In the days and weeks that followed, every time I sat down to meditate, tears would flow freely. I found myself eagerly looking forward to each session so I could release my emotions. Similar to the first time, there wasn’t a specific event or person triggering these tears; my mind was clear, yet the tears persisted.
If I were to describe that sensation, “feeling great” would be a serious understatement. I felt so liberated—like I had been unraveled from thousands of ropes tightening around my body and making it difficult to breathe and move. I experienced an overwhelming sense of happiness, freedom, and contentment. In those moments, worries and stresses seemed insignificant or nonexistent. I was engulfed in an internal wave of joy.
Along the way, I discovered that it typically took me more than 15 minutes to enter a deeply meditative state. The process was easiest in a quiet, comfortable space, often within my own home. This realization explained why even though I had been practicing meditation unknowingly for years, I had never been able to experience such profound effects.
If, like me before, you’ve had doubts about meditation or wish to explore its benefits from a scientific perspective, I wholeheartedly recommend the book “Placebo—Making Your Mind Matter” by Dr. Joe Dispenza. Among all the literature I’ve encountered on this subject, this book stands out as the top choice for its thorough scientific analysis and data. It delves into how meditation can transform our beliefs and perceptions, consequently helping in the healing of illnesses. Dr. Dispenza supports his findings by carrying out tests from thousands of cases, including those of incurable diseases such as Parkinson’s and traumatic brain injuries, by measuring and comparing brain activity before, during, and after meditation sessions over an extended period of time.
Below, you will see two screenshots I snapped out from his book, just to show you a sneak peek of his amazing and very insightful work.
For me, personally, I’ve experienced three profound transformations since making meditation a daily practice.
- I’ve become a lot calmer that I hardly recognize myself sometimes. Most of the time, I find it a good thing that my mood is consistently upbeat and stable, and it takes a lot more to disrupt that state of mind. The little downside is that I do miss that part of me that is a little crazy, immature, very open, bubbly, super-energetic, carefree, and loved to laugh and joke around like an idiot. The one that was always the light, the noise, or the center of any place or any event that I went to.
Now I’m just very calm and mature. I find myself preferring to listen rather than talk. Whenever I see a Buddha statue anywhere, I cannot help but feel like I’m one of them now. God damn it! I’m getting old. Hahahaha.
Joke aside, I believe my traumatic and life-altering experience with tax evasion, coupled with meditation, has deeply impacted me. They taught me nothing but to remain calm under any circumstance, to listen more attentively, and to think more deeply before speaking or deciding anything. As an inevitable result, it also stripped away a significant part of my innocence and my carefree, bubbly personality.
- My mind has become incredibly spacious: This is the strangest yet most remarkable sensation I’ve experienced. It’s challenging to put into words, but I’ll do my best to convey its essence. If before, my mind was like a packed box, filled with various thoughts and information, requiring me to compress existing knowledge to make room for new learning. This was a metaphor I had never considered until embarking on my meditation journey. It only became evident later, once I noticed the significant shift between before and after meditation. After engaging in daily 30-minute meditation sessions for over a month, I experienced a remarkable expansion of my mental capacity. It was as if my mind had stretched its boundaries, offering ample space to embrace new concepts, engage in more and better creative and critical thinking, and approach life with a sense of deliberation rather than haste. Now, my mind resembles a clean, well-organized, and spacious house, where everything is easily accessible, and there’s plenty of room for new ideas and experiences to flourish.
- Lastly, the way I live and perceive life has changed tremendously. Admittedly, I believe meditation alone could never have facilitated this change, though playing a significant role. Rather, it’s been a gradual and transformative journey, influenced by various factors—my past experiences, the tumultuous tax case, the books I’ve read, the people I’ve met, and the introspective path through meditation.
I used to aspire to build a $100 million business empire, but now, my focus has shifted. Please don’t misunderstand me; I still have a deep passion for making money and building businesses. In fact, I still dedicate myself daily to reading, watching, listening, and engaging with anything or anyone that might offer new insights into wealth creation.
However, the pursuit of that immense wealth at the cost of sacrificing my well-being and happiness is no longer my ultimate goal. On the brink of potentially losing everything, including my freedom, during the investigation, I’ve been reminded every day not to take anything for granted—not even the smallest things, like the freedom to cook my favorite meal, sleep in my own bed, take a stroll in the park, or spend time with family and friends.
The truth is, going through the trauma of my tax case alone wasn’t enough to fully convince my stubborn head and strong-willed mind to abandon my $100 million business empire dream. Deep down, a lingering fire of determination still burned, urging me to pursue that dream. It wasn’t until I had the great fortune of encountering a revered spiritual master in Vietnam during a vacation in 2022 that my perspective began to shift completely. The crazy thing is, I wasn’t looking for him or any guidance, nor was my mind fully open and receptive. All I wanted was a well-deserved break from two years of ongoing investigation and isolation due to Covid-19. Yet, our paths crossed, and his words left a profound and long-lasting impact on me.
He explained that every one of us would die one day, and nobody would avoid it—no matter how good-looking, smart, or rich we are. When we die, we can’t bring anything with us—neither our cryptos, gold, stocks, properties, nor our businesses. Yet, many of us dedicate our entire lives and the best years of our health just to accumulate these things. We often don’t even have the time to enjoy and spend all of that wealth. This, he emphasized, is a serious misuse of the limited time we have on this earth.
Many of us believe that leaving wealth behind for our family and children is an act of love, kindness, and generosity. He openly shared that many ultra-successful and influential individuals sought his counsel daily, deeply troubled by issues such as broken marriages, damaged relationships with their children, and severe mental health conditions. This raises the important question—why aren’t we kind to ourselves and our family now when we’re still alive? Leaving our wealth behind won’t fix all the wounds and damages. While nothing is inherently wrong with achieving success and building prosperous businesses, these pursuits should enhance our lives, not consume them. Furthermore, contrary to our belief, the more excessive wealth we leave behind, the greater the harm we inflict on our loved ones. By doing so, we inadvertently deprive them of the opportunity to work hard, learn, explore, fail, succeed, and contribute as useful members of society.
That was the final piece of the puzzle, convincing me to abandon my exaggerated and unnecessary pursuit of a $100 million business. Instead, I realized the importance of prioritizing my own happiness and focusing on building a meaningful business that leaves a positive impact on the world.
Overall, I’m overjoyed and confident to share that meditation has truly transformed me and my life. Its impact on me has been beyond words and unimaginable. In a million years, I could have never expected myself to change so rapidly and drastically.
But…… It’s not everything just yet!!!
Let me prepare you! What you’re about to read next is absolutely bizarre, utterly surreal, extraordinary, and mind-blowing. I won’t blame you if you doubt the authenticity of the story and question my sanity. That’s completely understandable. Even if I had heard this story just a few years ago, I would have reacted the same way. I never imagined something like this unfolding in my life. So much so that my analytical mind struggled to comprehend, accept, and make sense of everything that happened before my eyes.
** This chapter is part of a TEN-chapter series— don’t miss any part of the story! Stay updated and read more chapters from this series here:
- Part 1: What the Heck is Meditation? Definitely Not for Me!
- Part 2: Attempts to Convert Me into a Believer—The Universe?! Good Luck with That!
- Part 3: God, Allah, Buddha, and the Universe—Help Me! I Beg for Mercy!
- Part 4: The Planted Seeds
- Part 5: My Surrender Experiment
- Part 6: Are These Signs from the Universe?
- Part 7: The Epiphanies
- Part 8: How Meditation Changed Me and My Life
- Part 9: The Most Phenomenal and Bizarre Experience of My Life
- Part 10 (Final): The Power of Going Within
