Young people are part of Energy Bagua practice groups all over the world. What are the benefits of Energy Bagua for children and adolescents?
Let’s listen to Grandmaster JinBodhi speak about starting his Energy Bagua practice as a child, and the dramatic benefits it brought to his life.
I started Energy Bagua at a young age. I was about 10. It was a young age. What are its benefits for me? First, physical fitness. It rapidly strengthened my physical fitness. Second, it improved my coordination and my reaction time.
When I was little, my reactions were really slow. My reactions were as slow as those of the Australian sloth that lounges in a tree. It will react after being provoked many times; then it turns around slowly. I was like that when I was young. My movements were like those of a snail. After 2 years of Energy Bagua, my reactions were almost on par with James Bond. My reaction and coordination skills became significantly better.
My courage and fortitude improved as well. When I was young, I experienced a brain-related phenomenon. If a teacher was teaching, my mind would wander off. I could not pay attention at all, almost like the Monkey King. His body may be here, but his mind has already wandered off. He went shopping, bought groceries or partook of fun and games. But the actual person was still here. Thus, I didn’t understand a thing in class. I wasn’t listening and my mind was preoccupied. But through practicing Energy Bagua, my fortitude and concentration improved a millionfold. They have greatly improved. I became very serious about learning and doing things.
I have learned to be persistent. It is about perseverance. I did what my master said and followed the rules; I didn’t have indoor space, I practiced in outdoor environments. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is extremely cold; the environment is extremely harsh, isn’t it? In spring, winter and autumn, gusts of wind slash the face; it is extremely painful. When does Taiwan experience such gusts of wind? Never. The wind in Qinghai rolls up the sand and hits you in the face. This causes lots of people to have scars on their face.
I always persevered until the end. I fulfilled my master’s practice requirements. I continued to practice in winter, let alone summer. I developed superb perseverance through such training. With this perseverance, I am an undefeatable person. No matter how hard, unsuccessful and difficult things are, I hold my ground in my own beliefs, goals and principles. Such perseverance started developing through practicing Energy Bagua.
Later on I benefited greatly from meditation. Solely through Energy Bagua, I developed persistence and fortitude. It is because I practiced every morning for 2 to 3.5 hours. I felt extremely exhausted. I was able to continue practicing as my mental power was strong. That is why I benefited from the practice, realizing more than others. I put in genuine effort. Hence, my rewards were magnified. My fortitude and persistence were acquired through Energy Bagua practice.
Energy Bagua benefits children with ADHD, those who are physically weak and those who are timid. Many people are very smart. But sometimes, when you are supposed to focus on your studies, your mind wanders off. So being clever is useless and doesn’t always lead to good scores. You also can’t acquire new knowledge, right? Some other intelligent people don’t persevere. They believed there wouldn’t be benefits and chose to pull out when faced with risks. Yet, I learned to persevere even in the face of death. This was what I did.
Because I learned to persevere, I am able to be here today, and Bodhi Meditation and Energy Bagua are found worldwide. This isn’t just a slogan, because I am really doing it. Thus, the harder it is, the more I want to improve. Hardships are inevitable, but I am not afraid. To me, life is never easy. So what, if it gets a little more difficult? Such a mentality, one that fears no hardships, was nurtured when I cultivated at a young age, developing in me a strong sense of perseverance and good habits. These traits have greatly helped me throughout my journey of dharma teaching.
Through Energy Bagua, many practitioners have also gained such fortitude or similar benefits. Some say, “I will change jobs in 2 years.” I will crush these thoughts. If you are employed, you have to love every job you do. You didn’t learn much in 2 years. You must persevere for at least 9 years. Will you leave your job after 9 years? You would have performed well and got promoted. You’ve got used to the job. So you won’t job-hop. You must have such fortitude. Only then will you gain greater harvest.
Hence, practicing Energy Bagua helped me tremendously. It changed my fate. Even my personality has changed. From one who was once slow to react, sluggish, timid, and was even afraid when night fell, I have become much more courageous. It must be due to the fortitude I have gained. Thus, I hope more friends are able to attain the results I have mentioned.