Chen Kuan Jui

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When I became an adult, I was thrilled at how my old body was beginning to look so impressive; not to mention it was now time for me to celebrate another year in my life. I was also convinced with all the promises of fast and easy learning that I could only go so far in my endeavors. I tried, but couldn’t find the power to gain a high level of motivation, concentration and patience. The questions of being good enough, being competent, being a great teacher, learning from others and the essence of being responsible all only left me questioning myself and the whole world around me.

Following a life of self-exploration and continual learning, I was introduced to the world of spiritual realization to further my studies. Mindfulness is one of the techniques that has helped me to address these concerns and has helped me to control myself when I feel like I am being pulled in so many directions. In actual fact, I feel very good when I am practicing mindfulness, since it gives me immediate rewards and my mind isn’t as easily distracted when I am practicing a practice that is not normally fun or relaxing.

During my travels through Buddhism and Taoism, I became fascinated with Buddhist philosophies and teachings and began exploring them more deeply. Although I was intrigued by the concepts and traditions of Buddhism, I wasn’t keen for Buddhism to be a part of my everyday life. After looking for answers through meditation, I realized it was something that I had been missing in my life for a long time. In a very short period of time, I was at peace with the realization that practicing mindfulness to keep me calm while I was doing “me” things has given me unconditional, blissful happiness over things.

As I continued to explore the teachings of Buddhism I studied how to apply the benefits of this practice to my daily lives. I found that I am able to address many fears and worries in order to calm myself as I do the one thing that I myself truly enjoy, sitting in stillness. This allows me to easily let go of those insecurities and anxious thoughts that cause me to fear that I can’t handle that big, important thing in my life.

I have come to learn that the biggest hurdle in becoming a teacher is no longer the fear that gets in your way.