The ancients thought: seeking quietness is the inevitable basic method of health preservation and monasticism. For health preservation, the source of all life comes from quietness, which is the role of nature. In nature, everything grows by enriching its life function from quietness. Grow in silence and wither in movement. People's life is often equated with activities and rest. Sleep is an inertial gesture that people need to rest, and the endless kinetic energy of life is to get new life by full rest.
Empty, is empty to the extreme, without a trace of distractions and pollution, empty and bright. Quiet is practicing kung fu, so you should concentrate on your heart. The words "extreme, quiet and faithful" include the methods of doing kung fu and the realm and level of monasticism.
Quiet is a sober, relaxed and comfortable state that people appear on the basis of quiet thinking, concentrated thinking and getting rid of other thoughts. It is different from our waking state when we are excited, and it is also different from our ignorance when we are asleep. But in the state of only one thought, the body and mind are quiet and should be kept for a period of time. There is nothing in my heart, and my thoughts are restless.
Science shows that when the human body enters a static state, it not only produces a comfortable feeling subjectively, but also changes objectively. For example, when the human body is in a quiet state, the energy consumption of the body is reduced, and the parasympathetic nerve of the human body is in an excited state, so that the human body can maintain a physiological balance in an excited state, which can help the body store energy, slow down the heartbeat, lower blood pressure and save unnecessary consumption. Hypertensive patients can lower their blood pressure by sedation. Therefore, Chinese medicine believes that the human body can maintain health and treat diseases when it is still.
Buddhism pays attention to "abstinence, determination and wisdom", that is, it focuses on meditation, and then achieves the achievement of Prajna wisdom. Human knowledge comes from the instinct of acquired life, using intelligence and brain. Silence is a hotbed for cultivating innate wisdom, and wisdom comes from silence. Therefore, meditation is a health-preserving method that is good for both body and mind.
Quiet doesn't need to be deliberately asked. Peace is a state of cultivation. Many people can't reach this level when they first start practicing. They always hope to reach this state quickly with the help of methods and skills. In fact, this is the opposite of real peace, because the process of finding methods and skills is the process of seeking peace, a desire and a manifestation of inner restlessness.
In fact, quietness means quietness, seeking quietness with your heart and seeking quietness with your method. Isn't that getting more and more turbulent? We are used to exercise, not to rest, both psychologically and physically. Psychologically, our consciousness, perception, thoughts and emotions are constantly changing. Physiologically, the passage of blood, the feeling of nerves, and the operation of breathing all the time will also have the feeling of bitterness and joy. Some people with physical diseases will feel sour, painful, cold, hot and itchy when they sit still. When you sit still because of distraction, you will be more excited than when you move.
How to be quiet? First of all, we should recognize our inner feelings, don't escape, understand why we sit still, find our purpose of sitting still, and admit that these distractions are only the first effect of sitting still. Just like a cup of turbid water, when it is turbid, there is no dust residue at all. Only when it is still will the dust and slag settle down. There is no dust and dregs under stillness, but there is already dust and dregs, because stillness has been discovered.
Therefore, we can regard the selfish distractions generated in the process of meditation as a purpose of cultivation, and we don't have to be harsh on ourselves. We should observe ourselves attentively and find out the root of the problem. If people want to sleep when they are quiet, they might as well go to bed and sit still when they have a good sleep and feel refreshed.
Silence is a process from shallow to deep, and the body will undergo beneficial changes with the deepening of silence. The most important thing in doing things is persistence, and so is quietness.