Chan, or meditation, is a mental exercise to bring balance and unity to the mind, body and spirit. It uses focus and concentration, as well as creative visualization to bring about a higher awareness of the body and the mind's inner workings. Breathing strategies and relaxation are the primary methods used to control, increase, and direct the body's energy. Meditation may be performed sitting or standing, still or moving, with eyes open or closed, but always with a relaxed, peaceful state of mind. Even the most basic meditation can help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and increase general feelings of well-being.
History of Bodhidharma
Q. What is Meditation?
Meditation is a potentially powerful tool for improving
the quality of our earthly experience. There are many different cultural
perspectives on the aims and benefits of meditation, and there are many
different techniques taught to make meditation an effective way of progressing
spiritually. According to Tamera Lechner, an author and meditation instructor with The Chopra Center, meditation falls into five basic categories; primordial sound meditation, mindfulness-based stress reduction, Zen meditation, kundalini yoga, and transcendental meditation.
Meditation, at its core, is the practice of looking
inward in order to identify with the source of existence. Over the centuries,
through accident, intense desire, trial and error, and finally by way of
passing on from teacher to student a system of discipline, sincere seekers of
spiritual knowledge and enlightenment have found that by shifting their
awareness from the material world around them to the spiritual world within,
they could transcend the suffering of the physical world and find a place of
peace, serenity, tranquility and bliss that they experience as both infinite
and eternal, and more real and meaningful than the material manifestation of
the physical world.
This direct experience of the source of everything may be described as first becoming aware of the oneness of universal consciousness, and eventually becoming one with universal consciousness. During this process, one may experience varying degrees of confusion and discomfort as one’s identification with the struggles and meaningfulness of being human begins to fall away, but by surrendering one’s ego to the higher power, one can transcend the suffering of the physical world and happily alternate between the physically interactive experience of the material world and the blissful state of nothingness and unity found in one’s deep personal consciousness. It should not be mistaken to infer that the meditative state is only found in silent introspection. On the contrary, self-control of mental processes should be put into effect in our daily interactions, even as we use some time during our day to remove our attention from our mental and physical distractions.
This direct experience of the source of everything may be described as first becoming aware of the oneness of universal consciousness, and eventually becoming one with universal consciousness. During this process, one may experience varying degrees of confusion and discomfort as one’s identification with the struggles and meaningfulness of being human begins to fall away, but by surrendering one’s ego to the higher power, one can transcend the suffering of the physical world and happily alternate between the physically interactive experience of the material world and the blissful state of nothingness and unity found in one’s deep personal consciousness. It should not be mistaken to infer that the meditative state is only found in silent introspection. On the contrary, self-control of mental processes should be put into effect in our daily interactions, even as we use some time during our day to remove our attention from our mental and physical distractions.
In common practice, meditation is usually described as
sitting in quietness, with as few distractions as possible, and with the goal
of quieting one’s own mental distractions. A comfortable, relaxed and balanced
posture is ideal for meditation practice, and a quiet, comfortable location is
preferable. A common maxim is, “Still the body; quiet the mind”. It is important to have an experienced teacher
guide you through the deeper aspects of meditation where confusion can lead to
obstacles and wasted time and effort, but there is much benefit to be gained
for anyone who seeks to understand more about themselves through meditation.
Conscious
Breathing
The physical exercise of conscious, controlled breathing may be considered the basis of all other exercises, both mental and physical. Its benefits and applications are of great importance to anyone seeking growth and balance of mind, body and spirit. Controlled breathing is considered primarily a physical exercise, as opposed to a mental exercise, because the focus is on controlling the movements and functions of the physical body that regulate conscious breathing.
Controlled breathing, in and of itself, is not meditation, which involves mental discipline aimed at becoming aware of and controlling the mental imaging of one's individual consciousness. While any physical exercise involves some mental aspects, such as decision, intent, determination, attitude, and timing, the mental training of meditation is focused on consciousness awareness, not the simple physical act of breathing. Many purported benefits of meditation, such as lowered blood pressure, lowered blood pH, and stress reduction, are actually the effects of the physical exercise of controlled breathing.
Breathing is an enigmatic bodily function. It is automatic, yet can easily be consciously controlled with no special effort. We may survive without food for more than a month, without water for several days, but we cannot live without air for more than a few minutes. As much as any other factor, our ability to live is directly affected by our ability to breathe.
As important as respiration is to our biological organism, we can count ourselves fortunate that in most circumstances there are few factors that interfere with the convenience of breathing. Controlled breathing exercises can be practiced almost anytime and anywhere. Any time you would physically be able to speak, you are able to practice controlled breathing.
Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is the first and most fundamental of all controlled breathing exercises. Here are some basic guidelines to follow for deep breathing practice:
The breath should be slow, smooth, deep, and relaxed. Slow breathing and relaxation promote each other. Effort should be made to increase the duration of a breath gradually and comfortably over time. Smoothness of the breath means that the speed of a breath should be the same from start to finish. The speed and duration of the breath should be the same on the inhale as on the exhale. One inhale followed by one exhale is one breath cycle.
The breath during deep breathing practice also should be deeper than usual. Typical breathing intake is 40 to 60 percent in an average breath cycle. During deep breathing practice, one should aim for 80 percent of capacity. It is important to stay as calm and as relaxed as possible during deep breathing practice, using only as much muscle involvement as necessary.
Breathe through the nose as much as possible. Inhaling and exhaling through the nose is best. Exhale through the mouth if necessary. Seek never to inhale through the mouth.
Breathe with the muscles of the abdomen rather than the chest, moving the diaphragm, which causes the abdomen to rise and the lungs to fill with air. Allow the abdomen to rise on the inhale and sink on the exhale. The chest should not rise, and the shoulders should remain relaxed, with as much distance between the shoulders and the ears as possible.
Be conscious of your level of mental awareness during a deep breathing session. It is important to stay focused and conscious of your surroundings during deep breathing practice so you do not allow your mind to become bored and wander because of the experience of repetition and lack of stimulation. Deep breathing practice is meant to develop control of the physical capacity of the breath. It is important not to zone out or become dizzy or disoriented.
Deep breathing is the breathing exercise from which all other breathing exercises and meditation practices can build. It should be learned first, and practiced more often and more regularly than any other breathing exercise. In Chinese qigong practice it is called Harmonizing the Breath (Tiaoxi). All other controlled breathing exercises are variations on what is practiced and learned from deep breathing, so it is important to develop deep breathing as a competent lifetime practice.
Mind-
Our
thoughts are the stories we tell
ourselves about our world. They are the words, images, and ideas we hear or picture in our heads with which
we make sense of our life experience. Sometimes we seem to choose the things we
think about, and sometimes our thoughts seem forced upon us. Sometimes our
thoughts are the direct result of things that are happening right now, other
times they represent memories of what we remember about the past. Other
thoughts may be our hopes or fears about our future.
Our
thoughts have consequences, or results, and the results of our thoughts are our feelings, which we call emotions. We may have no thought without an accompanying emotion about the thought. Even indifference or apathy, which are usually described as lack of emotion for diagnostic purposes, are truly a type of emotion that appear to take precedence over awareness or expression of other emotions. Our emotions are a type of thought that we can feel through our physical senses. We
feel them when our heart races even when we’re not running, when we sweat even
when it’s not hot, or when life seems delicious even when we’re not eating
chocolate. Our emotions affect our physical bodies; that is why we call them
FEEL-ings.
Body-
Spirit-
At the core of your being is an image of perfection that cannot be changed in any way. The human organism, like all beings, is animated by spirit. It is a mistake to think you are a human being with a soul. It is more accurate to say you are spirit, in the form of a soul, living temporarily in a material body. While the physical body may be born, grow, wither and eventually die, the same cannot be observed of the soul. For this reason we understand the soul to be immortal, regardless of what we might do with the body. We are informed because spirit provides information. Spirit cannot manifest in the material world apart from interaction with a physical form. Trying to use the physical body to affect that which is eternal is absurd. We cannot change our 'being-ness'. We can only change what we do.
Q. Why meditate? What is the point or purpose? Will it relieve stress and help me relax?
A. Relaxation is a byproduct of meditation. It is also a method.
Meditation is for you to sit with who you think you are so you can realize what you are not. This is not a comfortable idea for most people! Most people want to vigorously defend their current identity, even if it is not working for them.
Q. How do I make my mind go blank? I can't seem to make the thoughts stop coming.
A. You have the power to recreate yourself, but your ego identity will keep you confused. You will keep asking yourself: Why? How?
The better question might be, Who?
It is not blankness you are looking for; it is clarity. There is a difference.
Q. What should I be thinking of while meditating?
A. When you are swimming in the mud, you are constantly guessing what is around you, which is scary, so you thrash about, making it even muddier. This is the way your mind works.
Be still.
Let the mud settle. Be still as long as it takes. Trust that your mind will become calm. Your mind will still want to thrash. Don't judge it, but put forth the effort to be still. Stillness is not the same as emptiness. You are not seeking to be blank. You are seeking to be clear. Only by being still and seeing things clearly may you see things as they truly are.
First you make the effort. Then there is no effort.
A. Relaxation is a byproduct of meditation. It is also a method.
Meditation is for you to sit with who you think you are so you can realize what you are not. This is not a comfortable idea for most people! Most people want to vigorously defend their current identity, even if it is not working for them.
Q. How do I make my mind go blank? I can't seem to make the thoughts stop coming.
A. You have the power to recreate yourself, but your ego identity will keep you confused. You will keep asking yourself: Why? How?
The better question might be, Who?
It is not blankness you are looking for; it is clarity. There is a difference.
Q. What should I be thinking of while meditating?
A. When you are swimming in the mud, you are constantly guessing what is around you, which is scary, so you thrash about, making it even muddier. This is the way your mind works.
Be still.
Let the mud settle. Be still as long as it takes. Trust that your mind will become calm. Your mind will still want to thrash. Don't judge it, but put forth the effort to be still. Stillness is not the same as emptiness. You are not seeking to be blank. You are seeking to be clear. Only by being still and seeing things clearly may you see things as they truly are.
First you make the effort. Then there is no effort.
First you do. Then there is no doing.
Even without doing, it is being done.
Be still.
Demian Gover - 2012
Peaceful Mountain Way Kung Fu
Even without doing, it is being done.
Be still.
Demian Gover - 2012
Peaceful Mountain Way Kung Fu
