How Should One Approach Daily Meditation Practices

How Should One Approach Daily Meditation Practices?


SHIH-FU:

You know you want to benefit from daily practice, but you don't know how to go about doing it.

First, you should have a proper mental attitude towards practice. Second, you should know and use a method.

Before you practice your method, it is important that your body and mind be relaxed. But you might not know how to relax then. In trying you might even become more tense; or you might relax so much you fall asleep. Both extremes are wrong. That's why a proper mental attitude toward practice is important. More...

The Attitude for Practicing Chan ( I )

There is nothing that must be done

While Chan practitioners and non-practitioners share a common humanity, they have some fundamentally different attitudes. Something that appears to be of utmost importance to a non-practitioner may also be important to one who practices Chan, but not critical.

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The Attitude for Practicing Chan ( II )

There is Nothing that Must Belong to You

Causes and conditions are outside of one’s control and depend on the time and the environment. Therefore, there is really nothing that must belong to you, and that must be done by you. When it is feasible to do something, give your best effort to do it, but if it can’t be done there is no need to be too disappointed or care too much about it. More...

The Wealth of Chan Meditation

The Wealth of Chan Meditation I & II
Chan is a school of Buddhist meditation that is found throughout East Asia. It is known as Zen in Japan, Thiên in Vietnam, and Sŏn in Korea. Its distinctive form first took shape in China some fifteen hundred years ago. The aim of Chan is to live life with wisdom and compassion through realization of our interconnectedness with all things. Chan involves active awareness, participation and engagement in daily life. The foundation of this goal is seated meditation. In this session, Master Sheng Yen discusses the benefits of seated meditation in the context of Chan practice and scientific findings about meditation. He does not elaborate the methods of practice in great detail because meditation cannot be learned by reading a book. Interested readers are encouraged to find a Chan meditation center and receive instruction on the actual practice from a qualified teacher.More...

The Wealth of Chan Meditation II

The methods used in Chan meditation originated in China and have their roots in India. However, the principle behind these methods, founded on developing one’s body and mind through concentration and insight, is universal. Thus, it can be said that all great religious figures, philosophers, statesmen, scientists, writers, and artists all over the world, from the past to the present, have, in their own way, experienced the benefit of Chan. Although such people may not practice Chan or assume seated meditation postures, their extraordinary ability to focus and develop insight is the basis of their achievements in their respective fields. These abilities are in accord with the effects of Chan meditation. More...