Hi Christopher
I grew up in Shanghai. Both my parents were high school teachers. Like everyone else in communist China they made less than twenty dollars a month. We had rations for everything. My father used to trade cigarette rations for extra eggs. Our lives improved when he began tutoring students outside school. He taught me math by training me to add poker cards. A deck of cards adds up to 364 (J being 11, etc) so he’d remove a card then ask me to add up the rest. I’d then guess the number of that card. After a few years I could add 51 cards in less than 12 seconds.
As a child I defined myself by success in math. It got me a full scholarship to Harvard College, one of the first given to a person from mainland China. I continued to define myself by my achievements well into my thirties. At 25 I started a tech company which I sold to eBay. Later I started a venture capital fund which now manages over 4 billion dollars.
I don’t consider myself a religious man — at least not in the traditional sense — but I believe there is something larger than ourselves. I also believe we can experience direct connection with it if we work on our fears, still our minds, and open our hearts.
With my grandma during a visit home in the summer of my Harvard sophomore year
Today I devote my time and resources to my personal practice and applying what I’ve learned to helping others. I believe all people are capable of evolving their consciousness toward love, joy, peace and freedom, in order to live their lives to the fullest and share their unique gifts with the world. Our new foundation, Evolve, supports both for-profit and not-for-profit initiatives which support this evolution. We are proud supporters of Insight Timer.
I currently have a daily practice following Tibetan meditation. I use Insight Timer mostly for the timer but recently discovered an interesting teacher by the name of Loch Kelly. I’m looking forward to hearing more of his guided meditations. My wife uses Insight Timer every day as well.
I don’t remember exactly how I found Insight Timer but recall sending you an email in early 2015 which you replied to three days later. Our first meeting took place shortly thereafter, late one night at my house in San Francisco. You were on your way to the airport and very tired. I asked you what Consciousness was and you said you had no idea 🙂
Bo
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