..续本文上一页s approached such phenomena with caution and care. When I was a young monk, just starting out in practice during my first few years, I couldn”t yet trust my mind. However, once I”d gained considerable experience and could fully trust the workings of my mind, nothing could pose a problem. Even if unusual phenomena manifested, I”d just leave it at that. If we are clued in to how these things work, they cease by themselves. It”s all fuel for wisdom. As time goes on we find ourselves completely at ease.
In meditation, things which usually aren”t wrong can be wrong. For example, we sit down cross-legged with determination and resolve: ”Alright! No pussy-footing around this time. I will concentrate the mind. Just watch me.” No way that approach will work! Every time I tried that my meditation got nowhere. But we love the bravado. From what I”ve observed, meditation will develop at its own rate. Many evenings as I sat down to meditate I thought to myself, ”Alright! Tonight I won”t budge from this spot until at least 1:00 am”. Even with this thought I was already making some bad kamma, because it wasn”t long before the pain in my body attacked from all sides, overwhelming me until it felt like I was going to die. However, those occasions when the meditation went well, were times when I didn”t place any limits on the sitting. I didn”t set a goal of 7:00, 8:00, 9:00 pm or whatever, but simply kept sitting, steadily carrying on, letting go with equanimity. Don”t force the meditation. Don”t attempt to interpret what”s happening. Don”t coerce your heart with unrealistic demands that it enter a state of samadhi - or else you”ll find it even more agitated and unpredictable than normal. Just allow the heart and mind to relax, comfortable and at ease.
Allow the breathing to flow easily at just the right pace, neither too short nor too long. Don”t try to make it into anything special. Let the body relax, comfortable and at ease. Then keep doing it. Your mind will ask you, ”How late are we going to meditate tonight
What time are we going to quit
” It incessantly nags, so you have to bellow out a reprimand, ”Listen buddy, just leave me alone”. This busybody questioner needs to be regularly subdued, because it”s nothing other than defilement coming to annoy you. Don”t pay it any mind whatsoever. You have to be tough with it. ”Whether I call it quits early or have a late night, it”s none of your damn business! If I want to sit all night, it doesn”t make any difference to anyone, so why do you come and stick your nose into my meditation
” You have to cut the nosy fellow off like that. You can then carry on meditating for as long as you wish, according to what feels right.
As you allow the mind to relax and be at ease, it becomes peaceful. Experiencing this, you”ll recognize and appreciate the power of clinging. When you can sit on and on, for a very long time, going past midnight, comfortable and relaxed, you”ll know you”re getting the hang of meditation. You”ll understand how attachment and clinging really do defile the mind.
When some people sit down to meditate they light a stick of incense in front of them and vow, ”I won”t get up until this stick of incense has burned down”. Then they sit. After what seems like an hour they open their eyes and realize only five minutes have gone by. They stare at the incense, disappointed at how exceedingly long the stick still is. They close their eyes again and continue. Soon their eyes are open once more to check that stick of incense. These people don”t get anywhere in meditation. Don”t do it like that. Just sitting and dreaming about that stick of incense, ”I wonder if it”s almost finished burning”, the meditation gets nowhere. Don”t give importance to such things. The mind doesn”t have to do anything spe…
《Unshakeable Peace》全文未完，请进入下页继续阅读…