The Curved Steering Wheel

Rain poured down in sheets. On the highway, a truck plunged through the darkness, its headlights illuminating only a short distance ahead. Mr. Nakata, a forty-five-year-old driver, struggled to keep his heavy vehicle balanced. Suddenly, from the opposite direction, a blinding beam of light rushed toward him at terrifying speed. In that instant, he felt time stand still.

Mr. Nakata had been driving trucks for twenty years. He was once agile and strong in his youth, but decades spent sitting behind the wheel left him with chronic back pain, an upset stomach, and constant fatigue. He visited doctors many times, receiving only temporary pain relief. One day, a fellow driver suggested he visit an old master at a small temple on the mountain.

The master looked at him, pondered for a moment, and said, “You are busy driving all day and have no time for practice. So I will teach you just one thing. You can do it anytime: while driving, waiting at red lights, or resting.” Mr. Nakata asked in surprise, “What is it, Master?” The master replied, “From now on, always place your mind at the dantian, about five centimeters below your navel. Let your breath sink deeply there. Do not let your mind wander to external matters. Always maintain awareness in that spot.”

At first, Mr. Nakata found it hard to believe, but out of respect for his teacher, he tried to apply it. While driving, he directed his attention below his navel, forgetting daily worries. Gradually, he fell ill less often, his health improved, and sometimes he felt a warm current flowing through his body. Yet he wondered how such a simple practice could create miracles. He told himself, “Perhaps it is just because my mind is less stressed.”

Then came that fateful night. His truck was descending a slope when another truck suddenly ran a red light or crossed lanes, charging straight at him. Horns blared, and headlights dazzled. Everything happened too fast. Without time to think, he took a deep breath and surrendered to the state he had practiced for so long—his mind anchored at the dantian, his breath sinking into his abdomen. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, not out of force, but as a natural reflex of a whole body permeated by stillness.

A horrific crash echoed. The truck’s front lifted, throwing Mr. Nakata forward. But when everything stopped, he remained seated, his hands still clutching the wheel. Before him, the engine was crushed, glass shattered, yet his body was completely unharmed.

Crowds and rescue workers were astonished as they pried open the door to extract him. Someone whispered, “It is miraculous; he survived such an accident without a scratch!” When they pulled the steering wheel away, everyone froze in shock. The thick steel wheel had been bent downward, as if pressed by supernatural force. His chest had not struck the wheel because the wheel itself had held firm, curving into a protective arc around his body.

Mr. Nakata was taken to the hospital for X-rays, but there were no injuries. Only then did he understand everything. Those months of seemingly simple mental focus had cultivated hidden inner strength, allowing him to hold the rigid steel wheel steady in the face of death.

After the accident, he sought out the master again, kneeling respectfully. “Master, I now understand the miracle. Thanks to your teaching, I escaped death.” The master smiled gently and said, “There is no magic here, only inner power that you persisted in practicing every day. Every human being possesses this potential, but few know how to awaken and preserve it.”

Mr. Nakata became living proof of the value of anchoring the mind at the dantian. From then on, he shared this wisdom. Whenever he met young people who felt weak or tired drivers, he reminded them to learn how to settle their minds, sitting steady like a mountain. Since that day, Mr. Nakata has become a calmer driver, a person who overcomes storms through the stillness within.

The Meaning of the Story

This story illustrates the teachings of Venerable Thich Chan Quang regarding internal energy cultivation and qigong. Keeping the mind firmly at the dantian is a fundamental factor that miraculously enhances physical strength and health. It requires no complexity or supernatural elements, only persistence. Each person can awaken the latent powers of body and mind, supporting a greater goal: living well and healthily to serve life. This is also an invitation to learn and widely share these refined methods, contributing to the collective strength of our community.

Compiled from the dharma talk of Venerable Thich Chan Quang