Date: 06/28/2025 06/29/2025
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Dharma Knowledge
The Basic Method of Seated Meditation
Seated meditation may appear to be nothing more than sitting quietly, yet it is a practice that is both subtle and deeply real. Beginners often focus on posture, duration, or the appearance of special experiences, while overlooking the true essence of the practice. The basic method of seated meditation is not about producing particular states, but about cultivating a stable, lucid, and non-grasping awareness.
The first essential element of seated meditation is bodily stability. Posture is not about rigid perfection, but about a balance between steadiness and ease. One may sit in full lotus, half lotus, or any comfortable seated position, as long as the body can remain still without strain. The spine is upright yet relaxed, the head balanced, the shoulders soft, and the hands resting naturally. Physical stability is not the goal itself, but the support that allows the mind to settle.
Once the body is settled, attention turns to the breath. The breath is not an object to be controlled, but an anchor for awareness. The practitioner simply knows the in-breath and out-breath as they are, noticing their length, texture, and change without interference. If the breath is coarse, it is known as coarse; if it is subtle, it is known as subtle. Seated meditation does not seek a special breathing pattern, but trains awareness to stay with what is actually occurring.
Thoughts will inevitably arise during meditation. Beginners often assume that meditation means “having no thoughts,” and become frustrated or anxious when distractions appear. In reality, meditation does not aim to eliminate thought, but to change one’s relationship to it. When a thought arises, one simply recognizes that “a thought has arisen,” without following or suppressing it, and gently returns to the breath or present awareness. Each recognition of distraction and return is the heart of the training.
Awareness in seated meditation should be clear yet relaxed. Excessive effort leads to tension, discomfort, or restlessness; too little effort leads to dullness or drifting. The correct approach is alert softness—clarity without rigidity, focus without contraction. Awareness functions like a light that illuminates experience without grasping it.
As practice continues, bodily sensations, emotions, and mental patterns become more vivid. Seated meditation does not avoid these phenomena, but allows them to appear within awareness. Physical discomfort, emotional movement, and inner resistance are not problems to be eliminated, but aspects of experience to be known. The practitioner does not need to fix or alter them; seeing them clearly without interference is already transformative.
Another important aspect of the basic method is a balanced attitude toward time and expectation. Beginners need not sit for long periods; consistency matters more than duration. Sitting at a regular time each day, even briefly, and meeting experience honestly allows the practice to accumulate naturally. Equally important is letting go of judgment about “good” or “bad” sittings. Meditation is not a performance, but a training; not a test to pass, but an opportunity to see clearly.
A common deviation in meditation is the pursuit of calm and the rejection of disturbance. Genuine meditation does not depend on internal or external quiet. Even in noise or mental turbulence, if awareness is present, meditation is intact. Calmness may arise, but it is not a prerequisite. Disturbance is not a mistake, but an object of observation.
Seated meditation should not be isolated from daily life. The awareness cultivated on the cushion is meant to extend into walking, speaking, working, and relating. If one appears calm while sitting but loses all awareness upon standing, the practice remains incomplete. The effectiveness of the method lies not in how deep meditation feels, but in how naturally awareness integrates into living.
With long-term practice, the “method” of seated meditation becomes increasingly simple. Posture no longer feels burdensome, the breath no longer requires deliberate attention, and awareness no longer needs constant correction. At this stage, meditation is no longer an activity of “doing practice,” but a natural state of presence. This shift comes not from striving, but from repetition, sincerity, and patience.
In essence, the basic method of seated meditation can be summarized in four points: a stable body, natural breathing, clear awareness, and a relaxed attitude. It is simple, yet not easy; plain, yet profoundly real. When one is willing to sit again and again and meet body and mind as they are, seated meditation gradually reveals its quiet and far-reaching power within ordinary experience.
