Yin Ling wrote:

Yesterday someone asked me a v important question: 

Q: why do we need to use effort to practise if reality is ever present?

Why is practise needed? 

A: because I think this is such a key issue to get out of the way before awakening, my reference to Dogen is not adequate ( Master Dogen asked a similar Q In ancient times and no one could answer him so he risk his life and went China) 

As a modern person, awakening to me is no other than a familiarisation to a differnt set of perception. 

Only this “different perception” is how things have always been. To reality. 

We are so rooted in delusion for eons, hence we need to practise hard to set our visions right so that we don’t fall prey again to cyclic existence. It is really do or die. (Literally)

We are trying to rewire the whole body mind so this requires diligent practise. 

Along the path, I can feel the re-wiring. 

It started with my body feeling lighter ,

As I do sports, it was palpable

Jumping was different now , running too.  

Then my proprioception alters- 

I feel unsteady esp after a lot of practise. 

My whole apartment usually “floats” in air as one whole appearance seamlessly 

Then my perception change - felt huge, felt big, felt all encompassing. 

It was all perceptible. 

Then slowly I lost the ability to feel a self.

It is not like I choose to feel a self or not. 

It’s like someone cut off my limb, and I cannot maneuvre it anymore. 

I don’t think about it anymore. It is just not there. 

The energy that was inside me, is not just inside me anymore, it is all over with the sensation. 

That energy of beingness. 

I don’t think about no self, 

The sound shows itself and reminds me , “hey, I am no self” 

Lol. Like that. 

This is how the dharma seals is authenticated for someone who has no-self insight. 

It is their experience forever. 

It’s not a jhana state to enter. 

It is how they live and see the world, in no-self, naturally, effortlessly. 

It is not like one consciously point to the body and say “non-self”and remind themselves it is not self, not like that 

Realisation is powerful, 

It is not a thought. 

It is how they feel the next person is so intimate to them, like connected, if you want them to harm that person it’s not something natural for them coz they feel so connected. 

Compassion then is in built in the no self realisation, but could be cultivated 

If ppl ask me to explain, I’m not explaining with my brain or concepts from book, 

I look into xp and tell you how it is. 

I could sit at the table and talk to everyone in a gathering..  

But when I go back, I have this strong sense of not me talking to anyone, sometimes I don’t even recall the conversation becusse “I” was completely buried in the whole scene and no one was watching. 

I could slowly recall though if I want. 

Life becomes moment to moment.

.

A few analogies that I could relate to is like 

You practise scales and arpeggios on the piano until both your hands can move without brain energy. A pianist  don’t play the piano with their brain consciously, they rewire the whole body mind and the body mind play it without much effort. 

It is efforting until no effort is needed. 

You go to the gym until you know how to deadlift naturally without thinking . You don’t think about the mechanism even though deadlift is a weird movement. You body adapts to the weight. It doesn’t feel heavy anymore to you but it does to others. 

It is alot of effort until only minimal effort is needed. Those power lifter who deadlift 200 kg uses only about the same effort as you bec they have practise so hard. 

You do abacus until your fingers move itself on the abacus when your eyes see numbers. You can move 10 digits very naturally without thinking. 

There are many rules to learn before you can do that , but after that it is so easy. 

Effort before no effort. 

You do mental arithmetic until you completely change the way you add and minus. 

You don’t write numbers in your brain anymore. 

It’s just abacus moving inside the head.  And it does itself. 

And you don’t add or minus like how others do. 

It is a completely different inside out way of adding and minus-ing

And you can’t overwrite this system 

Bec the old system is too clunky. 

So the mind take the path of least resistance. 

Mental arithmetic is the closest analogy to awakening if one have the skill they could probably relate. 

This is how awakening happens, it is a completely rewiring of body and mind 

It is not like maths, academic medicine or philosophy 

Where you need to posit a hypothesis, argue your points, establish a first principle and prove your equation, discussing an economy model, or read 1000 research papers to write citations for your new research paper. 

Haha

The body and mind doesn’t change like that. 

U can Argue till the cow comes Home and you are still stuck inside the head. 

What is the point? 

Remember , awakening is like becoming a violin virtuoso. 

You can’t be a violin virtuoso by memorising music theory, counting beats, reading history of said piece. 

You sit down, hold a 🎻, start by a scratchy sound, and keep practising until you get it hours after hours patiently, until your finger bleed, become hardened, and your whole neck and head and body changed. 

The effort is huge until 

You can go on stage to play effortlessly. 

So with awakening, you learn the view, contemplate until the view is clear and u have zero questions, 

Then you meditate to integrate that view. 

You integrate with hours and hours of similar repeats. 

If you want to integrate non dual, 

You note clearly all sensations fully until the mind gets it. 

You don’t interpret, you just do the work. 

The mind will change itself, like practising violin or piano. If the scales is not smooth you do it again, right ? 

Meditation is the same. 

You still see a self? 

Practise. 

You only need ONE instruction. 

Not a class on Buddhist history. 

But Before that you need to calm your mind until you can sit down and calm your mind in a few minutes. It does improve with practise. Some can go deep v quickly. This is the importance of concentration. 

In short, TLDR- You need to practise .. 

Hard. 

And talk less. 

Treat it like piano, violin, mental arithmetic, weight training 

😬❤️

18 Comments

• 
  
Mr./Ms. BR
Because in everything we do, practice is the ONLY WAY to make things easier as we going deeply. At first it will be awkward but as time goes, REALIZATION sets IN. sis Ling Yin practice is now a proof .
Prince Siddharta uses practice in order for him to realized enlightenment and become Buddha
Teacher Thay uses his practice and realize that the awareness his seeking is inside of his pocket.
Dalai Lama practice and realize that kindness is his religion.
Whatever you do, you practice and when your good at it, you can DISCERN what's truth from fake.
The best example for me is that the story of LIAO FAN ( 了凡）where he practice what his mentor（YUN GU) 雲谷禪師 tells him that he can BREAKS what's FORTUNE TELLER says about his life like no children and he will die by age 53. He successfully breaks it all.
I speak in the first person. Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu
• 
  
• • Reply
  • 12h
• 
  
Mr./Ms. JJ
Is the experience of more energy limited to the subjective realm or have you seen tangible results like needing less sleep, being able to do more etc?
• 
  
• Reply
• 12h
• 
  
Yin Ling
Mr./Ms. JJ
Yea nowadays
I only need about maximum 6hours and I cannot sleep anymore.
Want to but can’t lol
Before that I needed 8 to feel good and could sleep more
If I sleep 5 hours I’m quite alert too, without feeling tired in the afternoon so I don’t nap,
And I exercise twice daily becusse if I don’t I need even less and it worries me
Doing more I don’t know i just do what is needed, not a big doer, abit lazy
• 
  
• • Reply
  • 11h
• 
  
Mr./Ms. BR
Mr./Ms. JJ it is in your CHOICE on where to put your energy on. As you've said, energy is finite. The practice can helps you determine where will you FOCUS on, like what particular people, things, events will you put your finite energy on so that you will live a much productive life.
• 
  
• • Reply
  • 11h
• 
  
Yin Ling
Mr./Ms. BR
Sis, the awakening reduce energy requirement as the self structure holds a lot of energy
There is a palpable energy after that , I have felt that throughout the journey
• 
  
• • Reply
  • 11h
• 
  
Mr./Ms. BR
Yin Ling will keep practicing until I experience what you experience.
This just me : But I think it's not 'reduce' bec you practice it, it needed little energy to use coz you become familiar to it that its becomes automatic.
Like driving, it's almost a subconscious effort unlike when first learning to drive, therefore, less energy to drive now.
At first, Im having a hard time to meditate but now, much easier, less effort means less energy.
• 
  
• • Reply
  • 9h
  • Edited
• 
  
Yin Ling
Mr./Ms. BR yeah driving is also like that, it’s a rewiring of body mind.
But with awakening there’s a release of energy from my xp, coz self structures is very energy consuming
It cannot be felt before awakening.. coz we are so used to it.. but become obvious when the energy is released from the Center
The second noble truth of grasping can be experientiallg felt
• 
  
• • Reply
  • 9h




• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
Ng Xin Zhao
What about a person who hasn't properly learnt what does effort mean?
The most common assumption is that effort is using ego to try to push the self away. Having a goal in mind in meditation, and have aversion whenever the result is not seeing not self. A lot of people associate effort with craving.
So what do you mean by the strong effort before awakening?
• 
  
• Reply
• 10h
• 
  
Yin Ling
Ng Xin Zhao
Imo It is inevitable for someone to use effort before no self insight
As a self is there, it will always be effort , hence karma is always created, hence why no self insight is so important to stop karma , as only then one understnd “non-action” - a complete obliteration of doer and action separation . Just a whole action with no self whatsoever
So for ppl who haven’t have insight into no self, just practise.
It’s either inquiry or vipassana (direct mode seeing)
Don’t care about effort or not effort
Work hard, practise hard.
The ego will be there so practise the precepts.
Be a good person. Don’t be arrogant. Use the ego to one’s benefit.
Completely relinquish the results. Just sit and practise, don’t keep thinking results here or not, aim to practise Enougj quality hours
Practise with right view - non dual, luminosity, non-doership, anatta, impermanence, - all these are aspect of no self insight and I took a long time making sure it is clear in my view until I don’t think about it anymore and it become effortless
Even after initial no self insight ,
It was effortful for a few 2-3 months until it is all clear and effort is dropped
When I realise it’s always there for me already
• 
  
• • Reply
  • 10h
  • Edited
• 
  
Ng Xin Zhao
Yin Ling yes, agree with practice, but what does hard mean?
Using force of will? Craving?
Or using wisdom power, Chanda?
• 
  
• • Reply
  • 10h
• 
  
Yin Ling
Ng Xin Zhao
Hard for me means
If I say I want to practise 4 hours daily
I set my alarm, wake at 4am, sit down on cushion and practise for an hour then write my notes
Do it 4 times a day.
That’s it lol
If busy with work that day, wake up even earlier, get the hours in.
Die die also must do 4 hours
There’s not much wisdom until no self insight
However it is good to crave getting in the hours
It is actually v simple.
Ppl complicate it
The most simple practise is most reward
The Buddha has given a practise manual in satipathanna but nobody listen to him lol
• 
  
• • Reply
  • 10h
• 
  
Yin Ling
Ng Xin Zhao another hard is
“Diligence”
My teacher often say
“Note freshly”
Each moment is fresh.
Every note I feel the sensation fully with my whole body mind,
I feel the sound in its whole, the vibration, the sensation,
I feel the thoughts, the emotion jt carries, the vibration, the emptiness
Do this non stop for an hour
Super tiring
• 
  
• • Reply
  • 10h
• 
  
William Lim
Yin Ling my ego mind got tired just listening to it
• 
  
• • Reply
  • 8h




• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
Mr./Ms. BR
HARD.... In everything we 'KNOW IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO' , it requires a tremendous effort at first.
THE GENERAL PUBLIC ( regardless of age, gender, Nationality.... Etc) PRACTICE and becomes EXPERT like eating unhealthy food, didnt drink at least 8x glasses of water, at least exercise 3x a week, procrastinating, anger, hate...... These are almost no effort coz it's easier....
but bec it's NOT easy to choose To PRACTICE the RIGHT ONE, like Buddhist practice or just simply GOLDEN RULES or do basic HEALTHY HABIT, SAVINGS MONEY (I'm speaking in a first person HERE), this are the collective effort that made samsara..... Don't you agree?
Those who are born and knows what exactly they want to become, for me, that because of their practice eons ago like Sakyamunna Buddha and other sages, they're not lucky but as Thay said, it's a Continuation.
THOSE who are really awakened, at least, those who are AWARE, like my teachers, sis Ling Yin , you.....and others who are in spiritual path,
we try to do the RIGHT THING, practicing 5 precepts, understanding more on anicca, anata and suffering and the GREAT NEWS is we have the MANUAL for getting out of this samsara..... The noble right fold path. Its available to anyone and with NUMEROUS INTERPRETATION now that easy to access . It's in our fingertips!
It is easy? ABSOLUTELY NOT! These pandemics gives me CHANCE to practice deeply and teachers keep coming to me now. I'm exploding in GRATITUDE. The latest teacher is sis yin Ling, but I'm at the end of the line here, catching up. Hehehe
• 
  
• • Reply
  • 9h
• 
  
Soh Wei Yu
Can share?
• 
  
• Reply
• 8h
• 
  
Yin Ling
Soh Wei Yu I change d to public
• 
  
• • Reply
  • 8h
• 
  
Soh Wei Yu
Yin Ling thanks
• 
  
• • • Reply
    • 8h
• 
  
Mr./Ms. JM
Resonate.
• 
  
• Reply
• 4h