The historical records of meditation method in traditional books

"Meditation" is also called cross-legged sitting or meditation. It is a basic practice method in Taoism and has the same functions as meditation, meditation and "sitting in lotus position" in Buddhism. Cross-leg sitting is divided into natural lotus, single lotus and double lotus. It was first evolved from the ancient people's sitting and kneeling. Meditation can not only maintain health and prolong life, but also open up wisdom and increase wisdom. The Taoist priest Sima Chengzhen of the Tang Dynasty wrote in "Zuowang Lun": "At the beginning of learning Taoism, you need to sit still and retract your mind, leave the world and live with nothing, not attached to anything. When you enter nothingness, your mind will be in harmony with the Tao."

"Huang Ting Jing" says: "Things are natural and there is no need to worry about things. The body is at peace when it is arched and inactive. The body is empty and closed to itself. It is lonely and speechless."

"Yuanshi Tianzun Speaks of the Body Sutra" says: "After you have cultivated your body, you should not eat or drink, sit alone, keep your lips touching, teeth facing each other, your eyes will not see evil colors, and your ears will not listen to obscene sounds. Cleanse your mind and worry, and deal with the environment. Forgetting the news. If you don’t think about it outside, you can’t think about it inside. Everything will be forgotten.

During meditation, since the mind and all parts of the body are relaxed, it is very easy to enter tranquility. "Xuanzhu Heart Mirror Notes" says: "People can be empty and do nothing, not to desire the Tao, and the Tao will return to itself."

"Tao Te Ching" says: "Stop it, close the door." "To the extreme of emptiness, keep quiet." "Empty one's heart and fill one's belly." etc. all refer to the key points of entering into silence and meditating, and entering into silence is the foundation and essence of meditation.

"Tai Shang Laojun Speaks of Constant Peace and Tranquility Sutra" says: "If a person can always be quiet and quiet, all heaven and earth will return."

Sima Chengzhen said: "Fu Ding is the ultimate transcendence of the world. It leads to the initial foundation of the Tao, the success of practicing tranquility, and the completion of maintaining peace."

Wang Chongyang also said in "Fifteen Treatises on Li Jiao": "Anyone who meditates needs twelve hours, often sitting or lying down, in the middle of all movement and stillness, the mind is like Mount Tai, neither clouds nor shakes, and the four doors, eyes, ears, and mouth are broken. , nose, do not allow the outside scenery to enter, but there is no movement or thought, that is not called meditation."

"The Taiping Jing" says: "The method of seeking the Tao is based on tranquility. The mind has become clear and is one with the Tao."

In meditation, we not only require tranquility, but more importantly, we also need to forget. Many sages and real people in Taoism integrate themselves with the whole nature in the state of forgetfulness of things and self, thereby realizing the great way of the universe and the true meaning of life. . So, what are nothingness and forgetfulness in meditation?

"Supreme Secret Essentials" says: "The body is forgotten and the body is left as if it is nothing. This is called emptiness."

"Zhuangzi: The Great Master" says: "Falling the limbs, dethroning intelligence, leaving the body to know, the same as Datong, this is called sitting and forgetting."

"Zhuangzi: Heaven and Earth" says: "Forgetting things and heaven is called forgetting oneself. People who forget oneself are said to have entered heaven."

When we practice martial arts and cultivate Taoism, we must imitate the way of heaven with human ways. Guanzi once said: "Heaven says emptiness." Therefore, when we meditate, we must also maintain emptiness and stillness as we did before the creation of the universe.

"Zhuangzi: Human World" says: "Only the Tao gathers emptiness, and emptiness is the state of mind fasting." The so-called heart fasting means to make the mind pure and free of desires. Only when there are no desires can we be empty and quiet.

Another example is what is said in "Xuanzhu Xinjingzhu": "Keeping the emptiness and doing nothing, for a long time, the magical effect will be like a response to the sound, like a shadow following the shape." And "Baopuzi·On Immortals" said: "The immortal method wants to be silent and inactive, "Forgetting his body" and what Zhuangzi described in his article "Xiaoyaoyou": "Sitting in forgetfulness, you can swim in uninhabited wilderness and travel beyond the four seas."

The above discussions are all real experiences and feelings about the two meanings of "virtual pole" and "sitting and forgetting". In our practice, regardless of internal strength, external strength, or meditation, we attach great importance to the upper part of the body and the lower part of the body. If the upper body is empty and the lower body is empty, it will become top-heavy. The so-called upper deficiency refers to the slight deficiency of the upper yuan above the navel, and the so-called lower deficiency refers to the enrichment of the lower yuan below the navel. Only when the center of gravity of the posture is placed under the navel during practice can the body be as stable as a mountain, comfortable and natural.

"Xuanzhu Heart Mirror Annotation" says: "A person whose husband is guarding one's thoughts is still in deep meditation, and his fetal breath is continuous. He must be calm and unmoving, which is also known as the body and mind are calm, that is, the long-term stay of the god is because the god has not been born. The god has not been born. It can be as long as the way of heaven, and it can protect the gods forever."

In addition, the ancients also paid great attention to time when meditating. Because humans are children of nature, the movement of our Qi and blood is closely related to the movement in the universe according to the theory of "Unity of Heaven and Man." Therefore, "The Guidance of Life and Life" says: "If people know this unity of Heaven and Man, To find the opportunity, sit quietly in the middle of the night, concentrate and gather energy, watch and listen again, block the channels, and build a solid spiritual tree. Not a single thought will arise, and all the connections will cease."

"The Theory of Meditation" written by Gao Panlong in the Ming Dynasty says: "The method of meditation does not require any arrangements. It is just ordinary and quiet. This word "ordinary" cannot be easily seen." So we say that the posture when meditating is very important. of. When meditating, we must also do "inaction". The "Donggu Sutra" says: "Inaction means that the spirit will return, and the spirit will return to the clouds of all things. If you don't move, the energy will disappear, and if the energy disappears, all things will have no life."

"Tai Qing Zhong Huang Zhen Jing" says: "Specialize in meditation, and your body will be like jade." In addition, when meditating, you need to observe internally. "Yunji Qizhu" says: "The inner reflection of the wisdom heart is called internal observation."

Volume 3 of "Daoshu" also says: "Studying Taoism takes tranquility as its sect and introspection as its foundation. Therefore, the roots are deep and solid, so that the pure energy can stick to it and the spirit does not wander outward. As for the obstacles and social interactions, the great medicine can be used." "According to relevant information, the 87-year-old Guo Moruo and the young marshal Zhang Xueliang, who lived for 101 years, both practiced meditation when they were young, so they lived a long life. Lu You, a patriotic poet from the Southern Song Dynasty, died at the age of 85. When he was young, he practiced Taoism and Zen and often meditated, so he remained very strong and mentally agile until his later years.

"Historical Records" says: "I am more than sixty years old, or more than two hundred years old, and he maintains his longevity by cultivating Taoism."

"Taiping Jing Hexiao" says: "Stand calm and preserve your spirit, that is, you will not get sick, and you will live a long life, and the gods will bless you. Therefore, the heaven and earth establish the body with tranquility, guard with the spirit, and promote the Tao."

"The Chinese Classic" says: "A calm person will live long, a restless person will die young."

"Zuowang Lun" says: "Stand calm for a long time, and the disease will disappear and life will return."

"The Immortal History of the Golden Lotus" says, "Standing still for a long time will help the Qi to grow."

"Taiping Jingchao" also said: "Quietness produces light, and light waits for God. It can communicate with gods. If you take the Tao as your neighbor, you can live forever."

"Yi Xici" says: "It is silent and unmoving, and the feeling can connect to the world."

Sima Chengzhen said: "The heart is the master of the body and the teacher of a hundred gods. Silence produces wisdom, while movement produces coma."

The value of meditating is that it is natural and comfortable, and the beauty is that it is natural. The key to meditating is to enter silence in "selflessness", and only in this way can we realize the path of life and the true meaning of the world. "Daoshu" says: "When emptiness and tranquility are extreme, the Tao dwells and wisdom arises."

The significance of meditation is not only to maintain health and enlightenment, but also to promote learning and enhance memory. The ancient Cheng Yi said in the book "Helin Jade Dew": "Every time I see a scholar sitting in meditation, I sigh at his eagerness to learn."

Zhu Xi also asked students to "study half the day and sit quietly half the day."

Wang Yangming of the Ming Dynasty said: "In the past, when I lived in Chu, I saw that people in life had too many things to understand, and it was useless to talk about the similarities and differences. I taught me how to sit quietly, and I got a glimpse of the situation, which was quite effective."