Methods and Processes of Zen Meditation - Volume Four of the Collected Works of Song Ziming

Author: Song Zhi-ming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Zen is the path of life, the book of wisdom. Zen begins in silence and is completed in non-action. The methods and process of Zen will be the path beneath the feet of those who practice it! The practice of Zen requires two things: intuition and methods. If you lack intuition and only understand the principles, or view the world from different perspectives—such as treating practice as one thing and worldly matters as another—you will develop dualistic views, meaning opposition. When a person's mind has an opposing tendency, they cannot practice well. For example, if you feel you have thoughts and yet wish to be calm, that is opposition. If you think that daily life at home, the responsibilities of adults and children, social engagements, and worldly affairs are one thing, while using meditation, reciting mantras, or bowing to Buddha as the other worldly practice, that is also opposition. Once opposition arises, your mind will oscillate between these two. If this oscillation becomes habitual, you will feel restless, complicated, and troublesome, always seeking a place to rest and find peace, but these matters prevent you from finding the middle way. This middle way cannot be found. Therefore, intuition is very important.