Growing up, I never believed in anything I couldn’t see or touch but always had an interest in the mind.
I started this meditation out of curiosity from the changes I saw in my brother when he first started this meditation.
Throughout my life, prior to doing this meditation, it never really crossed my mind that I needed to do meditation and really thought of the mind as something that you just work on to control. However, as I did the study, I realised more and more that I actually did need to do this.
Through the meditation I discovered what true life actually is, and realised that my curiosity actually came from something that was missing in my life, except I just wasn’t consciously aware of it.
I recently reflected on when this wondering may have started. I remember learning about the universe back in high school and how insignificant I was as an individual, even in the context of the known universe. I remember wondering, “what happens to us when we die?” and “what was life even before I was born?”. The thought of these unanswered questions would make me feel sick so I pushed it to the back of my mind and tried to forget and live the best life I could. Working really hard to not miss out, do everything I can, and be the best human I could before I died. Later in life this desire and drive eventually caused me anxiety and stress.
Having done the meditation I realised this wasn’t what life was about.
I came to the world with nothing and will leave with nothing, yet I was almost killing myself trying to get all this (money, relationships, and experiences)! I saw the world how I wanted to see it, not the way it actually is and wanted to live life how I thought I should, not the way life actually is. Coming out of my own mind world I now know what true life and living is.
As an added bonus, I have better relationships with people, I have been much more successful at work, and I am always happy. I realised that all the answers to a happy and successful life are all there at my fingertips, except I refused to see and listen. My life purpose now is to do all I can to enable others to come out of their own mind world and find true life.
By Caroline Choi, Sydney NSW