meditation center held a light-offering event. I wasn't expecting much at that point. I simply wanted to do something more for my son, so I offered a 49-day light for him, praying that he would be guided toward the path that was truly right for him.
A week or two later, I traveled to Asia to visit my parents. A few days into my trip, I suddenly received a message from my son:
He had been accepted to Santa Clara University!
I was overjoyed, but almost immediately, I began worrying about the cost. As a private university, the tuition alone was more than $60,000 a year. Still, we felt that Santa Clara was a much better fit for him. After everything he had been through, we decided that if this was the environment where he could truly thrive, we were willing to make the financial sacrifice for his future.
Then, the very next day, I got another message from him: he had received a full scholarship and would have almost no tuition to pay!
I could hardly believe it! This was a young man who had struggled at university, returned to community college, feeling lost and unmotivated, and had only average grades. And now, not only had he been accepted to the university he truly wanted to attend—he had also received a full scholarship.
I’m deeply grateful that I had the opportunity to offer lights that sent luck and hope his way when my child needed them most. Grateful for the blessing and protection of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas!
7. She Almost Gave Up on School—Then Everything Changed
- Yannie -
My niece took China’s Gaokao, the national college entrance exam, this year. For Chinese students, it is the culmination of twelve years of hard work.
She had always been an average student, with her grades hovering around the minimum score needed for university admission. But during her senior year, the pressure became overwhelming.
By February, her anxiety had become so severe that she could barely function in class. Her hands would shake, her mind would go completely blank, and she couldn’t concentrate. Eventually, she stopped going to school and stayed in her room. Just before her first major mock exam, she told her family that she didn’t want to go back to school or take the exam. Everyone was deeply worried.
My brother took her to see a doctor, who said she was showing serious signs of anxiety and depression and advised the family not to put any more pressure on her. At that point, we weren’t even thinking about grades anymore. We were worried about her well-being and whether twelve years of schooling might end this way.
I live overseas, so there wasn’t much I could do for her directly. When I spoke with her over video, I could see how withdrawn and emotionally drained she had become. It broke my heart. I decided to offer a year-long Light for her. Before the Buddha, I sincerely prayed that she could find her way out of the anxiety, regain her inner peace, and return to a normal life and school routine.
Then something unexpected happened. Only three or four days later, my brother called and told me, “She says she’s feeling better. She went back to school and took the exam.” I was so relieved. Even more surprisingly, as the Gaokao approached and the pressure around her intensified, her anxiety did not return. Instead, she became more and more stable. She went to school, studied, and took her exams calmly.
My brother told me that during the actual Gaokao, she was in a very good state of mind. When the results came out, we were amazed. She scored more than 30 points above the university admission cutoff and ranked among the top ten students in her class. Before this, she had usually ranked below 30th. She was accepted into the university she had hoped for.
My brother kept saying, “This is a miracle!” But what touched me most wasn’t simply her score. When I spoke with her again over video, I saw a completely different young woman from the one I had seen only a few months earlier. The light was back in her eyes. She was energetic, confident, and excited about her future. She had found herself again.
For me, that was the greatest blessing, not simply that she performed beyond expectations on an exam, but that a young person who had once felt so overwhelmed and helpless was able to step out of that darkness and rediscover her confidence and hope.This experience once again strengthened my faith in the blessings of offering lights at Bodhi Meditation. When we sincerely offer a light, we are offering our prayers for light, wisdom, and positive energy to reach the people we love.
Seeing my niece happy and confident again fills my heart with gratitude. I’m deeply grateful for the compassionate blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and deeply grateful to Grandmaster JinBodhi.
8. From Being Forced to Transfer Schools to Winning a Scholarship to His Dream University. What Happened in Between?"
- Li -
Before the pandemic, my son enrolled at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to study mechanical engineering. We had high hopes for his college experience, but he had a difficult time adjusting.
Then the pandemic hit, the campus shut down, and he was alone in his apartment taking classes online. He became increasingly discouraged, and his grades suffered.
Eventually, the university suggested that he attend a community college to improve his grades and earn more credits, so he came home and enrolled at De Anza College.
But the setbacks had taken a toll on him. He lost his motivation and couldn't see where his future was going. His grades remained average, and he became withdrawn. He rarely wanted to talk to us and often stayed alone in his room. My husband and I were worried and frustrated, but we didn't know how to help him.
Finally, I told myself: “I can't guide him anymore. I'll entrust him to the Buddha.”
I continued chanting and offering lights for my son. I prayed for blessings and guidance, hoping that one day he would regain his confidence and find a path that was right for him. In April 2025, things finally began to change.
I was attending Grandmaster JinBodhi's Health & Happiness Retreat and volunteering during the program. During the retreat, I was fortunate to receive a special blessing from Grandmaster along with the other students who had April birthdays.
That very evening, my son told me he had been accepted to San Jose State University!
He had applied there before and been rejected, which had been very hard on him. So when he was finally accepted, we were thrilled. After years of setbacks, I finally felt that he had hope again.
But there was another school he wanted even more: Santa Clara University. Its academic environment and program seemed much better suited to him. But admission was highly competitive.
During the Buddha Bathing Festival in May 2025, our meditation center held a light-offering event. I wasn't expecting much at that point. I simply wanted to do something more for my son, so I offered a 49-day light for him, praying that he would be guided toward the path that was truly right for him.
A week or two later, I traveled to Asia to visit my parents. A few days into my trip, I suddenly received a message from my son:
He had been accepted to Santa Clara University!
I was overjoyed, but almost immediately, I began worrying about the cost. As a private university, the tuition alone was more than $60,000 a year. Still, we felt that Santa Clara was a much better fit for him. After everything he had been through, we decided that if this was the environment where he could truly thrive, we were willing to make the financial sacrifice for his future.
Then, the very next day, I got another message from him: he had received a full scholarship and would have almost no tuition to pay!
I could hardly believe it! This was a young man who had struggled at university, returned to community college, feeling lost and unmotivated, and had only average grades. And now, not only had he been accepted to the university he truly wanted to attend—he had also received a full scholarship.
I’m deeply grateful that I had the opportunity to offer lights that sent luck and hope his way when my child needed them most. Grateful for the blessing and protection of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas!