China Zen takes "no door as the door" and impossibility as the supreme law. For those who are deeply rooted, or those who practice all their lives, as long as they can gradually get rid of the self-centered consciousness, Zen will naturally open up in front of him. However, for the vast majority of people, they can only stand outside the Zen gate and ponder the Zen environment, or they can only appreciate the free and easy style of the Zen people, but they can't understand it through their own circumstances. Therefore, China's Zen Buddhism was later considered to be a practice only for young people. In fact, all practice methods are not based on meditation. It can also be said that there is no way to practice except meditation. Therefore, regardless of Buddhism or other religions, meditation is the only way to practice. Therefore, no matter who advocates the transformation of spirit and body through practice, no matter what it is called, we should bring it into the category of Zen. Although the levels are different, the foundation is Datong.
I am a monk who was born in China Zen Temple, but I don't think that only the inheritors of Zen practice Zen. In fact, many monks who became monks in Zen temples may not have found their own main and suitable practice methods. Therefore, although China's Zen is impossible, I still hope that people who are willing to practice will learn the basic methods that can be entered for a period of time, or they can settle down and then teach them. It doesn't matter whether you call it Zen or not. The important thing is whether you can find an effective practice method that suits you.
Zen practice method, in principle, does not exceed the three elements of body-regulating, breath-regulating and heart-regulating, with the aim of recuperating body and mind. The key is not to talk about physical and mental health and unity in one breath. Below, let's talk about the basic methods of practicing meditation on these three elements.
Adjust yourself
Generally speaking, the main method of body adjustment refers to the sitting posture of meditation. But in addition to sitting posture, there are ways to walk, stand and lie down. There should be exercise and * * * before and after sitting, and even the method of eating and defecating. Because, if we want to be healthy physically and mentally, we must pay equal attention to both motion and static. The so-called static movement is also called static movement. The former is to use exercise and * * * methods to make blood circulation smooth, qi pulse run lively, muscles and nerves relax, thus making the body relax. In fact, the eastern sports methods are related to Otawa meditators, and there are sports methods to meet the needs of meditation. Even the way of exercise originated from the regular soft movements of the body of the meditator during practice, just like the meridians and acupoints of the body on which the acupuncture principle in China's medical skill is based, which were originally discovered from the luck of meditation. Nowadays many people distinguish sports boxing from acupuncture and meditation.
If the body lacks exercise, its function is prone to aging and infection. Exercise is to relax the physiological function after tension and get more nutrition supply and rest opportunities. The exercise method of Zen emphasizes concentration and smooth breath, which is by no means comparable to boxing, which later evolved into a martial art; Meditator's exercise is a method of practicing meditation. Therefore, I pay equal attention to exercise and meditation.
Exercise method
The exercise method I teach is only two meters square or the length of a person, or even a small space where I can sit and stand. Men, women and children, strong and weak, can practice safely. But in order to learn and progress, I divide them into several stages:
First, the primary level: that is, teaching students to practice meditation at the same time.
1, head movement-this is used after sitting down and before meditation. First, put your hands flat on your left and right knees, don't exert yourself, sit up straight, and then do head movements in four ways:
(1) Keep your head down and then lean back.
(2) Head to the right and then to the left.
③ Turn your head to the right and then to the left.
(4) Head clockwise, forward, right, backward and left, then counterclockwise, forward, left, backward and right.
Each type of body stays still, muscles and nerves relax, and do it three to seven times each. Move slowly and softly, open your eyes, breathe naturally, and move your head. The purpose is to reduce the blood in your head, reduce the motivation of ups and downs, and make your mind fresh and quiet.
2, the whole body * * *-after meditation, before standing up, rub your hands, first with the thumb back gently * * * eyes, then with your hands * * * face, forehead, neck, shoulders, arms, and even the back, chest, abdomen, back, waist, and then down to the right thigh, knee, calf, left. This self-exercise method can completely eliminate the fatigue caused by beginners' meditation and make the body and mind feel soft, warm and comfortable. Only when he is in * * *, he must concentrate on his palm or fingers.
3. Yoga Softening Exercise (omitted)
4, the method of walking-meditation for a long time, when the legs feel unaccustomed, you may wish to use the method of walking to adjust your body and mind.
(1) Let's go. China Zen Hall is called Paoxiang. Clockwise, in the meditation hall, the left arm swings and the right arm swings. The old and the weak walk in the inner circle, and the strong walk in the outer circle, which is faster and faster. At this time, the yogi should not have any thoughts in his heart except the feeling of walking faster.
② Walk slowly. The Buddhist term is Jing Xing. I teach slowly. Focus on the palm of your front foot, gently clench your fist with your right hand, gently hold your right fist with your left hand, and lift it to the front of your abdomen, one knuckle away from your skin. If you are careful, walking fast and walking slowly can make you lose your mind and settle down.
5, the method of standing-the distance between the two feet is equal to the distance of one foot, and the upper body is relaxed and lightened from the head to the lower abdomen, so that the feeling of center of gravity and weight falls on the front paws of the two feet.
6, the method of lying-
Lying on the right side is the best way, so it is called auspicious lying. It can make you dream less, sleep soundly, wake up, snore less, digest well and have no nocturnal emission.
(2) supine, suitable for short rest, relax the whole body muscles, can quickly eliminate fatigue, without a trace of strength; This is not the best way to sleep for a long time at night.
7, the method of daily life-Zen often says: eating, washing dishes, urinating, urinating, smashing water, chopping wood and other daily things are Zen, with profound meanings, which are not easy for people who really understand. People who have just started to learn Zen can improve your work efficiency and live a full and stable life if they can do whatever they want and have no distractions, although they can't meditate immediately.
Second, intermediate and advanced
There is a connection between meditation training and exercise methods. The longer the training time, the more ways to exercise. Because this article is for reference only, not as a teaching material, it provides a primary method. For readers who haven't learned it, you might as well practice it. Of course, it's useful, but it's not necessarily good, because no one can guide you on the accuracy of movements and postures. Intermediate and advanced exercise methods include standing, sitting, lying, handstand, etc. Of course, the movement of Zen people is based on the principle of slowness, softness, stability and security.
Meditation posture
Meditation posture was discovered by ancient practitioners in India. Legend has it that ancient immortals were still unable to cultivate Tao after thousands of difficulties and dangers. Later, it was found that a group of monkeys were practicing meditation in the depths of the snow-capped mountains. After imitating it, the ancient immortals became Taoist priests. In fact, monkeys can't meditate, and other animals don't have the physical conditions for meditation. In sports, only human beings have the conditions for meditation. Legend has it that only Indians who can't find their roots in historical records say that meditation is necessary and possible, although the heart is as reckless as a monkey. This sitting posture is called Piro Ashe's seven-legged sitting posture.
One or seven sitting postures
1, two feet stumble-there are two types:
(1) The way is to put your left foot down, your right foot on your left thigh, and then your left foot on your right thigh. This is called wishful and auspicious sitting.
(2) Or put your right foot down, put your left foot on your right thigh, and then put your right foot on your left thigh. This is called static king kong sit.
For the elderly and beginners, not everyone can do these two sitting postures.
2, the back is vertical-stand up, don't stand up, the head is vertical to the sky, the chin is retracted, and the Adam's apple is pressed down.
3, hand crystallization method to define the seal-two hands tied into a circle, right hand down, left hand up, two thumbs form a circle, gently flat under the abdomen.
4, relax the shoulders-relax the muscles of the shoulders, consciously like a state without shoulders, arms and hands.
5, the tip of the tongue slightly licking the upper jaw-the salivary gland of the upper incisors, do not use force, if there is saliva, slowly swallow it.
6. Shut your mouth-whenever you snore, don't open your mouth to breathe; Except for the uncomfortable nose.
7, eyes slightly open-the line of sight is placed on the ground two or three feet in front of you, not to see anything, just because when you open your eyes wide, your heart is easy to disperse, and when you close your eyes, your heart is easy to faint. If you open your eyes for too long and feel tired, you might as well close your eyes for a while.
There are different opinions on the order and content of the seven sitting methods. Some people also combine the method of adjusting breath and heart into seven sitting methods. In order to facilitate the classification and introduction, this paper only takes the part of regulating the body as the content of seven sitting methods.
Second, other sitting methods
Because beginners may not be able to meditate, it is unreasonable for those who have not learned meditation to ask for leg meditation at the beginning, and even many people who want to try meditation will be discouraged and dare not be enlightened. Now let me introduce several other sitting methods that are difficult and difficult for beginners:
1, semi-sitting-people who can't cross their legs, or when they cross their legs for a long time and feel unbearable pain, they might as well loosen their upper feet and put them under the other calf. Or just put one foot on the other leg at first, and the left foot is under the right calf.
2, sitting cross-legged-feet on the ground, each inward and backward, as a result, the soles of the feet are facing up and placed under two calves or even two thighs.
3. Sitting on the opposite side of the crane-it is also called sitting on the crane in Japan, because so far, the Japanese's formal sitting posture indoors in Japan is still this way. That is, knees are crisp, thumbs overlap up and down, and arms are on the feet to keep up. This sitting method was also used by ordinary people in the formal occasions where high chairs and high tables were not used in ancient China.
4, God sits-the left foot sits like a squat, bends inward and puts it in front, and the other foot bends outward and puts it behind. Today, Buddhists spread to the south often use this formula when they smell Buddhism on the floor, and even when they meditate.
5, wishful sitting-this type is to imitate the bodhisattva's eight-phase road, sitting posture before falling from the pocket, sitting with his left foot in a semi-squat shape, bending inward, his heel in front of the perineum, his right foot vertical, his knees on the right chest side, and his left and right hands evenly placed on his left and right knees.
6. Sit with an open mind-all the above sitting postures are based on the floor. This type is sitting on a knee-high chair or bench, with your feet flat on the ground and your calves vertical. The distance between the knees should be a punch, and don't rely on anything on your back. Just sit on your arm, your thighs should be at right angles to your calves.
The above six kinds, except for different sitting posture and hand posture, all adopt the standards stipulated in items 2 to 2 to 7 of the seven-legged sitting posture method. The most effective and lasting sitting posture is still the most difficult and reliable. Therefore, for beginners, it is beneficial to try to use the most comfortable sitting posture and gradually try to use the more difficult sitting posture under the principle of not letting themselves feel afraid.
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Regulate breathing and heart.
Breathing is smooth and comfortable, and the mood can be calm and stable. Emotion is closely related to breathing. If you want to adjust your mind, you must start with pranayama. No matter what their names are, Taoism in China, Yoga in India, Tantric Buddhism in Tibet, Tiantai Sect in China and so on. When it comes to practicing meditation, we must pay attention to the problem of breathing and harmony. Because the physiological and psychological movements of the human body depend on breath and breathing, according to the definition of principle, "breathing" means that ordinary people breathe in and out 16 to 18 times per minute, and when the yogi's breathing is gradually slow, deep and fine, it is called "breathing". Because of the power of breath, the blood is prompted to produce energy, which has the function of tonifying physiological functions. This is "Qi". When a yogi feels the effect of Qi, it is called "awareness". People with awareness experience will feel that meditation is indeed a great pleasure and favor for them.
First, the way of breathing
The way of breathing can be roughly divided into four categories:
1. Wind-During strenuous exercise, or just after strenuous exercise, such as playing basketball and football, if the breathing speed and intensity are windy, it is not suitable for meditation.
2. Breathing-When you feel fear, illness, weakness, excitement and fatigue, you should feel depressed and gloomy, and you should not meditate. You should lie down or sit down and rest until you are calm and comfortable.
3. Qi-refers to the normal breathing of ordinary people, breathing from 16 to 18 times per minute, and breathing sounds can be heard. This is the minimum requirement for beginners to meditate, and it is also a safe breathing speed.
4, interest-this can be divided into four categories:
① Smell: Breathing through the nostril is the basic method during meditation, and the initial speed is 16 to 18 times per minute. Unlike qi, you can't hear breathing, and breathing is at a normal speed. Therefore, inhalation and exhalation mainly depend on the natural rhythm of the lungs, and you can't control it with your attention. Otherwise, you will feel dizzy if you are fast, and you will feel chest tightness if you are slow. If you feel difficulty breathing, such as dizziness or chest tightness, it is best to take about four seconds as the length of a breath when paying attention to pranayama.
(2) Abdominal rest: still breathing through the breathing hole, but the center of gravity of breathing is not in the lungs, but in the lower abdomen. At the beginning, it is not advisable to force the inhaled air into the abdomen (lower abdomen) by means of control and air compression. Usually, people who learn meditation, after a period of time, the breath will automatically pass through the diaphragm and reach the abdomen. At this time, the yogi's body and mind will suddenly feel relaxed and relaxed, and his breathing will become slower, longer, deeper and richer. Not only will they feel that their lungs are full, but even every cell in their body will feel full, and the natural rhythm of breathing will gradually disappear from their lungs. But that's not bloating the small abdomen, but replacing the function of the lungs with the lower abdomen.
(3) Fetal breathing: When the fetus is in the mother's womb, it does not need to breathe through the nostrils, but through the circulatory system connected with the mother. People who practice meditation, because of the further development of abdominal breathing, do not need to breathe through breathing holes, and each pore may become a respiratory organ. At this time, if there is a pulse, it is still necessary to rely on oxygen in vitro to supply the needs of the body. At this time, the universe is the mother fetus, and your body is the baby in the fetus.
④ Turtle rest: Among animals, some turtles have a very long life span. Even if they are kept underground for hundreds of years, they can continue to live without food and air. When they meditate in the fourth Zen, they naturally don't need to breathe air, and even their hearts stop beating. Unlike dead bodies, their physiological tissues are still alive, which is between fetal respiration and tortoise respiration. The deeper their concentration, the more they have. The body of the yogi has formed an individual small universe by itself, and it is self-sufficient by running on the gas or energy in the body, so it is no longer necessary to absorb oxygen from the outside to supply the body with consumption.
Of course, beginners of meditation should not be too ambitious and rush into it. It's good enough that they should practice breathing before they get to the abdomen to rest.
Second, the method of interest rate adjustment
The method of pranayama is called "breathing" by Taoism in China. Breathing the qi of the heavens, the earth, the sun and the moon to preserve health, and spitting out the turbid qi in the body to save life, is a way to practice Dan Dao. Yoga practitioners in India pay special attention to the practice of various breathing methods, focusing on the production of life energy and the activation of extraordinary energy or absolute energy (the natural force of unity with God). The starting point of Buddhist practice is not much different from that of heretics. The difference is that interest rate adjustment is a convenient way to get started, and interest rate adjustment is not the fundamental method. The purpose of pranayama is to adjust the heart. When you are in a mood, it doesn't matter if you can breathe.
I teach two methods of pranayama:
1, counting breaths-take three deep breaths before counting breaths. When taking a deep breath, put your hands on your lower abdomen, take the first breath through your nose, introduce the lower abdomen to make it swell, then close the lower abdomen, continue to inhale, make your lungs swell, inhale as much as possible, then hold your breath for 15 seconds, then spit it out slowly through your mouth and bend down until you can't bend it. After taking three deep breaths, sit still and start counting your breaths. There are several different ways to calculate interest:
① Serial number: There are two kinds. One is counting promises, which are commonly used. The focus is on the number of commitments. Every time you exhale, count a number, count to the tenth, and then count from the first number repeatedly until your mind is free from distractions, and your body and mind will feel extremely happy. The other is to count your income. The method is the same as counting your promises, but the focus is on the figures of income. Because people usually exhale slowly, it is easier to prevent the invasion of distractions by counting their scores.
(2) Countdown: When the yogi uses ordinal numbers, he gradually mechanizes them. When he turns numbers into unconscious or subconscious behaviors in his mind, his distractions become active. He might as well turn the numbers upside down, from ten, nine and eight to one.
③ Interval number: When the countdown becomes mechanized again, you might as well count to 19 and 20 along odd or even numbers. You can also count down from the 20th, or from the 19th.
2. Use interest-when you practice the method of counting interest until the number is gradually reduced, you can save the number, but you should pay attention to the exhalation and inhalation, and be clear about each exhalation and inhalation. This can also be divided into two types:
① Follow the snorting: pay attention to the nose, feel the breath coming in and out, and don't pay attention to the place and place where the breath arrives, but for you, it is good to reach the point where the breath and the heart forget each other.
② Thinking at will: Every breath, I think "I sucked up thousands of rivers in one breath", and every breath, I think "I spit out Wan Li Mountain in one breath". When you inhale and exhale, connect your body and mind with the mountains and rivers of the outside world. When all you don't want to inhale is water and all you spit out is mountains, you should integrate your inner body and mind with the outside world when inhaling and exhaling. In fact, this is from the scope of interest rate adjustment to the field of interest rate adjustment.
Thirdly, the self-alignment method.
Buddhism is called internal learning, so all the methods mentioned by the Buddha are not methods to adjust the hearts of the congregation to their own. The general program of Buddhism is called "three knowledge without omission", namely, abstinence, determination and wisdom. Among them, meditation is the fundamental method of cultivation, abstinence is the basic method of cultivation, and wisdom is the effect of cultivation. If you don't have an attitude towards life that you can't do and have to do, you can't achieve meditation. Even if you have achievements, you will fall into evil ways and hurt yourself. Therefore, precept is the moral standard of Buddhist doctrine and the basic method to adjust one's mentality. As a philosophical theory, Buddhist doctrine is the crystallization of the method of adjusting mentality. The focus of this article is to explain the methods of practicing meditation.
From the standpoint of monasticism, it cannot be said that only meditation is monasticism, but that meditation is indeed the main method of monasticism. Adjustment of interest rate is the introduction of correction, and adjustment of heart is the main method of correction. One of the ten virtues of Buddha is called "the master of regulating heaven and man", which means that he is already a man who completely controls and controls his own mind between heaven and man, and is also a master who can best help all beings regulate their body and mind between heaven and man. From the perspective of meditation, the following types of meditation can be used:
1. visualize things outside the body-choose anything outside the body as the object of concentration; Or analyze anything other than the body as an object to change the mind. The former is like the view of the moon and the view of the sun, while the latter is like the view of karma and impurity.
2. Visualize the merits of earth, water, fire and wind-think of your mind as any merit of earth, water, fire and wind, get rid of troubles and delusions, and enter a calm and clear setting. For example, the earth can turn decay into magic, contain everything and grow everything, but it is always silent, and water can wash away all dirt, merge into rivers and seas and nourish everything; Change everything, but ask for no merit, no fault.
3. Use the body's senses to accept objects outside the body-look at colors and shapes, listen to various sounds with ears, breathe through the nose, lick the upper jaw with the tongue, and feel the thickness and warmth with the body. Among them, the method of breathing through the nose is the most basic and effective, and it is best to be safe and effective with the guidance of a teacher. Tongue and maxilla are the basic requirements of meditation. There are too many parts of the whole body, so it is not easy for a novice to use strength. It is easy to have irreconcilable problems just by visualizing the feeling of cold, warm or hot.
4. Visualize the five internal organs-Taoists in China use the five elements of gold, wood, gold, fire and earth to represent the five internal organs, and formulate the method of integrating the five elements and visualizing the abdomen, or use the method of combining the five elements to guide the functions of the organs and increase the health of the body. The six or seven chakras mentioned in Indian yoga are also based on the five internal organs.
5. Visualize a certain part of the body-such as eyebrows, nose, feet and so on. Beginners in meditation, without the guidance of a master, can only adjust their mentality by practicing the method of counting breath, or they can also use the method of breathing together. In order to be safe and reliable, it is best to be guided by experienced people. As for the other methods mentioned above, it is best not to explore without the guidance of experienced people, so this article does not give a detailed explanation. This is a technical problem, and it is not safe to practice only by words.
The beginner class I taught in America only taught one or two centering methods. After the intermediate class, I may have learned six or seven centering methods. But few people can learn everything effectively, because the foundation of meditation is not enough, the optical method is useless, and it is useless to practice hard. There are difficulties in practice, some of which can be solved by self-knowledge, and some of which can only be overcome through the guidance of teachers.
Fourth, the process of self-adjustment
Our hearts are often in two extreme States: when we are full of energy, we have too many thoughts and it is not easy to be quiet and calm. Otherwise, when we have nothing to do, we won't feel lonely and bored. When we are tired of energy, we will get into trouble, dark and dull. Otherwise, after working all day, we won't need to sleep. The former is sick in a distracted heart, while the latter is sick in a sleepy heart. Slight dizziness, there are ways to treat it, such as opening your eyes and facing your eyebrows, which can be effective; The only best way to make you sleepy is to close your eyes and sleep for a while. Most methods of adjusting the mind are used to treat distracted mind. I divide the process of adjusting the heart into seven stages. Taking the number of breaths as an example, I use symbols to express their mentality as follows:
1, before breathing, there is no dedicated object, and the mind is constantly, complex and ever-changing with the external environment before the present, or recalling the past or speculating about the future.
2. At the beginning of breathing, the number is intermittent, and delusions and distractions are still one after another, but there is a main focus.
3. When counting breaths, you can count yourself for more than ten minutes, but there are still many delusions and distractions, accompanied by mindfulness of counting breaths.
4. When breathing, mindfulness is constantly enhanced, distractions are reduced, and mindfulness occasionally fluctuates, which interferes with the purity of mindfulness.
5. When counting breaths, although there is pure mindfulness, there are no more delusions and distractions, but we still clearly know that there are self-nature that can count breaths, breaths that are counted, and breaths that are used to count. In fact, even when you are so helpless, there are at least three continuous thoughts that are active at the same time.
6. Count your breaths until you forget the number of breaths. I feel that there is no gap between body, mind and the world, there is no opposing concept between people and me, and there is no objective and subjective boundary. It is a unified, harmonious and indescribable existence, full of strength and pleasant feeling. At least one thought. Only at this time can it be a corresponding phenomenon.
7. Breathing, counting body, mind and world are gone, time and space are shattered, the feeling of being and not being disappears, and it enters the realm of nothing, surpassing all feelings and concepts. We call it enlightenment, and no symbol can express it. All languages, names and forms are useless here.
The above seven stages, the first is to distract the mind, the second to the fifth is the process of concentration, and the sixth and seventh are the process of settling and realizing the situation. If we discuss it in detail, the sixth kind is not deeply rooted, but the so-called meditation that the ordinary religious scholars, philosophers and even artists can experience to some extent.
V. Distractions, delusions and thoughts
It is also necessary to explain delusions, distractions and thoughts from the experience of meditation practitioners. Generally speaking, there are two kinds of delusions and distractions, one is heavy and the other is thin. Heavy, disorganized, tasteless and incoherent are called distractions, and organized ones are called delusions. Thin, there is a group of fluctuations that are easy to detect movement but not necessarily meaningful. This kind of fluctuation is still called delusion, and there are those fluctuations that are not easy to detect when it is quite quiet. No fluctuation can represent any meaning, which is called thought. If explained by linear symbols, it may be like this:
1, distractions:
2. Paranoid groups:
3. Delusion group:
4, thought group:
5. Positioning:
Among them, thoughts rise and fall very quickly, and people who meditate well can find that there are more than a dozen thoughts in a second. The best way to cure distracting thoughts and delusions is "if you are not afraid of waking up, you are afraid of sleeping late." When you find yourself delusional, that delusion is over. Don't worry any more. Don't be afraid that it will disturb you. If you are always worried like a fly in May, it will bring you more reverie. You know, when you can find yourself with many distractions and delusions, it just shows that you have gained a considerable degree in adjusting your mentality.