Meditation: a health and fitness method in ancient my country. Sit cross-legged with your eyes closed, adjust the breath in and out, place your hands in a certain position, and don't think about anything.
Meditating is also called "sitting cross-legged" or "sitting quietly". A basic practice method in Taoism. It is called "meditation" or "meditation" in Buddhism and is a compulsory practice in Zen Buddhism. Sitting cross-legged is divided into natural lotus, double lotus, and single lotus. Meditation can not only maintain health and prolong life, but also open up wisdom and increase wisdom.
You don’t have to be a Buddhist to meditate, ordinary people can do it too. It is also beneficial to clearing the meridians and blood circulation of the legs.
The way to practice martial arts meditation is to sit cross-legged with your eyes closed. This is also a method of monk practice. There are three basic contents of meditation: keeping the mind still, counting breaths, and breaking through the barrier of life and death. These are also the three basic conditions for learning authentic martial arts. Otherwise, no matter how good the martial arts is, it can only be regarded as wild fox Zen. A person's body is governed by his heart. His heart is like that of a king, and his hands and feet are like those of a minister. If the king has the ability to act decisively, his subjects will follow the instructions and command them as they wish. This is what Confucianism means by saying that the king of heaven is calm and all bodies obey his orders. Some people practice martial arts and usually do everything calmly. Once they react in a hurry, they immediately feel their breath rising and they are in a hurry. Although their martial arts skills are deep, it is difficult to achieve immediate results. This is the sign of dissipation of Qi due to heart agitation. If one can remain unmoved from birth to death, martial arts will reach the state of deification. Counting breaths is originally a Taoist cultivation method, and the same is true for Buddhism. Beginners who learn martial arts must first calm their Qi pulses, reach directly into the Qi sea, put aside all thoughts, listen to the in and out of the breath, and memorize the number from one to five to ten, but do not count too many to avoid confusion. A step further than counting the breath is listening to the breath. As soon as a palm is released, it seems that there is air coming from the shoulders and armpits, running straight through the edges of the palms and the tips of the five fingers. Listen carefully, and there seems to be expansion and stretching between the arms and the palms. If you practice counting your breaths and listening to your breaths to a certain level, no matter how you jump, your breath will not become short and out of breath, and your lowering will actually be lighter. The barrier of life and death is the key to all living beings. The art of martial arts is closely related to defeating the enemy. In essence, it is called "the art of killing". Therefore, the thought of life and death must be broken first. If you can break the barrier of life and death early, you will have no fear when facing the enemy. Even if the enemy's physical strength is stronger than your own, you can still wait for it calmly and take advantage of the weakness to attack as if you are relying on a winning ticket.
Buddhist meditation method
Heart and Earth Dharma door
When sitting down, use the Vajra practice method, that is, move your lips slightly and recite the mantra without making any sound. Because chanting the mantra aloud hurts the Qi, while silently chanting the mantra hurts the blood. When we practice Dharma, we must first pay attention to our body and not damage it, so we must protect our body while meditating and practicing. But when you sit until your seeds are churning, your heart is upset, and you can't sit still, or when you sit until you fall asleep and have random dreams, you should recite mantras out loud to get rid of those chaotic thoughts and sleep demons before you can enter samadhi. When you don't encounter this kind of situation, you can still recite the mantra using Vajra Holding method.
The speed of reciting the mantra is 10 to 12 times per minute. When reciting, you must listen to the mantra with your heart, that is, go through your heart one word at a time, instead of reciting it with your mouth or mindlessly. You must use your ears to listen to the mantra sound coming from your heart, and hear it clearly. Only in this way can you catch the delusional thoughts. Don't move and gradually fall into concentration.
Our six sense organs—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind—among them, the mind root is like a monkey that is used to moving around. It is difficult to keep it quiet and motionless, but it is difficult to control it. If you move, you will not be able to enter concentration, develop wisdom and achieve enlightenment. Therefore, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva teaches us that when we recite the Buddha's name, we must "take in all six roots and have pure thoughts one after another." That is, when reciting the Buddha's name, you must sincerely grasp the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind with the holy name "Amitabha" and tell them not to move, so that you can enter tranquility. Among these six roots, the mind and ears are the most difficult to capture. The root of the eye can be captured by closing the eyes and not looking at anything; the root of the tongue (tongue) can be captured by chanting the mantra with the mouth; the root of the nose can be captured by the nose without smelling any odor; the root of the body can be captured without the body touching the external environment. But human ears are the most sensitive. They can hear sounds far away, and they can also hear sounds from a big mountain. The noise outside will make you upset. As for the mind, it is more difficult to capture it. If you don't let it move, thoughts will jump out of your heart involuntarily. Why? This is a habit that has lasted for many lifetimes. Once it gets used to it, it cannot stop. This is called "mindfulness" in Buddhist scriptures. It is also the first of the five pervasive mental factors mentioned by Faxiang Sect, namely, intention, contact, feeling, thought, and thought. It exists in the eight consciousnesses and is moving all the time, flowing like water. That’s why it’s called “flow of birth and death.” It’s very subtle, but we can’t see it at ordinary times.
Some people say: "If we don't practice the Dharma or meditate, we don't have thoughts, but when we practice the Dharma and meditate, we have thoughts. Is it because we practice the Dharma badly that we have thoughts?"
No.
This is because you are usually distracted and cannot see your thoughts moving around. Once your mind calms down a bit, you will see your thoughts moving around. What to do? How to put an end to delusional thoughts? The only way is to use the ears to capture the mind. To recite the mantra, you need to read it word by word from your heart and hear it clearly with your ears, so that you can follow the law. Therefore, the main point of meditation is to "hear with the mind and ears", to stop the delusional thoughts and enter concentration. Otherwise, if you are sitting here, chanting mantras or Buddha's names, but thinking about all kinds of things in your mind, you will not be able to enter concentration. You must listen to it with your heart and ears, and meditate with all your heart.
However, the most important thing is the emptiness in the heart. The purpose of cultivation is to jump out of the Three Realms and not be in the Five Elements, so you must let go of everything before you can enter the Tao. Lay people have one more obstacle than monks. Having a family means many worries. Things like donkeys are not gone yet, things like horses come again. There are so many things.
Therefore, we must always be vigilant and see through these things. They are all fake and cannot be obtained. Only if you don’t love it in your heart can you afford to be rude. Next, work hard to meditate and recite mantras, but subtle delusions will inevitably attack you. This is a habit that has been repeated for many lifetimes. Once you get used to it, you won't be able to stop it, but don't be afraid of it. You can see when thoughts pop up, ignore them, and the delusions will disappear naturally. If you can't see the thought when it comes, then you will follow the thought and run away, and you will not be able to enter concentration. The most important thing when meditating is to let go of everything, be clear in your mind, see thoughts as soon as they come, ignore them, and don't hate them or suppress them. Dislike itself is a kind of delusion. Suppression doesn't work either. Suppression can't kill it. For example, if you move a stone to suppress the grass, and the grass grows again after the stone is removed, this won't work. Even if it is crushed to death, it will turn into earth, wood, metal and stone and cannot be used anymore. Therefore, a lively transformation method should be used instead of a suppression method. When thoughts come, just ignore them, raise the mantra, and the delusional thoughts will naturally be transformed.
If you practice meditation diligently in this way, and your mind is not distracted, the mantra will become natural and can no longer be lifted. What is the reason for this? Because our mind of reciting mantras is still delusional. If we can do something, that is, if we have the mind that can recite it and the mantra we recite (the same is true for reciting the Buddha, if we have the mind that can recite it and the Buddha we recite), it is all delusion. Heart. Everything relative is false and not real; the heart of truth is absolute and has no form, and everything that has a form is illusory. If we really persist until we are single-minded, all the relative illusions will fall off and disappear. At this time, the body, mind, and world will all be emptied out, and the emptiness will be shattered, and only then will the true and innocent nature be fully revealed.
After the initiation and practice, you may experience diarrhea. Don’t be afraid. This is because the power of the Dharma takes effect. This method has great blessing power, allowing you to expel all the dirt, stains, and habitual obstacles from the stool and change your belly. This is a good thing, so don't be afraid.
After practicing the Dharma for a period of time, I started to understand some of the Zen stuff, which is theoretical enlightenment. Literal comprehension is of little use. Because I don’t have personal witness, I don’t have enough concentration, and although I understand some of the principles, I can’t stop things when they happen. Therefore, understanding cannot solve life and death. You must achieve enlightenment and see your true nature in person to gain power. Of course, "seeing" does not mean seeing with the eyes, but the mind, ground, and Dharma eyes witness the true nature. The true nature has no form, and the eyes can only see things with forms. If you are no longer human at that time, what eyes will you have? What else did you see? Although the Dharmakaya has no visible form, it is not empty of annihilation. It is a real great function and great energy. All things and realms in the world are manifested and changed by it. For example, electricity is invisible to the eye, but without it, the world cannot function. Another example is "the smell of salt in the sea water". People can see the sea water, but the salt smell in the sea water cannot be seen, but it does exist!
When we work hard to the point where the mind breaths, the world will become empty, and then the world will become empty. When God knows, the heart understands God and sees the Tao. That’s why it’s called the Dharma Eye of the Heart that can see the Tao. Does it mean success once you see the Tao? Many people think that this is success, but no, it is not successful, it is still far from successful. I just opened the treasure and saw a little shadow. It was just about the things around me. It had nothing to do with it. Life and death were not the same. I had to work hard to move forward and eliminate bad habits before I could take action.
When I first understood the mind and nature, I just realized it for the first time, broke through the basic ginseng, and then crossed the first threshold. The wrong habits are still there, and I can't live or die. We must protect ourselves diligently, train our minds through experiences, and eradicate the false habits that we have persisted in for many lifetimes. We must truly comply with what the Diamond Sutra says: "All appearances are false." Only by being unfazed by adversity and not being indifferent at all can we understand our thoughts and confusions and understand the stages of life and death. The Diamond Sutra says: The past, present, and future are all inaccessible.
If the heart is not available, why bother? Those who truly see nature only have this awareness, and everything else is unattainable. They must go further, and only when awareness and unattainability cease to exist can it be true. If one's mind is driven by seeing a situation and turns around according to thoughts, one is not a person who is enlightened by seeing one's nature. The reason why Arhat is divided into four fruits is also based on whether there are thoughts in the heart. When the Arhat in the first stage of fruition is in the mountains and forests, he is pure and innocent. However, when he comes to the city, he cannot help but be dazzled by thoughts and thoughts. This is because the thoughts and confusions are not resolved. Those who are confused are those who are concerned about the situation and are obsessed with the thoughts of things. This is when they are confused about the illusion and think it is real, and have delusional thoughts of possession.
During the process of meditation, many phenomena will appear, such as beautiful images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, or ugly images of demons. Do not pay attention to them. Everything with an appearance is fake, and once you get attached to the appearance, you will easily become possessed. Also, when you transition from form to formlessness, you need to make some changes: such as the body is gone, or the hands, feet, and head are gone, etc. Don't care about it. Even if your breath is about to expire or your head is about to explode, there is no need to be frightened. This is the prelude to the physical and mental loss. As soon as you are afraid or startled, all your previous efforts are wasted and you are out of concentration. When the fire is over, there will be a big explosion, and the body, mind, and world will be destroyed inside, the void will be shattered, and the true nature will appear. However, you cannot seek this explosion while attached to the form. Once attached to the form, it will be covered by delusional thoughts. Not only can it not explode, it cannot even enter the air. Tantric Buddhism has this benefit. You can often receive blessings from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and the explosions from the outside world can cause inner explosions. However, you must not ask for it, think about when it will come, let alone wait for it or welcome it. All images in the meditative state cannot be ignored and must be ignored. The aphorism of the "Diamond Sutra" must be firmly remembered: "All appearances are false." All forms are false, and it will be fine if you ignore it. Once you ignore and cling to it, you are in danger of being possessed by demons.
For the Arhat of the Second Fruition, he will act only when he thinks of it before, and he will feel it when he thinks of it later. Although you can go home and sit still after awakening without abiding in the image, thoughts are still arising and passing away. Therefore, there is still a period of life and death before the life and death can be divided into stages. Therefore, opening up one's original person is not the end of the matter. We must work diligently to get rid of our habitual habits, enter the stage of the Three Fruition Arhats and become unmotivated when encountering difficulties, and then move up to the realm of inaction and reach the stage of Abhibhaktva. This is the first step. . Thoughts, delusions, and pretense are all actions. Cultivation from the first level, the second level, the third level... to the seventh level is all action, and when you enter the eighth level, it is unaction. Although Wuwei has been realized in the seventh level, there is still Wuwei, and there is still a shadow of Wuwei, which is still unclean. At the eighth level, the shadow of inaction is cancelled. Therefore, each of us should measure ourselves to see if we are not at all moved by the state of mind. If we still have ups and downs of delusional thoughts at ordinary times, it will not work, and it will not work if we are stuck in the state of mind. At all times and in all places, the mind is as empty as water, can be used according to circumstances, without attachment, and the wonderful existence of vacuum and the vacuum of wonderful existence are true enlightenment.
In addition to meditating, the most important thing is to study regularly. Always look at yourself and see your thoughts as soon as they come up, instead of running away. I can't see the thought when it arises, and I only feel it after running for a long time, and then I realize that it won't work. Zen Buddhism says: Don’t be afraid of remembering, just be afraid of being late. Don't be afraid when thoughts arise. I'm just afraid that you don't know. If you follow the thoughts, you will live or die. If you follow the thoughts for a long time, you will realize that you have been dead for a long time, which proves that you will not be able to live or die in the future. If we can think of things first and realize them later, and not run away from thoughts, we will be able to be reborn with ease. Being reborn and being at ease is not the end of life and death, there is still life and death, but you can make your own decisions about life and death. You can go wherever you want, without being implicated by karma, and you will receive the rewards according to your karma.
Level of Kung Fu
The first step in doing Kung Fu: Don’t follow the thought. If you can achieve the goal of not following your thoughts, you will be able to take the initiative in life and death, and you will feel at ease if you are not influenced by your karma.
The second step: witness Wuwei with your own eyes. No matter what happens, I won't be moved. This is truly letting go, rather than suppressing it. It won't do to hold it still. We should deal with all kinds of things, go along with everything, and have no sense of distinction between good and bad. We should not like the good and never get tired of the bad. Only in this way can our hearts be calm and reach a state of equality and inaction. Once you reach this point, you will be able to change freely, and you will be able to live and die in stages. The first step is to be at ease in life and death. The second step is to be able to change freely. It can change from thick to thin, from short to long. It reaches the level of the eighth bodhisattva and can manifest at least thirty mind-born bodies.
Step 3: Eliminate micro-influx. Subtle flow is the intention mentioned above. The intention flows in the field of eight consciousnesses. You can't see it at ordinary times. Only when you go deep into the great concentration of Vajrasattva can you see and eliminate it. At this stage, after all the subtle streams of light have been eliminated, hundreds of thousands of billions of incarnations can appear and save hundreds of thousands of billions of sentient beings.
Only then do you really reach home. Enlightenment is not something that will happen as soon as you are enlightened. It is far from it, so you still have to study hard.
It is impossible to achieve enlightenment without bodhicitta. What is bodhicitta? A simple explanation is "seeking transformation from above": seeking the Buddha's way from above and saving sentient beings from below. We practice the Dharma to transform sentient beings, not for our own sake.
Everyone must study hard, insist on meditating and observing, and do not take it lightly. What is more important is to study while sitting down. You don’t just sit for two hours and then let loose and run wild. You must also remember to observe it at all times while walking, living, sitting, and lying down, in order to be in harmony with the great road. Six key points of spiritual practice:
First: let go of everything and be completely determined. What's the use of being attached to worldly things and not letting go? Everything in this world is a combination of causes and conditions and has no substance. It is like a fleeting cloud, empty but not real. You cannot ask for it or take it away. Even your own body is fake and cannot be retained or obtained. You can only imagine the things outside your body. Therefore, recognizing things as true and holding on to them is a foolish thing that is not worthy of a smile from an enlightened person. Learning Buddhism and cultivating Taoism is a man's career with great wisdom and wisdom, and it is not something that people with small abilities and small wisdom can do. To become enlightened, you must first see through everything. Only by meditating with all your heart can you achieve concentration and enlightenment. If you are thinking about this or that, or wandering around with random thoughts, that's the end of it. You must let go of everything and act like a dead person.
Second: Meditate and recite the mantra, chant with your heart and hear it with your ears. This is the key to cultivating the secret of the mind, and it is very important for attaining concentration and enlightenment, so I remind everyone again and again to practice it without any compromise. People are used to having delusional thoughts. If they don’t listen attentively to the voice of reciting the mantra and capture the root of their thoughts, they will not be able to stop their delusional thoughts. How can they enter concentration and become enlightened if their delusional thoughts are not stopped? Therefore, it is necessary to read with the mind and hear with the ears, recite each word from the heart, and hear it clearly with the ears. Only then can the mind be restrained from wandering thoughts and gradually enter samadhi.
Third: Be aware of it as soon as you think about it, don’t suppress it and don’t follow it. When thoughts come, you need to be able to see them. If you can't see them, they will run away. Once they follow the thoughts, they will be full of delusions and cannot enter concentration. Therefore, you should wake up as soon as you think of it, neither wandering with it nor being unable to suppress it, just ignore it, raise your righteous thoughts, and recite the mantra with all your heart, and the false thoughts will naturally disappear and you can enter tranquility.
Fourth: Come to your seat on time, take your time. Go to meditation on time every day, and it will be easier to enter samadhi if you develop a habit. It is best to meditate in the morning, preferably early in the morning. When sitting, do not be in a hurry to enter samadhi. Sit calmly and calmly with a normal mind. Recite the mantra calmly and unhurriedly. You do not ask for enlightenment or miraculous powers. The thought of entering samadhi, enlightenment, developing supernatural powers, etc. is a delusional mind. Together with these thoughts, it blocks the door to self-enlightenment, and not only does it prevent enlightenment, but it also prevents one from entering samadhi.
Fifth: Take a seat and observe, densely and densely. Extend the calming skills in meditation to daily use, and use them calmly while walking, standing, sitting, and lying down; observe closely and closely, without dwelling on anything, neither letting the state pull you away, nor wandering with delusional thoughts.
Sixth: Be broad-minded and accommodate everything. A monk must not be small-minded and must tolerate everything with magnanimity. Even if others treat me badly, I should treat them better without any concept of love, dislike, like or dislike. Do all the good deeds according to the circumstances, and be free and easy at all times. There is no worry about gain or loss, nor is there any thought of success or failure. This is the greatest magical power.
Remember these six points and practice according to them, and you will definitely be able to open up your true nature and realize your Buddha nature. If you do these six things well and unremittingly, you are guaranteed to realize Bodhi and achieve great achievements!