Buddhist monks explain how meditation can be a way of life

After we consider meditation, we regularly image somebody sitting as nonetheless as a statue, stated Venerable Hui Cheng, a monk at Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple.

However that’s only one type of meditation. For the monastics at Hsi Lai Temple, meditation isn’t a singular exercise.

“It’s a lifestyle — and an perspective of life that we supply in on a regular basis existence,” he stated. “All the things we do in our lives, so long as we’re capable of apply the thoughts accurately, with focus and a spotlight, will be meditation.”

Because the pandemic began, Venerable Hui Cheng has seen extra individuals turning to religion leaders for psychological well being steering.

Hsi Lai Temple is a monastery within the hills of Hacienda Heights. The structure, statues and gardens resemble the buildings and grounds of Chinese language monasteries of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Fo Guan Shan Buddhist group, which was based by the late Venerable Grasp Hsing Yun, has greater than 300 temples worldwide. The headquarters is in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and the Hacienda Heights temple, which opened in 1989, was the primary department constructed exterior of Taiwan. “Hsi Lai (西來)” means “coming to the West.”

The temple promotes humanistic Buddhism, a philosophy that makes use of Buddhist teachings to help in day-to-day actions and relationships.

Venerable Hui Dong, the Abbot at Hsi Lai Temple, defined that the teachings of humanistic Buddhism can profit individuals of any faith and background. It’s a observe that helps individuals discover readability of thoughts.

Fo Guang Shan advocates the three acts of goodness: Do good deeds, say good phrases, and have good ideas.

Meditation is one solution to fulfill these acts and purify the thoughts. “We’re impressed to not maintain onto issues which might be inherently fluid and transient in nature,” stated Venerable Hui Cheng, who works with the temple’s division of social training and outreach. “And that’s the place sustainable happiness is allowed to develop and develop.”

The Occasions visited Hsi Lai Temple to be taught concerning the various kinds of meditation which might be completed on the mountain monastery. Listed here are some ideas shared by the temple’s monks.

Sitting meditation

The Hsi Lai Temple’s conventional sitting meditation periods happen in its meditation corridor, with a Buddha on the middle.

After taking off your footwear, you might be inspired to take a seat within the quarter lotus place — legs crossed with one ankle on high of the opposite shin — if you’re a newbie. Sit up and put your palms in entrance of you in a meditation mudra: palms up, left hand on the underside, proper hand on the highest with the 2 thumbs touching.

“We tuck in our chin and have the information of our tongue towards the palate, our eyes closed, after which we loosen up the physique as we slowly deliver our focus to the purpose between the nostril and high lip,” Venerable Hui Cheng stated. “As we deliver the main focus to the highest lip, we permit the thoughts to concentrate on the sensations of respiration out and in naturally.”

They usually meditate for half-hour.

Venerable Hui Cheng recites the purpose of mindfulness whereas meditating: “What has occurred prior to now is historical past. Nothing for us to hassle ourselves over. What has but to return is the longer term. One thing that doesn’t require hypothesis. A very powerful factor at this specific level is now — simply to change into conscious of the current second.”

It’s pure for what he calls “our monkey minds” to wander round as we attempt to focus. For some, the barrage of undesirable ideas and feelings might really feel like a “impolite awakening,” he stated. However he reminds us to look at our ideas and emotions with out judgment — and slowly, gently focus our minds again on our respiration.

“The second we give our thoughts a job to do, we’re coaching it,” he stated. “We’re refining the artwork of consideration, and as soon as we’re targeted on the current second, we’re afforded the chance to be impressed by our knowledge to behave prudently and with wholesomeness.”

The Venerable Hui Dong brings it again to the teachings of humanistic Buddhism. “At any time when the thoughts offers rise to greed, cravings, anger and hate, [you can] practice the thoughts to say good phrases, have good ideas and attempt to calm itself,” he stated. “Generally it simply requires individuals to observe endurance — being affected person [with] all these upsurges of emotion.”

Strolling meditation

“Many instances once we stroll in our every day lives, our minds are elsewhere,” he stated.

When doing strolling meditation, the main focus is on enjoyable the physique, centering your self and uniting the thoughts and physique.

There are two kinds of strolling meditation: gradual, the place the main focus is on the ft and really slowly transferring the load from heel to toe as we stroll; and brisk, which includes swinging the arms excessive whereas taking large strides.

“The main focus ought to be on the complete physique and simply changing into comfortable with the actions,” he stated. “The explanation we swing the arms good and excessive is in order that we’re activating the lymph glands. It releases pressure and loads of poisons contained in the physique.”

When the monks do strolling meditations, they regulate the pace based mostly on how their our bodies really feel within the second, Venerable Hui Cheng stated.

“If the physique is drained, if it is filled with torpor, then we do our strolling in a short time, and that permits the thoughts to clean up,” he stated. “When the thoughts is busy, we do it slower, so the thoughts can anchor itself on a degree of meditation.”

Sutra calligraphy

Actions similar to calligraphy that put you in a zone for a protracted time period can act as an excellent transition right into a quieter way of thinking, Venerable Hui Cheng stated.

Yearly on Might 16, to commemorate the founding of the Fo Guang Shan monastic order, the temples maintain an occasion the place members, household and pals around the globe concurrently transcribe the Coronary heart Sutra collectively.

“It’s a solution to join with knowledge,” he stated. “The Coronary heart Sutra is all about dwelling a life that is freed from the commitments that create struggling.”

It takes about an hour to write down the complete factor, he stated.

To do Chinese language calligraphy, consider the comb as a dancer as you write, he stated.

“The aim of sutra calligraphy is to permit the thoughts to have a meditation object,” he stated. “And on this case, it’s going to be the tip of the comb. As we put the comb all the way down to paper, we concentrate on the tip, because it very naturally goes by way of the movement of transcribing.”

Consuming meditation

Consuming may also be meditation. The temple’s eating corridor hosts a vegetarian buffet — serving recent dishes with out onion and garlic. However consuming meditation is much less about the kind of meals being eaten than concerning the time spent specializing in the meals and appreciating every ingredient of the meal.

In our every day lives, we regularly are multitasking once we eat. However “there’s a saying in Buddhism that once we stroll, we solely stroll,” stated Venerable Hui Cheng. “ After we stand, we solely stand. After we sit down, we solely sit down. And once we recline, we solely recline — and do nothing else.”

Guests to the Hsi Lai Temple eating corridor are inspired to take part in 5 meal contemplations:

1. Assess the quantity of labor concerned; weigh the origins of the meals.
2. Mirror on one’s personal ethical conduct; excellent or not, take this providing.
3. Safeguard the thoughts towards all error; don’t give rise to hatred or greed.
4. Regard this meals pretty much as good drugs; in order to deal with the weakened physique.
5. To be able to accomplish the Means; one deserves to just accept this meals.

Yi Jin Jing

Yi Jin Jing is a collection of 12 workout routines coordinated with respiration. In Chinese language, “yi” (易) means change, “jin” (筋) means tendons, and “jing” (經) means strategies.

Venerable Hui Shiuan, who additionally works within the temple’s division of social training, has been practising Yi Jin Jing for 17 years.

Yi Jin Jing is commonly completed earlier than a sitting meditation, he stated. The actions assist with blood circulation and the physique’s meridians — which in Chinese language drugs seek advice from the pathways that power, or qi, flows by way of.

Venerable Hui Shiuan likes educating Yi Jin Jing as a result of the actions are comparatively light and easy. Many individuals can be taught the actions in solely 20 minutes, he stated. And you may circle by way of the 12 actions in about six or seven minutes. For an extended exercise, you repeat the actions, counting every recurrence by the breath.

When Venerable Hui Shiuan taught Yi Jin Jing in Malaysia, he had college students of all generations. Within the U.S., his courses draw an older crowd. “If you grow old, when you need assistance lifting up your ft to stroll up stairs or lifting your arms up, doing Yi Jin Jing may also help obtain these outcomes comparatively rapidly,” he stated in Chinese language.

He encourages newcomers to be affected person. When studying, at first you would possibly really feel drained, he stated. However after a few weeks, doing Yi Jin Jing ought to make you’re feeling good.

“In case you observe it within the morning, you’ll really feel like you have got extra power,” he stated. “In case you do it at evening earlier than you go to mattress, you’ll you’ll want to sleep soundly.”

Meditation in motion

Altruism is among the core ideas of humanistic Buddhism. The Hsi Lai Temple hosts common Day of Giving occasions, the place volunteers can come “help the temple, type affinities and domesticate deserves.” They assist do chores, together with gardening and wiping down the Buddha statues.

“In Buddhism, we are saying that every thing we do has a goal, and every thing is observe,” Venerable Hui Cheng stated.

So when you’re cleansing the surroundings round you, use it as a chance to cleanse your thoughts, he stated.

“Most individuals tend to be overly preoccupied with one’s self, one’s likes and dislikes and what one endeavors in life,” Venerable Hui Cheng stated.

Eliminating the ego and serving the group is what helps us discover pleasure, he stated.

Final takeaways

Venerable Hui Dong encourages these focused on humanistic Buddhism to be taught extra about its teachings and achieve larger understanding of how our minds work. A spot to begin is with one of many many books by Venerable Grasp Hsing Yun, the monastic order’s founder, together with “For All Dwelling Beings: A Information to Buddhist Apply” and “Being Good: Buddhist Ethics for On a regular basis Life.”

The temple additionally provides courses, each in individual and on-line, in addition to Dharma providers.

Some individuals might do meditation as a solution to loosen up, however the purpose is to “actually launch themselves from the anger or the attachment to the supplies or to different issues of their life, which ultimately would trigger the stress and the ache,” he stated.

It’s about discovering peace amid the hustle and bustle of every day life, Venerable Hui Cheng stated.

“As quickly as we permit the thoughts to concentrate on the physique, to capable of slowly deliver it again and anchor it on a selected level — regardless of how chaotic the world exterior will be, our minds are very nonetheless.”