Showing posts with label Tranquility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tranquility. Show all posts
Total Relaxation and Openness

 
[6/7/24, 4:07:18 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Ya but as a practice im more inclined towards total relaxation than intensifying radiance these days.. theres a quality of like falling asleep but not falling into unconsciousness but just blanking out into radiant empty appearances by relaxing and releasing whole body mind into openness. Thats not a v good way to put it but idk how to say haha.. thats why nowadays i think im more into calmness and openness
[6/7/24, 4:11:07 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Radiance or not is no longer a concern.. when appearances are they are naturally radiant but if consciousness fade then so be it haha ‎<This message was edited>
[6/7/24, 4:14:01 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Many mystics stress radiance but i think buddha’s emphasis on dispassion is also important, even dispassion towards consciousness
[6/7/24, 4:20:19 PM] Soh Wei Yu: This full recognition of selflessness in the suttas is always paired later with leading to dispassion
[6/7/24, 4:20:22 PM] Soh Wei Yu: E.g.
[6/7/24, 4:21:53 PM] Soh Wei Yu: SN 46.73 Anatta Sutta (abridged):
Here monks, a monk develops the awakening factor of mindfulness accompanied by the recognition of selflessness in what is unsatisfactory, dependent upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, resulting in letting go. He develops the awakening factor of dhamma-investigation accompanied by the recognition of selflessness in what is unsatisfactory, dependent upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, resulting in letting go. He develops the awakening factor of energy accompanied by the recognition of selflessness in what is unsatisfactory, dependent upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, resulting in letting go. He develops the awakening factor of joy accompanied by the recognition of selflessness in what is unsatisfactory, dependent upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, resulting in letting go. He develops the awakening factor of tranquility accompanied by the recognition of selflessness in what is unsatisfactory, dependent upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, resulting in letting go. He develops the awakening factor of meditative composure accompanied by the recognition of selflessness in what is unsatisfactory, dependent upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, resulting in letting go. He develops the awakening factor of equanimity accompanied by the recognition of selflessness in what is unsatisfactory, dependent upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, resulting in letting go.

It is in this way that the recognition of selflessness in what is unsatisfactory is developed and cultivated so that it is of great fruit and benefit. It is in this way that the recognition of selflessness in what is unsatisfactory is developed and cultivated so that one of two fruits is to be expected: either final gnosis in this very life or, if there is a residue of clinging, the state of nonreturning. It is in this way that the recognition of selflessness in what is unsatisfactory is developed and cultivated so that it leads to great good. It is in this way that the recognition of selflessness in what is unsatisfactory is developed and cultivated so that it leads to great security from bondage. It is in this way that the recognition of selflessness in what is unsatisfactory is developed and cultivated so that it leads to a great sense of urgency. It is in this way that the recognition of selflessness in what is unsatisfactory is developed and cultivated so that it leads to dwelling in great comfort.
[6/7/24, 4:22:33 PM] Soh Wei Yu: This great comfort “It is in this way that the recognition of selflessness in what is unsatisfactory is developed and cultivated so that it leads to dwelling in great comfort.” Maybe related to the total relaxation that i said ‎<This message was edited>
[6/7/24, 4:32:21 PM] Soh Wei Yu: So now practice is like, open and relax, if its contracted, open and relax contraction. If it seems open and relax, open and relax even further.. no end haha

Not heighten the radiance everywhere. Very often that leads to tenseness instead ‎<This message was edited>
[6/7/24, 4:45:10 PM] Soh Wei Yu: There is a lightness and sweetness in relaxing and resting in illusory holographic luminous appearances
[6/7/24, 6:18:38 PM] John Tan: Don't worry about falling into asleep or not, don't have and pre-determined expectation much like quantum probability wave function (I like quantum probability wave explanation)🤦
[6/7/24, 6:23:05 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Oic..
[6/7/24, 6:25:16 PM] John Tan: Radiance must be openly and clearly experienced but so called "consciousness fading" also not rejected.  Essentially 心行处灭 (Soh: the cessation of mental formations)。Means when u practice, all the elements (earth, water, space, fire, wind) be fully experienced...if u r authenticating one element, fully authenticate, when gone, gone.
[6/7/24, 6:25:56 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Ic..
[6/7/24, 6:31:27 PM] John Tan: Then u will have no fear and no attachment
[6/7/24, 6:32:49 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Oic..
[6/7/24, 6:33:30 PM] John Tan: If radiance isn't tasted, we r not understand how miraculous it is.
[6/7/24, 6:36:06 PM] John Tan: [Soh: Many mystics stress radiance but i think buddha’s emphasis on dispassion is also important, even dispassion towards consciousness]

Yes.
[6/7/24, 6:40:24 PM] John Tan: U must understand open and relax do not mean u have to open and relax, it just means not attached at all, no chasing for a particular result in simple language.
[6/7/24, 6:40:39 PM] Soh Wei Yu: oic..
[6/7/24, 6:41:31 PM] John Tan: Self is just these grasping tendencies, without which, there is no-self.
[6/7/24, 6:43:33 PM] John Tan: Next time see whether u r able to separate clear experience from these grasping...
[6/7/24, 6:44:51 PM] Soh Wei Yu: ic..
[6/7/24, 6:46:12 PM] John Tan: Open also means allowing the totality of situation/conditions to present itself.
[6/7/24, 6:46:56 PM] John Tan: Open also means purity free from all elaborations
[6/7/24, 6:48:00 PM] John Tan: Also means potentialities
[6/7/24, 6:50:07 PM] John Tan: ‎This message was deleted.
[6/7/24, 6:50:55 PM] John Tan: When u say free from all elaborations, u must at the same time understand the potentiality for every elaboration.
[6/7/24, 7:26:51 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Oic.. not sure i understand haha
[6/7/24, 7:27:22 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Its like engaging in conventions but still free?
[6/7/24, 8:54:22 PM] John Tan: No
[6/7/24, 8:55:02 PM] John Tan: It's like no forms means free to be any forms
[6/7/24, 10:50:18 PM] Soh Wei Yu: I see..
[6/7/24, 10:58:39 PM] Soh Wei Yu: 6.【清净如满月，妙明常照烛】　

你 看，我们的妙净明心『清净如满月，妙明常照烛』。不管你神经错乱，神经错乱的境界本身就是你的『妙净明心』，因为这个缘，它以神经错乱的那个样子动。它本 身根本没有变，所以，碰到别的缘，有好的缘来了，我们认为错乱的境界消失了，治病治好了，正常的境界呈现。因为『妙净明心』根本不住在固定的相，所以它清 净呀。青蛙叫，叫声就是它；狗叫，哎，我的『妙净明心』变成狗叫。『妙净明心』到底是青蛙叫，还是狗叫才对？两个都对。但是，它本身呢？它本身无相无住。 因应了狗叫声，它的『妙净明心』以狗叫的姿态显现；碰到青蛙声，它没办法以青蛙叫的样子动，那就不叫『清净』，那就被染污掉了，被狗叫声染污掉了。所以青 蛙叫的缘来了，它就是那个缘本身，缘本身呀，它马上是缘本身。被染污了还会不会变成青蛙叫？狗叫？不会，你看，任运随缘，它自己变，它自己就是那个样子。 所以它本身没有本体，所以它无住，没有住在哪个色相、哪个声音、哪个思想，所以思想肯定也可以，否定也可以。思想本身属于肯定，属于否定吗？不是。能够思 想的力量不住在肯定，所以，你一下想要否定，你就可以否定。所以它『清净』，不被哪个缘占据了，不会变掉，不然就被染污掉了。红色就是红色，遇到白就白， 遇到蓝就蓝。它自己没有本色。在哪里变？不知道。缘就是它吗？不是。离开它有吗？没有。“非即非离”。不就是声音本身，但是非离，不能离那个本体有这些。 “非即非离，无是无非”，就是描写那个本体，『清净如满月，妙明常照烛』，睡觉的时候，昏沉得不知道这是你的法身，你的『妙净明心』呈现为意识都不动的那 个状态显现。梦的时候，梦境本身就是『妙净明心』以梦境的姿态这样动，梦过了它就没有。它是梦吗？不是。离开它能有梦吗？不能。它是什么东西？


四 大六根，我们的四大，眼耳鼻舌身意六根，我自己的四大跟外面的四大，即地水火风，一样不一样？一样。六根是四大构成的，外面的东西是四大构成的，四大六 根，内外，跟外头，远在美国、天界、银河系，都是四大构成的。『内外虚幻』，没有本体。因为是『妙净明心』显的，『彻底空寂』。『彻底空寂』是什么？看到 北斗星，就是我的『妙净明心』以北斗七星的那个相在那里动，you get it？ 那我本身是什么？法身是什么？没有相呀，住在哪里？没有呀。『四大六根，内外虚幻』，虚幻就是没有本体。虚幻不是有一个『虚』的东西，不是，它告诉你，没 有自性。没有那个固定的样子，固定的地方，固定的一个点从那里发出来，不是。『内外虚幻』，彻彻底底的空寂。空寂就是无住相，无住。下面要紧。那，你们各 位面前看到、面前听到、面前想到，面前『明明了了』吗？风扇，罗医师，啤酒禅师，胡先生，小姐，都分得很清楚呀！四大和六根，都是没有本体啊！梦一样的东 西构成的。内外呀，要注意内外啊。外也是，内也是，『彻底的空寂』，没有本体的那个东西。没有本体的那个东西，内外都是没有本体，没有真正的东西，但是怎 又这样明白，面前『明明了了』，这个『明明了了』的，不管你“能照，所照”，非常明了，复是何物？什么东西呀，这个？亲证到了就是见性。你告诉我四大六根 都是虚幻，都是空寂，既然虚幻空寂，怎么这般明白？怎么这般『明明了了』？『妙净明心』的妙用，所以叫做『妙』。你以为我在这里看，我在这里听，我在这里 思想，那你永远是佛法的外道。佛法没有讲这样。

所 以当你成佛的时候，原来『与法界等』，只是缘生。生的缘到了就显现这生的样子，死的缘到了就显现死的样子，没有离开你的『妙净明心』呀！这样，『妙明常照 烛』，生的时候，死的时候，睡的时候，醒的时候，糊涂的时候，见性的时候，统统照那样子显现。还要迷悟吗？你要假定有一个我要开悟，就有迷悟了。要是， “啊呀，那是什么都没有迷悟......”谁讲？什么都没有迷悟是你的一个概念，你想你提出这个概念：“本来都没有迷悟”，你属于迷悟还是不迷悟啊？你站在迷悟之外才讲什么都没有迷、没有悟，那你是属于迷，还是属于悟？所以很小心很小心！除非你真正地跑到悬崖那边，咚的一声，我相断掉以外都不能够抛开这个妄想。
[7/7/24, 1:04:13 AM] John Tan: Quite good but if I ask u to correct line by line to refine it, r u able to do it?
[7/7/24, 8:15:17 AM] John Tan: Who wrote this btw?
[7/7/24, 11:22:49 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Hmm need to think first lol
[7/7/24, 11:23:04 AM] Soh Wei Yu: But he corrected himself saying should not say true mind becomes things in later paragraphs
[7/7/24, 11:23:07 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Like 11.【到恁时，不被一切法碍】

　　『到恁时，不被一切法碍』，死都不会有妨碍，死就是死，冬天到了，就是冬天嘛！也不是秋天变冬天，也不是生的我变成死的我呀！死有死的位置，生有生的位置，变生变死。你们讲生死，但是『妙净明心』上有没有生死？没有呀！随缘就是显现那个。



12.【物物皆自己，心心绝诸缘，何处不成等正觉？何处不转大法轮？何处不度脱众生？何处不入涅槃？】

　　『物物皆自己』，听到“咯啷咯啷(青蛙叫声)”， 是不是你自己呢？不是你自己怎知道那个声音？是你自己那样动，才知道青蛙叫。我们自己的神经病状态是“啊，我听到青蛙叫”，你根本佛法都没入门，听错了！ 不是没有入门，是拉你入门，你硬不要，一定要找那豪华的，好多土地的。『物物皆自己』，知道了吗？看到一头牛，牛的相在你这里，所以你知道牛。你这里不变 牛的相，你怎看到？是你的『妙净明心』变的。说变已经不对，说变就好像是一个『妙净明心』它变成那样的相，容易误会。所以我很不喜欢用“变”，其实不是这 样，它以牛的那个形象这样显现，在那样working， 在这样动。它本体呢？看不见、摸不到，在哪里？不知道，遇缘就那个样子动。所以，叫做『妙净明心』，所以叫做『妙』、『真如』、『物物皆自己』，很简单， 我看各位在这里，这样一下子，咯，每一个是我自己。我的『妙净明心』没有动，没有你们的相在这里。那个声音，我的『妙净明心』没有动，就以那个声音动才有 声音。没有动的声音管它会不会动，但是你可看到、摸到、听到，一定跟你的，如果你要分心何物的话，一定是心物一起动，觉得不会分开动，分开怎么知道，对不 对？我们认为物是物，心是心，物到我的前面来，心认到了才有，哪里是这样呀！没有心物一起动，怎么动？动不了呀！　

『心 心绝诸缘』，还有缘可以攀吗？整个都是『妙净明心』，还有谁攀谁？『何处』，哪个地方不是『等正觉』？现在整个六根正在正觉，看的、摸的、想的，都是那个 样子，说那个样子又是八十分了。你用一个念头想那个样子，你没有跳下去把我执断掉。所以修行真的要那小心，不要动不动就以“我”的思想加进去，当作我做 到。『何处不成等正觉』，那里，什么地方都是等正觉啊！是你自己想歪了。『何处不转大法轮』，“啪！”法轮转拉，哎！看到你啤酒禅师的那个样子显现，法轮 转了，没有转我怎不把你当成石头啊？一直会在戒定慧中这样这样显现，一直这样变，它不会毫无规则地乱变呀。六根在根源那样子动不是转吗？什么到师父那里听 法，才是师父转法轮转得好。啊，十轮金刚，你的十轮金刚，你的六根都统统在转十轮金刚。

『何 处不度脱众生』，看到那个青蛙咯咯咯在叫，我在这里显现度脱它啦，我的『妙净明心』跟它离开了，好像很特别。『何处不如般涅槃』，整个不是六根的大安乐境 界？它没有苦恼，没有烦恼，没有挂碍，有了就有，没有了就没有，不管你想要不想要，不管你准备听不听，它有了就显现，你想要吗？那个念头来了，“啊，我想 到这个！”，你想了那个念头才来吗？想死了那个念头不来呀！有时候，想它停也停不住呀。它不是很安乐吗？自己在那里“哎呀，我想他想得要死”，你就抱着那 个幻想的那个东西不放，那个意根老早都很安乐了，想到的时候想到，没有来的时候它没有，它自己都没有烦恼，那个假我跟在屁股后面烦恼，假的我造出了一个假 的毛病，然后在假的生气。
[7/7/24, 11:24:01 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Hong wen liang in 2001 (Soh: See the talk and English translation at Everything is oneself, mind cuts off all connections 物物皆自己，心心绝诸缘 by Zen Master Hong Wen Liang)

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How silent meditation helped me with nondual inquiry
by Greg Goode in https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheDirectPathGroup

(The Direct Path Group is for discussions related to Greg Goode and Sri Atmananda's teachings related to Advaita Vedanta)

= How silent meditation helped me with nondual inquiry =
This is about how silent meditation helped me with nondual inquiry. Silent meditation is different from inquiry, and helps prepare one for doing inquiry. It helps in several ways, which I’ll say more about below.
There are various forms of silent meditation and various paths of inquiry. For example, Shamatha is recommended if one wants to realize emptiness via analytic meditation.
Personally, I found Zazen helpful for nondual inquiry. How can it help? It stabilizes the mind so that the mind doesn’t get off track or fall asleep during the inquiry.
Here is a very rough and schematic quasi-Vedantic account of how this works. It’s not a DP account, but something that we were taught in the Chinmaya Mission. Vedanta looks at the body/mind apparatus as composed of various layers or sheaths of active energy. At the grossest is the body. At a more subtle layer is the “emotional body,” then the mind as controller of its activities. And more subtle still is the intellect, the process of ratiocination, making connections and insight.
All activities engage all of the levels, but some activities have their center of gravity more on one level than another. According to the present scheme, Nondual inquiry begins largely at the energetic level of the intellect. But the insights permeate all levels. And nondual insights deconstruct the levels altogether.
In order that the intellect do its appointed job well, it needs to be somewhat calm. It cannot be jumpy or inclined to nod off into sleep.
For the intellect to be calm, the less subtle levels need to be somewhat calm as well. This is familiar - if there is emotional turbulence, it is hard to think.
There are activities that address each of the levels. Such as karma yoga or recreational dancing or athletics for the physical level. Bhakti yoga or art or singing or performing music for the emotional level. Raja yoga or study or concentrated meditation for the level of controlling the mind. And jnana yoga or mathematics or other kinds of coursing stuff out for the intellectual level.
The calmer the levels that are less subtle than the intellect, the calmer the intellect will be able to be.
This is where zazen helped me. It came in at the level of the control-of-the-mind level and smoothed things out wonderfully. Plus it gives a taste of silence. For me, it helped the mind stay with the subtleties of jnana yoga without a a rage of chattering thoughts, and without getting drowsy and falling asleep.
Zazen is taught at Zen centers. Phenomenally (not doctrinally) it is a process of keeping the mind extremely steady on a subtle object like counting or the breath. There are two things that could depart from that: a chatty mind or a sleepy one. Whenever you notice that either has happened, you simply go back to counting or following the breath.
Besides calmness and stability and subtlety, I noticed physically healthy things, like better digestion, more energy on the lower body and more closely focused in everything where needed.
One can do zazen earlier in the day, and then nondual inquiry later in the day. And nondual inquiry will be supercharged. Of course there are other preparatory activities that will help. This was just my experiences with zazen!

...

Hi Andrej, Here are some examples of which inquiries were helped by Zazen.... I did years of inquiries, mostly before I did Zazen. The main inquiry I did with the aid of Zazen was later and extremely subtle: I was looking into why Truth and Reality were widely held to be nondual whereas I experienced a very slight, benevolent duality between witnessing awareness and the arisings that seemed to arise from/to it. There was no suffering (I was at the so-called "transparent witness" gestalt). But even so, I was drawn to this issue for over a year. I happened to be doing Zazen at the time - I only realized later that it helped, and how it helped. How did Zazen help? I was already pretty good at focusing and keeping my attention on an object. My father had this too. He brought it his work home and did it at the large dinner table while the TV was on a few feet away and we kids were running around. It didn't bug him a bit! He taught this focus to us. We were a family of introverted artists, so it was easy. All my school, military and corporate experience helped with focus as well. But this topic (subject/object distinction) was very slippery. In a word, Zazen helped make the mind more open and subtle. It quieted the mind so that it was more open to subtle insight coming from unexpected angles, as opposed to the usual ones. And it helped the mind recognize patterns and formulations of a vaguer and more subtle type. Here's a physicalist-type example. Imagine putting a long hair in a phone book and then cover it with one page. Then shut your eyes and try to trace the hair with your fingertips

...

Kyle Dixon: 

Sitting has been invaluable for me in my life, with positive, long lasting effects. I really cannot recommend it enough. Also the more I sat, and the more stable my meditation became, the brighter my mind became, like increasing the brightness on a lamp. Energetically things became very coordinated, like Greg mentioned, and what I would call instances of transcendent insight would erupt spontaneously. Which were like precursors to larger events of the same species. Meditation if done right is just a fantastic supplement to any spiritual endeavor. It breathes life into the process and makes everything easier and more enjoyable.


.....

See: Buddha's meditation instruction on mindfulness of breathing (anapanasati): http://www.awakeningtoreality.com/2018/12/mindfulness-of-breathing-anapanasati.html

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Do not neglect meditation
 

Soh Wei Yu shared a link.
Admin
  · 5h  · 
Although the AtR blog mostly writes on insight, and in a sense after the correct insights equipoise and post equipoise becomes mixed, still it is important not to neglect meditation and samadhi and sitting.
Just today, John Tan said,
“U must also practice sitting meditation and have quality time in anatta free from apprender and apprehended, experience whatever sensations as insubstantial and light, natural and luminous. Keep opening up as if inner radiance turns outer, convex turns concave.”
“Both (insight and sitting meditation) r equally important.”
“Yeah. 当下无心，very direct and very easy. When mind thinks and meddle with conventional, that is different. However after sometimes, when radiance and luminousity takes over, everything becomes radiance and energy.
Spend quality time in sitting until Ur radiance and calm abiding is integrated. Important.”
“In terms of radiance and purity, very fine, clean, immaculate, pellucid and crystal.. Free floating and insubstantial but there is no thoughts, concepts. Just pure radiance...this must be a very very quality, natural and calm and peace without any sense of apprender and apprehended. That is y u have to spend some quality time in it. Then u will understand your to penetrate 3 states and what to do automatically.”
P.s. was meditating earlier today at a park as usual on weekends or when im free. Weekdays i sit at home.
Read these:
On the importance of Both insight and calm abiding by Buddha: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN4_170.html
On meditation and discipline: http://www.awakeningtoreality.com/2016/05/busy-ness-is-laziness.html


.....

A teaching by Zen Master Dogen:

Fukan Zazengi (Universally Recommended Instructions for Zazen)

The way is originally perfect and all-pervading. How could it be contingent on practice and realization? The true vehicle is self-sufficient. What need is there for special effort? Indeed, the whole body is free from dust. Who could believe in a means to brush it clean? It is never apart from this very place; what is the use of traveling around to practice? And yet, if there is a hairsbreadth deviation, it is like the gap between heaven and earth. If the least like or dislike arises, the mind is lost in confusion. Suppose you are confident in your understanding and rich in enlightenment, gaining the wisdom that knows at a glance, attaining the Way and clarifying the mind, arousing an aspiration to reach for the heavens. You are playing in the entranceway, but you are still short of the vital path of emancipation.

Consider the Buddha: although he was wise at birth, the traces of his six years of upright sitting can yet be seen. As for Bodhidharma, although he had received the mind-seal, his nine years of facing a wall is celebrated still. If even the ancient sages were like this, how can we today dispense with wholehearted practice?

Therefore, put aside the intellectual practice of investigating words and chasing phrases, and learn to take the backward step that turns the light and shines it inward. Body and mind of themselves will drop away, and your original face will manifest. If you want to realize such, get to work on such right now.
For practicing Zen, a quiet room is suitable. Eat and drink moderately. Put aside all involvements and suspend all affairs. Do not think "good" or "bad." Do not judge true or false. Give up the operations of mind, intellect, and consciousness; stop measuring with thoughts, ideas, and views. Have no designs on becoming a buddha. How could that be limited to sitting or lying down?

At your sitting place, spread out a thick mat and put a cushion on it. Sit either in the full-lotus or half-lotus position. In the full-lotus position, first place your right foot on your left thigh, then your left foot on your right thigh. In the half-lotus, simply place your left foot on your right thigh. Tie your robes loosely and arrange them neatly. Then place your right hand on your left leg and your left hand on your right palm, thumb-tips lightly touching. Straighten your body and sit upright, leaning neither left nor right, neither forward nor backward. Align your ears with your shoulders and your nose with your navel. Rest the tip of your tongue against the front of the roof of your mouth, with teeth together and lips shut. Always keep your eyes open, and breathe softly through your nose.

Once you have adjusted your posture, take a breath and exhale fully, rock your body right and left, and settle into steady, immovable sitting. Think of not thinking, "Not thinking --what kind of thinking is that?" Nonthinking. This is the essential art of zazen.

The zazen I speak of is not meditation practice. It is simply the dharma gate of joyful ease, the practice realization of totally culminated enlightenment. It is the koan realized; traps and snares can never reach it. If you grasp the point, you are like a dragon gaining the water, like a tiger taking to the mountains. For you must know that the true dharma appears of itself, so that from the start dullness and distraction are struck aside.

When you arise from sitting, move slowly and quietly, calmly and deliberately. Do not rise suddenly or abruptly. In surveying the past, we find that transcendence of both mundane and sacred, and dying while either sitting or standing, have all depended entirely on the power of zazen.

In addition, triggering awakening with a finger, a banner, a needle, or a mallet, and effecting realization with a whisk, a fist, a staff, or a shout --these cannot be understood by discriminative thinking; much less can they be known through the practice of supernatural power. They must represent conduct beyond seeing and hearing. Are they not a standard prior to knowledge and views?

This being the case, intelligence or lack of it is not an issue; make no distinction between the dull and the sharp-witted. If you concentrate your effort single-mindedly, that in itself is wholeheartedly engaging the way.

Practice-realization is naturally undefiled. Going forward is, after all, an everyday affair.
In general, in our world and others, in both India and China, all equally hold the buddha-seal. While each lineage expresses its own style, they are all simply devoted to sitting, totally blocked in resolute stability. Although they say that there are ten thousand distinctions and a thousand variations, they just wholeheartedly engage the way in zazen. Why leave behind the seat in your own home to wander in vain through the dusty realms of other lands? If you make one misstep, you stumble past what is directly in front of you.

You have gained the pivotal opportunity of human form. Do not pass your days and nights in vain. You are taking care of the essential activity of the buddha-way. Who would take wasteful delight in the spark from a flintstone? Besides, form and substance are like the dew on the grass, the fortunes of life like a dart of lightning --emptied in an instant, vanished in a flash.

Please, honored followers of Zen, long accustomed to groping for the elephant, do not doubt the true dragon. Devote your energies to the way of direct pointing at the real. Revere the one who has gone beyond learning and is free from effort. Accord with the enlightenment of all the buddhas; succeed to the samadhi of all the ancestors. Continue to live in such a way, and you will be such a person. The treasure store will open of itself, and you may enjoy it freely.



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Is Meditation Restricted to Sitting?

It is important to understand that post anatta, meditation is not restricted to sitting. However, it is still important to have a disciplined and consistent practice of sitting meditation and have quality time to meditate. John Tan sits two hours or more a day (he separates to two sessions - morning and evening), and attributes great progress to developing meditative composure and doing self-retreat.

"Anapanasati (Mindfulness of Breathing) is good. After your insight, master a form of technique that can bring you to the state of anatta without going through a thought process." - John Tan, 2013

“A state of freedom is always a natural state, that is a state of mind free from self/Self. You should familiarize yourself with the taste first. Like doing breathing meditation until there is no-self and left with the inhaling and exhaling... then understand what is meant by releasing.” - John Tan, 2013

“When we practice zazen our mind always follows our breathing. When we inhale, the air comes into the inner world. When we exhale, the air goes out to the outer world. The inner world is limitless, and the outer world is also limitless. We say “inner world” or “outer world,” but actually there is just one whole world. In this limitless world, our throat is like a swinging door. The air comes in and goes out like someone passing through a swinging door. If you think, “I breathe,” the “I” is extra. There is no you to say “I.” What we call “I” is just a swinging door which moves when we inhale and when we exhale. It just moves; that is all. When your mind is pure and calm enough to follow this movement, there is nothing: no “I,” no world, no mind nor body; just a swinging door.” - Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki

"You can meditate everywhere in all activities, meditation of non-dual is not restricted to sitting post anatta, this should be a moment to moment event for you. It is not about anatta insight, you need to complement what you lack for sitting meditation, equanimity is what you need to improve, don't waste too much time on FB [facebook] activities. Also do exercises, don't get energy imbalances." - John Tan

http://www.awakeningtoreality.com/2018/10/when-we-practice-zazen-our-mind-always.html

“Even up till longchen's (Sim Pern Chong's) stage [having realised non-duality], meditation is still very important except it should not be form and technique bound. So still sit and meditate. :) Spend quality hours in being naked... and let this continue till you experienced clearly what is the meaning of 'emptiness is form'. it can take 20-30 years. :P You must make it a habit, then you can progress fast. Even after experiencing non-dual, you must still work hard till it stabilizes. One should work harder after non-dual. :P So spend quality minutes in meditations. Don't just talk and ask for knowledge." - John Tan, 2007

John Tan:

“When you are luminous and transparent, don't think of dependent origination or emptiness, that is [the contemplative practice for] post-equipoise. When hearing sound, like the sound of flowing water and chirping bird, it is as if you are there. It should be non-conceptual, no sense of body or me, transparent, as if the sensations stand out. You must always have some quality time into this state of anatta. Means you cannot keep losing yourself in verbal thoughts, you got to have quality hours dedicated to relaxation and experience fully without self, without reservation." - John Tan, 2018

John Tan:

"After this insight, one must also be clear of the way of anatta and the path of practice. Many wrongly conclude that because there is no-self, there is nothing to do and nothing to practice. This is precisely using "self view" to understand "anatta" despite having the insight.

It does not mean because there is no-self, there is nothing to practice; rather it is because there is no self, there is only ignorance and the chain of afflicted activities. Practice therefore is about overcoming ignorance and these chain of afflictive activities. There is no agent but there is attention. Therefore practice is about wisdom, vipassana, mindfulness and concentration. If there is no mastery over these practices, there is no liberation. So one should not bullshit and psycho ourselves into the wrong path of no-practice and waste the invaluable insight of anatta. That said, there is the passive mode of practice of choiceless awareness, but one should not misunderstand it as the "default way" and such practice can hardly be considered "mastery" of anything, much less liberation."

 

 

 

Update: watch this video, it is highly recommended! Rinzai Zen at Korinji: Why Do We Sit in Meditation Posture? 

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Tranquil Calm
Also see:

Mindfulness of Breathing: Anapanasati Sutta
Quietening the Inner Chatter
Dzogchen, Meditation and Jhana



The Buddha teaches:

These four types of individuals are to be found existing in the world. Which four?
There is the case of the individual who has attained internal tranquility of awareness, but not insight into phenomena through heightened discernment. There is... the individual who has attained insight into phenomena through heightened discernment, but not internal tranquility of awareness. There is... the individual who has attained neither internal tranquility of awareness nor insight into phenomena through heightened discernment. And there is... the individual who has attained both internal tranquility of awareness & insight into phenomena through heightened discernment.

The individual who has attained internal tranquility of awareness, but not insight into phenomena through heightened discernment, should approach an individual who has attained insight into phenomena through heightened discernment... and ask him: 'How should fabrications be regarded? How should they be investigated? How should they be seen with insight?' The other will answer in line with what he has seen & experienced: 'Fabrications should be regarded in this way... investigated in this way... seen in this way with insight.' Then eventually he [the first] will become one who has attained both internal tranquility of awareness & insight into phenomena through heightened discernment.

As for the individual who has attained insight into phenomena through heightened discernment, but not internal tranquility of awareness, he should approach an individual who has attained internal tranquility of awareness... and ask him, 'How should the mind be steadied? How should it be made to settle down? How should it be unified? How should it be concentrated?' The other will answer in line with what he has seen & experienced: 'The mind should be steadied in this way... made to settle down in this way... unified in this way... concentrated in this way.' Then eventually he [the first] will become one who has attained both internal tranquility of awareness & insight into phenomena through heightened discernment.

As for the individual who has attained neither internal tranquility of awareness nor insight into phenomena through heightened discernment, he should approach an individual who has attained both internal tranquility of awareness & insight into phenomena through heightened discernment... and ask him, 'How should the mind be steadied? How should it be made to settle down? How should it be unified? How should it be concentrated? How should fabrications be regarded? How should they be investigated? How should they be seen with insight?' The other will answer in line with what he has seen & experienced: 'The mind should be steadied in this way... made to settle down in this way... unified in this way... concentrated in this way. Fabrications should be regarded in this way... investigated in this way... seen in this way with insight.' Then eventually he [the first] will become one who has attained both internal tranquility of awareness & insight into phenomena through heightened discernment.

As for the individual who has attained both internal tranquility of awareness & insight into phenomena through heightened discernment, his duty is to make an effort in establishing ('tuning') those very same skillful qualities to a higher degree for the ending of the effluents*.

— AN 4.94

*Effluents: Mental effluent, pollutant, or fermentation. Four qualities — sensuality (sensual attachments/cravings and aversion), views (false views pertaining to self and other related extreme views), craving for becoming, and ignorance — that "flow out" of the mind and create the flood of the round of death and rebirth.
 

Vijja-bhagiya Sutta: A Share in Clear Knowing

"These two qualities have a share in clear knowing. Which two? Tranquillity (samatha) & insight (vipassana).

"When tranquillity is developed, what purpose does it serve? The mind is developed. And when the mind is developed, what purpose does it serve? Passion is abandoned.

"When insight is developed, what purpose does it serve? Discernment is developed. And when discernment is developed, what purpose does it serve? Ignorance is abandoned.

"Defiled by passion, the mind is not released. Defiled by ignorance, discernment does not develop. Thus from the fading of passion is there awareness-release. From the fading of ignorance is there discernment-release."
...

Here's a related conversation between Thusness and I about five years ago:

Session Start: Saturday, August 26, 2006

Update: Sorry, conversation removed from blog by request of Thusness.

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From a 2011/2012 transcript from audio recording:


Jui asks: (? Question about samadhi)

John: actually what is more important is that background is completely gone. Then when the background is completely gone, you do not have a behind, only the sound. Then your experience becomes most direct, cannot be more direct. Then when you hear the basketball sound, bum bum bum.. only. You understand what I mean? Initially even if you have seen through, there will always be a tendency – you and the basketball. I ever went through a period where I thought that I will not have that problem anymore. After about three months later, it comes back. Then I wondered why does it come back after I have seen through? Then after that, the tendency (comes back?). for yours (me) it is quite clear, because lucid dream until one can control the three states, it is quite deep already. After the initial insight one needs 4-5 years to have that kind of calibre, you see? So some people are different. So it is sufficiently deep into the mind body tendency. For me, three months after (?) it has a dual sensation, then after still a period (?) after.

Jui: I always hear people say when you see one object you are like the object… but in my experience…

John: In your experience now, your self at the behind will be gone. But you are unable to reach completely mind to object (one pointedness). But your behind disappears. But to zhuan zhu yi ge (focus on one/one-pointedness?) you are unable to reach, that requires Samadhi state. That is, that behind is gone, but you are one pointed into one object, then with view you will experience maha experience, total exertion. He (me) is also the same, the behind is gone, no more self, only the sound but there is no self, there is just this, there is just that. That is because the insight has arisen but concentration (?) my way is different. Before insight of anatta I had decades of practicing meditation, then I AM, then meditation, then I AM. My practice is like that. (?) but for you guys, you see clearly first, the behind is gone and your experience becomes very clear and vivid and yet you are unable to concentrate. So you must understand that concentration is different. Peacefulness and releasing is (different), clear vivid awareness is also different. It requires different insights and practice. You still have to meditate, it is impossible that (?) you should be in this stage, you are very clear, the click click sound is felt to be very vivid, then one day you will have total exertion feeling, but you must practice releasing and concentration. When the mind is discursive and wandering, you need practice. your mindfulness/thought needs to be practiced. You need to have a stillness/Samadhi. (to me) Your stillness is still not enough. Your mind is still having thought after thought, you are unable to have stillness. But your insight is able to reach no self. You are still unable to reach stillness and releasing. It is not a matter of saying then you can reach it, it requires practice.

Me: best way is to practice vipasssana?

John: Vipassana … when it becomes non conceptual and non dual, it is even more difficult like for you, your insight is there, there is no self, yet when you sit you are unable to reach it. Because you need to focus. You need to focus your breath, (otherwise?) unable to reach it. For normal people they are able to reach it even easier. For you it is somewhat more difficult. So I always tell you, for example, for you and him the way of entering is by clear luminosity… feel as clear as possible. For example when you breathe, feel your breathe entirely. So you feel very very clear, just this breath you know. Then you feel the vividness. It is easier to enter this way.

Me: so you are advising Anapanasati?

John: yes of course, then you do many times. But when you do many times you are not counting. Don’t count. Just feel the entire sensation of the breath. You are just that sensation of your breath. Then you are so clear with your entire breath. That whole aircon that touches your nostrils, then going into your lungs. It is just this sensation. This is what we call breath. So you keep on doing. You are very aware of it. Actually it is not you are very aware of lah. This is what I call awareness and the whole thing is awareness, there is no somebody awaring. It is just breath. Then slowly you will have this (Samadhi?), you need to keep doing.


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p.s. interesting note from Loppon Namdrol:

"In the early period of Budddhism, there were two yānas, śamatha yāna and vipaśyāna yāna; beginners went to Śariputra to training in vipaśyāna for stream entry; then they would go train in śamatha with Maudgalyana for further progress.

Lance Cousins wrote a very interesting article about this."

(Samatha = tranquility meditation, Vipasyana = insight meditation, stream entry = first out of four stages of awakening culminating in liberation)
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