📖 Introduction

A serious illness can completely shake a person’s identity, emotions, relationships, and view of life itself. Fear of death, anxiety, anger, emotional burden, financial pressure, and hopelessness can become overwhelming, especially when survival odds seem uncertain.

This meditation testimonial shares the story of Jong-geon B., a longtime banking professional who was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia shortly after becoming a bank branch manager.

Doctors gave him only an 8% chance of survival.

As the illness progressed rapidly, he became consumed by fear, anger, emotional exhaustion, and anxiety about death. Years of carrying financial responsibility for his family, suppressing emotional burdens, and living under constant pressure had quietly accumulated inside him for decades.

Through meditation and deep self-reflection, however, he gradually began letting go of resentment, attachment, fear, pride, stress, and emotional burdens that had long controlled his life.

As his mind became lighter and more peaceful, his relationship with life itself began changing completely. Over time, even his physical condition improved far beyond medical expectations.

This meditation testimonial beautifully illustrates how emotional healing, inner peace, letting go of fear, and deep self-reflection can transform one’s perspective on illness, family, happiness, and life itself.

💬 Meditation Testimonial: “8% Chance of Survival — Miraculously Overcoming Leukemia”

By Jong-geon B.

🌧️ “You Have Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.”

In the winter of 2000, Jong-geon received devastating news:

“You have chronic myeloid leukemia.”

At the time, he had spent more than thirty years building a successful career in banking.

After graduating high school, he immediately joined a bank and worked tirelessly with dedication and discipline.

That same year, he had finally become a branch manager.

But the joy lasted only briefly.

Soon afterward, he was diagnosed with leukemia.

Doctors gave him only an 8% chance of survival.

🌊 Anger, Fear, and the Terror of Death

“When I heard I had leukemia, it felt like my entire life suddenly collapsed.”

Within only a year, the disease rapidly progressed from chronic leukemia to acute leukemia.

At the time, bone marrow transplantation was considered the primary treatment option.

But no compatible donor could be found.

Then came a small ray of hope.

A newly developed leukemia drug called Gleevec had just become available.

Still, survival odds remained extremely low.

And even if the medication initially worked, resistance could eventually develop.

He lived every day trapped in fear:

  • “When will I die?”
  • “When will the drug stop working?”

He says life itself suddenly felt meaningless and fragile.

During that difficult period, he left his branch manager position and began working at a bank training institute.

There, through a Financial Supervisory Service training program, he happened to hear a lecture about this meditation practice.

One phrase especially stayed in his mind:

“You can let go of the mind.”

At the time, his heart felt unbearably heavy.

More than anything, he wanted relief from the fear and emotional burden consuming him.

So he took leave from work and entered the meditation main center in Nonsan.

💧 “Why Did This Disease Happen to Me?”

While meditating, years of resentment and sorrow surfaced.

He remembers repeatedly thinking:

“There are so many bad people in the world — why did this happen to me?”

He hated hearing pity from others.

Even kindness sounded fake to him.

At first, tremendous anger erupted inside him:

  • Anger toward life
  • Anger toward people who had hurt him
  • Anger toward the world itself

🌿 As His Mind Cleared, He Began Seeing Himself

But after repeatedly letting go of those turbulent emotions, something changed.

As the chaos inside his mind gradually settled, he began seeing his own life more honestly.

Painful memories resurfaced.

He remembered his father’s failed business and the financial collapse that followed during his school years.

His family struggled severely.

From a young age, he felt responsible for supporting the household.

After getting a banking job, he gave nearly all his salary to his parents.

He also financially supported siblings who were struggling in business.

Even after marriage, he continued sacrificing himself financially for family.

Sometimes he himself had almost nothing left.

But he believed that was simply his duty.

“All I wanted was to make my family comfortable.”

🌸 The Burden He Carried Became Resentment

Over time, however, the emotional burden grew heavier.

He became frustrated watching relatives continue struggling despite his support.

Financial conflicts created emotional distance between siblings.

He constantly worried about money.

And gradually resentment built inside him:

  • “Everyone depends on me.”
  • “No one understands how hard I’m trying.”

As he approached his late forties, anxiety about retirement, his children’s future, and financial security became overwhelming.

Yet he felt his family did not truly understand his pressure and suffering.

During meditation, he began letting go of these thoughts and attachments one by one.

Eventually, he realized something important:

The beliefs he carried about being “the center of the family” had trapped him emotionally.

He had judged everyone through his own standards and expectations.

He believed financial success determined whether life was successful.

But he now saw that each family member had simply been living their own life as best they could.

☀️ “I Had Never Truly Lived as Myself”

He also realized something painful:

By constantly thinking,

“I sacrificed for everyone,”

he had unknowingly hurt those around him.

At the same time, he had quietly looked down on family members for not recognizing his efforts.

Thinking about this filled him with regret.

“For the first time, I seriously reflected on what it truly means to love family.”

Eventually, he came to believe that the illness itself reflected the way he had lived emotionally for decades.

And so he continued meditating.

After completing an intensive week of meditation, he even went on a family trip for the first time in a long while.

He then continued meditation regularly at a local center near his home.

🌞 Letting Go of Fear About Death

Little by little, his fear began easing.

  • The terror of death
  • The anxiety about leaving his family behind
  • The fear of losing everything

As those emotional burdens lightened, even his body began feeling different.

His constant exhaustion gradually improved.

And he realized something profound:

The frightened, attachment-filled self he had believed was “me” was not his true self at all.

He says he had spent his entire life chasing:

  • Money
  • Status
  • Success
  • Recognition

But in doing so, he had never once truly lived as himself.

🌱 “The Illness Made Me Look Back at My Life”

“I lived without knowing what life truly was.
This illness forced me to look back.”

He says the experience humbled him completely.

He had once believed living meant simply:

  • Working hard
  • Making money
  • Achieving success

But he now feels life is far deeper than that.

🌈 Living Happily After Retirement

He retired in 2009 and continues to live a healthy life today.

Looking back, he says he is even grateful for the illness itself because it ultimately led him to discover himself.

Now, instead of helping others out of attachment or obligation, he says he can genuinely care for people with a freer and lighter heart.

Perhaps because of that emotional peace, his condition also progressed unusually well medically.

Doctors were astonished.

He experienced none of the severe side effects or drug resistance commonly seen in leukemia patients.

One doctor even called his case:

“a miracle.”

✨ “That 8% Came From Emptying My Mind”

“The doctor told me:
‘You’re one of the lucky people in the 8%. Your condition is even better than many bone marrow transplant patients.’”

But he believes the true reason was not luck alone.

He says:

“I believe the strength behind that 8% came from meditation.
Without letting go of the anger, fear, and enormous stress surrounding death, I could never have endured it.”

Today, he says he finally feels truly alive.

And now:

“Whatever I do, I feel happy.”