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Chapter 4 How to Eliminate Morbidity

Chapter 4 How to Eliminate Morbidity

What is Buddhism- {Chapter 4}-How to eliminate sickness

“Chapter 4 How to Eliminate Morbidity”

Now that we understand the six characteristics of the human mind, they are the main factors that hinder the attainment of Buddhahood; and if a person wants to become a Buddha, he must fundamentally eliminate these six pathological conditions. Then, how can these six sicknesses be eradicated? To answer this question, we have to talk about the most important teachings in Buddhism – “samadhi” and “wisdom” (“meditation” and “wisdom”), or the knowledge of “stopping” and “viewing”. Concentration and wisdom are really the basic methods to cure these six deep-rooted mental problems.

Meditation is not unique in Buddhism. Hinduism and Chinese Taoism also have a very deep understanding of meditation and profound achievements. There are a lot of books explaining meditation and wisdom in Buddhism. Here I can only introduce them to you in a very general way, as a beginning.

Although the appearance and function of the six major pathological conditions of the human mind are different from each other, they all have a common characteristic : that is, these six major pathological conditions are all “vibrating” and “moving”. and “progressive”. I’d like to help illustrate in English: that’s Vibrating, Acting and Progressing

“Thinking” has many different words in English, such as Thought, Reflection, Consideration Thinking…etc. Among these words, I think the gerund of Thinking can quite describe the action and progress of human thought. Adding an ing after the verb think makes people directly feel the flow of thought. This fluctuating flow of thoughts is the basic phase of mental illness. Only by using the method of meditation to calm down this fluctuating flow of mind can we begin to talk about turning “consciousness” into “wisdom”.

After a period of calm exercise, the flowing mind of human beings will undergo many qualitative and physical changes. With the power of meditation as the basis, coupled with the wisdom of decision-making, the six pathological conditions of the mind can be gradually subdued. The consciousness of ordinary people is fluctuating, but the consciousness of meditation is calm.

Meditation was originally just a special psychological and physiological phenomenon, without any mystery or grotesqueness. The psychology and physiology of ordinary people have their mutual correlation, mutual influence and function, and they are self-contained. The psychology and physiology of meditation are also self-contained. However, if you look at meditation from the eyes of ordinary people, you will think it is special.

This special mental and physical state has many different names, such as “meditation”, “meditation”, “stopping”, “yoga” and so on. Each term focuses on describing a certain aspect of this special psychological and physiological phenomenon. Samadni (Samadhi) used in Sanskrit is one of the technical terms describing meditation. Now, referring to the descriptions and explanations of meditation in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Chinese Taoism, try to define “chanting” as follows:

“Meditation is a special psychological and physiological state. In this state, the remarkable psychological phenomenon is the phenomenon of concentrating on one object without fluctuating delusions. The remarkable physiological phenomena are breathing, blood circulation, and the slow, tiny, absolute cessation of the beating of the heart”.

According to the research of Buddhist scholars , in the state of deep meditation, most of them stop breathing and heartbeat. To explain the physiological structure of the human body, it is believed that the digestive system, respiratory system, circulatory system, excretory system, etc. are all designed to support the function of the nervous system. The nervous system is only for the support (edge) of mental (or mind) activities.

In the state of enlightenment, the mind has almost stopped its activities. At this time, the nervous system does not have to work hard to support it, so the functions of the circulatory system, respiratory system and heart beating to support the nervous system become superfluous. There is no need at all: After understanding this principle, you will not make a fuss or have a superficial skeptical attitude towards phenomena such as breathing stop and heart stop in meditation.

Meditation is a way to cure the six major pathological conditions of the human mind (thought), and now I will further briefly introduce the realm of meditation and important practice methods.

Three Steps of Meditation

The realm of meditation changes gradually in the process of practice. Generally speaking, it can be divided into three stages, or three realms.

One

If people who practice concentration, if they are diligent, it will not take long for them to feel that they have a lot of delusional thoughts when they are practicing concentration, which is much more than when they are not practicing concentration. At the same time, the troubles are very strong, and the heart can’t be at ease. This is the first stage that ordinary people will encounter. This phenomenon is good, and it is progress, not regression. You must know that the delusional thoughts of ordinary people, like a torrent, never decrease, but they are not aware of it when they are not cultivated.

The torrent of delusional thoughts is a very scary, very stubborn, and very difficult to subdue thing. The flow of delusional thoughts can only be felt when the practice of meditation has made considerable progress, and the rise and fall of each delusional thought (the birth and death of a complete thought trend) can be perceived. It is said that practitioners with good concentration can notice that when they recite the Avalokitesvara mantra (“Om Mani Padme Hum”) once, more than ten false thoughts arise and disappear. It can be seen that the existence of false thoughts is just like a waterfall. The “Unraveling the Deep Secret Sutra” says:

Alaya’s consciousness is very deep and detailed, and all seeds are like a waterfall.

I don’t want to start acting like a fool, for fear that the other will hold on to me.

It fully proves that in our latent mind, all the seeds of delusional thoughts are continuous and surging like a torrent!

Two

The second stage of meditation is called the “illusory realm”. This kind of illusory state is easy for some people, but not easy for others. Because of the physical and psychological changes that have taken place at this time, what is commonly called an “illusion” or “illusion” arises. Some people see light, see night, see Buddha, human, mountains, rivers and earth, and various realms and forms in concentration. If there is an attachment in the mind at this time, such as being greedy for a certain scene or feeling, something will go wrong, which is commonly known as “obsession”. Let me tell you an interesting story. This story is a story of a Tibetan lama who has achieved a lot in his practice.

One day, he saw a spider in samadhi, which was small at first; then it got bigger and bigger, and he would see it every time he sat in meditation. At first the spider was four or five feet away from him, but then it got closer and closer to his face. Finally he saw that the spider opened its mouth wide to bite him. He was very frightened, so he chanted a mantra, trying to use the power of the mantra to subdue it, but to no avail. So he contemplated compassion again, vowing to save this evil animal with bodhicitta, but the spider still didn’t go away! He was troubled and terrified, and couldn’t continue to practice, so he had to tell the master everything that happened.

Master asked him , “What are you going to do now?”

He said, “I’m going to kill it with a knife when it reappears tomorrow!”

Master said, “Don’t be too busy. When the spider appears tomorrow, you can use a pen to draw a cross on its stomach, and it won’t be too late to kill it the day after tomorrow.”

He followed his master’s instructions, and when the spider appeared, he drew a cross on the spider’s stomach with a pen. When he reported back to the master that he had done so, the master said to him , “Loosen your trouser belt and look on your belly. What’s there?”

He took off his clothes and saw that there was a cross he had drawn on his belly!

In short, the various realms experienced by those who practice meditation are so diverse that it is difficult to describe them in one word. Such illusions caused by psychological and physical changes, if you can observe them with prajna wisdom and know that they do not exist, they will disappear and disintegrate; but if you cling to illusions and think they are real, something will go wrong!

Three

The third stage of meditation : those who practice meditation, if they are not afraid of the interference of delusional thoughts and troubles, do not cling to the reality of illusions, continue to work hard, and after the body and mind are well-balanced, the power of concentration will naturally increase gradually, and enter the third stage—the realm of righteous concentration.

At this time, delusional thoughts do not arise, the mind focuses on one place, the breath is subtle or stops, and the states of “happiness”, “brightness” and “no thought” come successively. There have been fundamental changes in psychology and physiology, and they are already different from ordinary people. After attaining samadhi, people’s original six mental illnesses are gradually eliminated. At that time, they are light and at ease, and wisdom naturally grows; practitioners rely on samadhi and aspirations to make great achievements, and further develop prajna and contemplation, and tend to enter the wisdom of non-discrimination. Then the perfect Buddha nature will be revealed suddenly.

Practical practice of meditation

In a nutshell, the three-step state of meditation has been talked about. Now briefly describe the actual practice of meditation. Most people often associate meditation with meditation, but sitting cross-legged is actually just one of the methods of meditation. There are many kinds of meditation methods, and now I will only briefly introduce the six more important meditation methods as an introduction. If you are interested, you can follow this introduction for further research and practice.

What about the six meditation practices?

1. Practice meditation with concentration

Concentrating on practicing meditation is to concentrate on one place to practice meditation. This predestined place can be a certain point in the external environment, or it can be a certain point in the inner body. For example, the usual way of practice in Taoism is to focus on a certain orifice in the body. Generally speaking, if the mind is oriented to the external environment, such as the sixteen fingers in front of the nose, or the wood and stones in front of it, there are fewer chances of going wrong, but the attainment of samadhi is also slower. Concentrate on a certain point in your body, you will gain samadhi faster and increase your experience faster, but it is easier to go wrong.

2. Practice meditation according to visualization

For example, the sixteen contemplations mentioned in the “Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra”, as well as the mandala and deity contemplations of the Esoteric Buddhism, all belong to this method of contemplation and meditation. The focus and meditation mentioned above is a relatively rigid method of observation. Many people cannot do it by concentrating on one point; because it is very difficult to tie a flow of mind that is accustomed to exile and speed to one point. thing. Visualization is a little more open. Visualization is to train the mind dominantly, so that the movement and stillness of the mind are all controlled by me.

I am afraid that many people will not agree with or understand this sentence. They must doubt: “The heart is my own. We can think whatever we want, move it when we want it, and keep it still if we want it. Why bother?” What about training?” In fact, those who have never practiced meditation do not understand the difficulty of subduing this mind at all! That’s the point of experimentation. Unless you experience it yourself, others cannot make you understand it. In short, at most a person can only partially control his mind, and if he wants to fully control his mind, he will never be able to do so without putting in a lot of hard work.

Among the meditation methods of visualization, in Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, there is the practice of observing the chakras and mandala in the body, which can especially quickly adjust the mind and enter concentration quickly. Ordinary people have never used their consciousness to continuously “visualize” or paint an object with their consciousness. If this kind of continuous visualization can be sustained, it will be very easy to enter meditation.

3. Practice meditation according to breath adjustment

The basic revision method in Buddhism is the concept of counting breath. That is to say, it is a method of practicing concentration according to regulating the breath. In addition to the concept of counting and breathing, Tantra also has methods such as Vajra Chanting and Aquarius Qi. Taoism also has many very special and excellent methods of breath adjustment. Gentle breathing method is actually the safest method of meditation, and it is also the method advocated by the Buddha himself.

4. Practice meditation by reciting

It is also a safe way to enter concentration by holding one Buddha’s name or one mantra wholeheartedly. At the same time, because of the single-minded adherence to the Buddha’s name, it will correspond to the power of the Buddha’s vows and receive the blessing of the Buddha’s power. This method may be a little difficult for people who have a heavy mind of discrimination and blazing delusions, but generally speaking, it is still a very excellent and safe method of meditation.

5. Practice meditation according to the exercise

It must not be rigid sitting still. Walking, standing, sitting, lying down can be settled. Therefore, for some people with advanced abilities, it may be faster to enter meditation through exercise than sitting in meditation. Taijiquan of Chinese Taoism, I think, is a very good method of meditation. There is also the so-called “Yizi Jue” in Taoism, which is a very special method of moving the fingers into meditation.

It seems that there are many methods in Buddhist scriptures that advocate moving to get rid of concentration obstacles, such as Bodhidharma Yijin Jing and the boxing method in Tantric Buddhism, but few advocate moving to get rid of concentration obstacles. Generally speaking, samadhi based on movement may not be a practice that can generally benefit most people. The depth of its determination is probably relatively limited.

6. Cultivate meditation according to the nature of mind

Among all the methods of practicing meditation, this is the highest, the deepest, the most difficult, and at the same time the easiest method.

If a person can understand that there is nothing other than his nature, he can know his own mind as it really is at the moment of thought; then he can observe his mind and practice meditation at all times and in every action. This samadhi is a samadhi that is inseparable from concentration and wisdom, a samadhi that is indistinguishable from movement and stillness, a samadhi in which delusion and bodhi are the same, a samadhi that is non-attaching, non-letting, uncultivated, omnipresent, and lively throughout.

Although this samadhi is supreme, its depth and order are quite different. It’s really a mountain, another mountain! The Buddha nature is readily available at the moment, but to fully realize this vast and inconceivable Buddha nature, we need to continue to work hard and strive hard!

The above will practice several methods of meditation. A brief introduction. There are many kinds of Dharma-doors practiced in Buddhism due to the different roots of sentient beings, but in any Dharma-dharma practice, meditation and insight are the most important. Wisdom Viewing is an extremely profound and broad subject, and it must be discussed in a special topic; now I will only briefly explain the general nature of meditation.

At this point, everyone has a general idea of ​​the difference between Buddhism and other religions, what is a Buddha, and why we humans cannot reveal our original Buddha nature and reach the realm of Buddha. For meditation, it can only be said that it involves the superficial. Among all of you present here, there must be many who have already studied the Dharma very well and have practiced deeply in daily life.

They will feel that what I am talking about today is too superficial, too simple and not deep enough. For these Buddhist students, I very much hope to have the opportunity to continue to study various profound Buddhist teachings with you in the future. However, many of you here must have heard what I said today, and it is really difficult to cultivate to become a Buddha. Some people are thinking : It is not easy for me to sit quietly for even a few minutes, so how can I hope to achieve meditation wisdom and great wisdom and compassion. Isn’t it a dream! Some thought: It is really too difficult to cultivate like this! I can’t even be busy with family affairs, so why do I spend so much time practicing! Some were thinking: The Buddhist scriptures are so profound that I can’t even understand the lectures, so how can I talk about cultivating samadhi?

For these listeners, I would like to say a few more words.

If you have this kind of self-consciousness, negativity and shrinking thoughts, it is not only wrong, but also unnecessary, why?

Let me start with two examples:

There are two people, A and B, whose career, family, and economic situation are roughly similar. On weekends, A often gathers together with family members and some friends in one place or travels together in the countryside, talking and discussing things. Principles of being a human being, philosophy, art, religion ; or doing voluntary work to help various charities. The husband and wife always look at ease and are happy, and their bodies are also very healthy. They are over sixty, and they look like forty people. Someone asked them: Hello! You couple, why haven’t you seen your old age for decades? They always smiled and said: We slept very well at night!

B has different hobbies. On weekends, he always likes to play Bridge with friends outside , but he often quarrels because he is dissatisfied with the partner’s playing cards. I also like to play cards and poker with friends. But every time he loses money, he gets upset; after drinking a few cups of wine and returning home, he is always full of complaints and blames others.

ometimes his wife asked why he didn’t play with his family all the time, and he always blamed his wife for not understanding him—working so hard all week outside—and not allowing him to relax a little on weekends. Later, he had another girlfriend at the dance hall, which made him even more fascinated. He’s not yet fifty, he looks haggard, and he’s always on edge, sometimes irritable, and sometimes depressed like the whole world is against him!

Ladies and gentlemen, it is the same few hours on the weekend, but A and B use different methods, and the results can have such a big difference!

Now look at the second example.

There are also two people, A and B, who both have enough income and live a prosperous life. A has a hobby, that is, he likes to buy antiques. Whatever he likes, he will do everything possible to pay a high price, and sometimes even use all means to obtain it, so that he can be satisfied. Over the years, the collection has become more and more abundant, but A has become more and more worried: he is afraid that his friend will accidentally break it when he is looking at it (he once had a lawsuit with a friend for this, and he had to eat it for a few weeks because of it). No food, no sleep.) Afraid of fire and theft.

In his later years, it was even worse, often frowning and worrying. When people ask him why, he always avoids saying anything, but everyone can see it very clearly : he is afraid that he will not be able to catch his breath, his feet will be stunned, and he will not be able to take any of the precious collections in his life!

B’s money is spent differently. B is happy to help young people: Some young people need money because they are studying and their families are poor ; Not only that, he also paid for a number of experts. When young people have various questions and problems, they can find these experts and ask for consultants, all free of charge. These experts have indeed helped young people a lot, especially when young people are wandering about love and choosing a career.

He also paid for the establishment of institutions to help young people solve their occupational problems. Donating money to run schools, donating money to research various diseases related to young people, are the things he is most willing to participate in. Of course, this gentleman is not just donating money, but I am only referring to money here, which can be compared with the antique king mentioned above. B has lived like this for decades, and his life is full of comfort and joy. Many young couples often visit him when they pass through the city where he lives. Not all of them have been directly helped by him, and there are not a few who come to ask for advice and compliments. His kind attitude, inner tranquility and happiness, everyone who saw him praised and envied him.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is the same amount of money, but the difference in the use of A and B can produce such a big difference!

The above two examples seem to be exaggerated, and the purpose is to make an obvious comparison. In the first example, A is by no means jealous of the bridge show when he sees it and refuses to touch it. He sometimes comes here once or twice at the invitation of his friends. B in the second example does not mean that he spends all his money on helping young people and lives in poverty. In short, everyone understands the purpose of these two examples. I am explaining that it makes a big difference whether a person’s property is used properly or not; It is even more pity to use it!

I want to further talk about the preciousness of a person’s time. Everyone knows that a person’s time is limited. Even if you live to be a hundred years old, you can imagine how many years are left, not to mention that when people get old, their eyes, ears, teeth, and everything else will be greatly reduced. A day is only equivalent to half a day when I was young, maybe less. Therefore, the useful time of human beings is really limited. Once the time is gone, it cannot be brought back again; and whether it is used properly or not has such a great influence. Since time is so precious, how can we waste it so easily! So how can we make use of our precious time to be more valuable and meaningful? A person with aspirations and ambitions should always think about it and be vigilant.

For this reason, although I totally agree with you that you are too busy and quiet for your life, career, family, and children and grandchildren, I still want to propose a method to study what Buddhism is from another aspect. I understand that it is not necessary to have a quiet environment for the practice of Dharma; Dharma is not all unattainable and difficult to learn; Dharma is actually in daily life, there are ways to practice when there are heavy afflictions . And this so-called practice is not just an ordinary way of life – life activities – some of which are nothing special, but just use part of your time to make it more valuable and meaningful. This kind of life is of great benefit not only to your future, but also to your present spirit and health.