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Instructions for Seated Meditation

by Foxin Bencai

In seated meditation, make the heart upright and make the mind straight and true. Cleanse the self and empty the heart. Seated in the cross-legged position, look and listen inwardly; clearly awake and aware, you are always removed from both dullness (oblivion) and excitement. If something arises in your mind, do your best to throw it out.

In silent concentration, investigate clearly with true mindfulness. That which is conscious of sitting is the mind, and that which investigates is the mind. That which knows existence and non-existence, the central and extremes, the in & out, is the mind. Round and luminous, perfectly clear, it falls not into concepts of nihilism or eternalism. With spiritual awareness bright & radiant, its discrimintion is no longer false.

These days we see students who sit ardently yet do not awaken. Their problem comes from their depending on concepts, and their feelings sticking to bias and untruth. In their confusion they turn their backs on the real basis and mistakenly go the way of quietism or activism. This is the reason they do not attain enlightenment.
If you can concentrate and clarify your mind so that you harmonize intimately with the uncreated, the mirror of knowledge will be cleared and the flower of the mind will instantly burst into bloom. Infinite attachments to concepts will suddenly melt away, and stored up eons of ignorance will open up all at once.

This can be likened to forgetting, and then sudenly remembering; like being ill, then recovering all at once. A sense of joy arises within you, and you know that you will become a Buddha. At that time, you know that there is no separate Buddha outside of the mind.

After this, you increase cultivation in harmony with enlightenment, and experience the realization by cultivation. The origin of the realization of enlightenment is the identity of mind, Buddha and living beings. This is called absorption in unified understanding and unified action. It is also called the path without effort.

Now you are able to turn things around without alienation from the senses and their objects. Taking up what comes to you, you alternate as host and guest. The eye of the cosmos is clear, and the present and past are made anew. The spiritual capacity of perceiving directly is attained by itself. This is why Vimalakirti said, "To live an active life without coming out of absorption in Nirvana is called silent sitting."

Thus we should know that the moon comes ino view when the water is still, and the shine is complete when the mirror is clean. For those who study the Tao, it is essential that they engage in seated meditation. Otherwise, they will be going 'round in circles forever.

Although this is not a pleasant (teaching), I cannot remain silent. So I have written out some generalities to help people find the true souce. If you do not neglect your practice, then you will have the same realization as well.

(paraphrased from Thomas Cleary's translation)