What is the mentality of "focusing on the present"?
Wang Yangming's "respect" and "Zen" are "focusing on the present" mentality.
Matsubara Taidao mentioned that "at the moment of time, at the foot of the place, there is nothing but sincerity" is the mentality of "focusing on the present". In this poem, "always at the foot" refers to the present, and "sincere and single-minded" refers to being free from distractions and focusing on the present.
Indian philosopher Krishnamurti said: "If we want to find the answer to the question, then we must have a calm mind, a mind that does not fabricate thoughts, images and hopes." "If a person wants to understand an important issue, he should put aside his own tendencies, prejudices, fears, hopes and limitations and simply and directly perceive it." What he said, in a simple and popular way, is to eliminate all kinds of thoughts that come to mind and concentrate on observing and listening to the present.
What can you get by keeping this attitude?
Keeping this mentality is good for your health. "Zhuangzi Deliberately" said, "Clear but not miscellaneous, static and unchanged, indifferent to inaction, moving for the sky, this way of nourishing the heart is also." Many people get sick physically, often starting from their hearts. There are many distractions and delusions in their hearts, and their emotions, their emotions and their bodies will all go wrong. Focusing on the present, "pure but not miscellaneous, static and unchanged" can nourish the heart and nature and preserve health naturally.
Keeping this attitude is good for your aesthetics. Matsubara Taidao also mentioned a very popular Zen poem, "There are flowers in spring, a moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer and snow in winter. If you don't mind your own business, it will be a good time on earth. " In this poem, "self-worry" means distracting thoughts, and "self-worry" means getting rid of distracting thoughts and focusing on the feelings of "spring flowers", "autumn moon", "Xia Feng" and "winter snow". Only by maintaining this mentality can we get the best aesthetic experience and truly feel the "good season" on earth.
Keeping this mentality is good for you to inspire. Kazuo inamori mentioned that "when the mind is in a pure state, words of wisdom will suddenly emerge from nowhere, that is, good ideas", which is what we often call inspiration. He said that once, in order to see how the Chu pottery blank was tilted, he opened a small hole in the back of the furnace and peeped from the inside. He carefully observed a series of changes in ceramic body, including the relationship between its warping degree and firing temperature. The results show that the degree of warping will increase with the increase of temperature. No matter how many times the experiment is repeated, it is curled up and deformed in the furnace like a living thing. He looked at it, really impatient, and suddenly had an impulse to put his hand in the hole and hold the ceramic blank down from above. Just when he wanted to put his hand into the furnace to press the ceramic blank, his inspiration suddenly flashed-"When firing at high temperature, as long as you press it from above, won't it stand up?" The inspiration brought by concentration once again helped him solve the difficult problems in research and development.
Keeping this mentality is good for you to learn new knowledge. When talking with Chen Jiuchuan, Wang Yangming pointed out, "When attending classes, be respectful, that is, sit still." Wang Yangming affirmed the "exclusive respect" of Mr. Cheng (Cheng Hao). According to the Chronicle, Mr. Ming Dow "writes with great respect, not for writing well, but for learning". The "devotion" and "meditation" mentioned here refer to a mental state of "focusing on the present and eliminating other thoughts".
Keeping this attitude is good for you to enjoy life. Zhu Guangqian's book "Walk Slowly and Live a Better Life" mentions that he loves two words that Tao Yuanming said in "Self-sacrifice": diligence and leisure. He thinks this is the ultimate state of self-cultivation "The trouble with modern people is diligence and no leisure. This problem not only makes life dull, physically and mentally exhausted and futile, but also confuses people's hearts, lacks an atmosphere of enthusiasm and courage, and is trapped in fame and fortune every day, making the whole world drier and darker. "
How to cultivate this mentality?
One is to practice in meditation. Wang Yangming's practice of teaching students to sit still. He believes that "teaching people to sit still and think" can make all kinds of distractions disappear. He said to disciple Lu Cheng, "If you care about money, sex, fame and profit, everything will disappear, just as you don't care about robbery. Light is just the essence of your heart. What are you thinking? " According to Wang Yangming's chronicle, at the age of 37, Wang Yangming realized the "governor's purpose" in Longchang, Guizhou. At that time, he thought that all gains and losses, honor and disgrace could be detached, but the concept of life and death had not been resolved, so on the stone pier, "wait day and night to be quiet." "Seeking quietness in quietness" is a state of mind that focuses on the present.
In the Ming Dynasty, Chen Jiru described the scene of meditation meditation room: sitting alone in meditation room, feeling refreshed and doing nothing, making a pot of tea, burning a column of incense and enjoying a mural painting. Close your eyes for a while, and unconsciously, your heart becomes very calm, your mind is very clear, and your breathing is soft and steady.
In the fifty-five episodes of the TV series Buddha, we can see that in the early stage of practicing meditation, images that Siddhartha had seen before kept popping up in his mind, which made him unable to get silence and felt very painful. Siddhartha's teacher pointed to the clouds in the sky and told him that people's hearts are like the sky, and all kinds of thoughts of the past, present and future are like clouds, floating around in the sky, but they have not touched the sky. After practicing meditation for a long time, the dark clouds in people's hearts will gradually disappear, and a pure blue sky will appear, and their hearts will be completely calm. The way to practice is to let your mind "focus on one place, focus on the breath".
The second is to practice in various recreational activities. Watch TV, listen to music, travel, etc. It's all entertainment. Only by getting rid of distractions and focusing on the present can we really get spiritual pleasure. If you can't get rid of distractions, focus on the present, think about music while watching TV, travel while listening to music, and listen to music while traveling, your aesthetic enjoyment will be greatly reduced.
The third is to practice at work. Kazuo inamori pointed out that the best way to purify and beautify the mind is to go all out and concentrate on what should be done at present. When you put your heart and soul into your work, all kinds of distractions will not emerge, just like a Zen monk sitting quietly, and the present mind will become pure and beautiful. As long as you put all your energy into the work at hand, "being extremely serious and focused at this moment is a practice that cannot be replaced by any method." He told his real experience: "When I was so absorbed in my work, my distractions disappeared from my heart, and I even approached the state of no self, just like a Buddhist monk reached the state of no self in meditation, my thoughts were cleared from my mind and my mind entered a pure state."
Kazuo inamori also mentioned the lifestyle of practicing monks. Besides chanting, they also cut wood, carry water and cook. These are all practices, cultivating a purified heart. Someone asked, what is the difference before and after practice? The yogi's answer is that before practicing, it is often thought that chopping wood should carry water and carrying water should cook; After practice, when cooking, think about chopping wood, carrying water and cooking.
The fourth is to practice in daily life. Wang Yangming pointed out, "When eating today, although there is nothing ahead, his heart is always uneasy, so he is used to it, so he can't take it." . In Wang Yangming's era, the pace of life was still relatively slow. Nowadays, the pace of life is faster. "When eating, although there is nothing in front, his heart is always restless." This kind of situation is more and more, even universal. Many people eat just to "fill their stomachs", not to "taste delicious food".
In short, cultivating the mentality of "focusing on the present" is beneficial to your health and aesthetics, to your inspiration, to your learning new knowledge and to your enjoyment of life. We should practice in meditation, in various recreational activities, at work and in daily life.