Date: 02/08/2025 02/09/2025
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Sitting Meditation
The True Meaning of Zen Meditation
Preparing the body and mind before meditation helps them settle quickly, allowing the practitioner to enter a deeper and more peaceful meditative state.
1. The Importance of Regulation: Establishing a Stable Foundation
1.Reducing physical and mental tension
Daily stress creates stiffness and scattered attention; regulation helps transition into calmness.
2.Allowing the breath to become deeper and more natural
A stable breath supports a stable mind, while rapid breathing leads to distraction.
3.Creating the right mental attitude for meditation
Regulation shifts the mind from busyness to clarity, making observation easier.
2. Relaxing the Body: Letting the Body Support Meditation
1.Take several slow, deep breaths
Deep breathing relaxes the diaphragm and soothes stress, helping the mind settle.
2.Gently stretch the body
Stretch the neck, shoulders, back, and legs to reduce discomfort during sitting.
3.Adjust posture into natural stability
Keep the spine upright but not rigid, letting the body support itself comfortably.
3. Regulating the Breath: Allowing the Mind to Settle Gradually
1.Use the breath as an anchor
Be aware of inhalation and exhalation to ground attention.
2.Slow the breath naturally
No need to force long breaths; simply let the breathing become soft, steady, and smooth.
3.Observe subtle changes created by breathing
Notice the rise and fall of the chest or abdomen to keep the mind in the present.
4. Calming the Mind: Moving From Restlessness to Clarity
1.Let thoughts come and go naturally
Do not suppress thoughts; observe them like clouds passing in the sky.
2.Use simple awareness phrases
Such as “I am inhaling” and “I am exhaling” to stabilize attention.
3.Draw attention inward
Reduce engagement with external stimuli and return awareness to the inner world.
5. Transitioning Into Meditation: Let Regulation Flow Into Sitting
1.Begin sitting when the body and mind are ready
Avoid rushing; enter meditation when harmony is naturally present.
2.Carry regulated breathing into the meditation session
Maintain soft breathing so awareness remains continuous.
3.Adjust whenever discomfort arises
Comfort is essential; modify posture gently to prevent pain or tension.
Conclusion
Regulating body and mind before meditation is the bridge from the “outer world” to the “inner world.”
By relaxing the body, smoothing the breath, and calming the mind, practitioners can enter deeper clarity and awareness.
Regulation is not a ritual but a natural process of returning to one’s true state.
