meditation [míngxiǎng]

Chinese words

This entry is polysemous, with a total of 14 meanings

Meditation is a word translated from abroad, in English, it refers to the meaning of meditation, which is a technique and way for yoga to achieve concentration, focusing the mind, mind and spirit completely in the primordial beginning; The ultimate goal is to lead people to the state of liberation.

Yogis use meditation to subdue the mind and transcend material desires; Feel direct communication with the original motivation. By simply practicing meditation, you can help people say goodbye to negative emotions and regain control of their lives.

Chinese name

meditation

Foreign name

meditation

Fields of application

Yoga, everyday life

effect

Focus your heart, mind, and spirit completely

fast

navigation

Yoga meditation

Misunderstanding

Meditation training

Three states

According to the yogis, the self, the human being, is controlled and dominated because it is blinded by the three states of nature. If a person is under the influence of ignorance, he will want to obtain a certain type of sensual pleasure, for example, if a person is under the influence of ignorance, he may want to sleep or be anesthetized; If a person is under the influence of a state of passion, he may be tempted to engage in sexual pleasure; If a person is under the influence of a state of goodness, he may want to enjoy a peaceful and quiet day in the park or in the countryside. All these cases, therefore, are determined by the nature of man's desires as to which influence in nature governs his state.



meditation

According to the yogi, as long as a person is still governed by the three states of material nature, ignorance, passion, and goodness, he is not free – he has not yet been freed from the bondage of material desires. To be free from material desires, he must be free from the influence of these three states of nature. Everyone is blinded by ignorance, passion, and kindness. However, at any given moment, one of these three will always prevail.

Ignorance is the worst state, and the result of this state is madness, delusions, delusions, laziness, etc.

The state of passion is superior to the state of ignorance, but it signifies characteristics such as major attachments, uncontrollable desires, pursuits, and intense efforts.

And the state of goodness is purer and radiant than the others. People in this state cultivate and develop wisdom, but they are conditioned by the concept of happiness.

People who are in a state of goodness are only interested in their own happiness. In other words, although his desires are purer and more subtle than those of a person in ignorance or passion, he is still self-centered. Such a person feels very sad and depressed when the state of ignorance or the state of passion begins to affect his body and mind, thus depriving him of the happiness he derives from the state of goodness. He is not yet free from all three influences—and he cannot maintain his status as an unaffected, detached witness to the natural activities of these three influences. He has not yet reached the level of loving service to the whole—and therefore, he is not truly liberated. It is only when this creature imprisoned in the flesh is able to transcend these three states that he can be freed from the sufferings of birth, death, old age, and all three, and enjoy the nectar in this life.

The idea that only those who are not interested in their own happiness can be truly happy may seem strange and confusing to the ignorant – but it is logical and easy to understand to the wise. The person who realizes the ultimate state of yoga is one who is aware of ignorance, passion, or goodness when he is at work in his body and mind, but he feels that he is detached from this influence or is unmoved. Such a person is neither obedient to these influences (i.e., not subordinate to one's own body and mind) nor disgusted by the fact that these influences are at work. He experienced it all as a detached witness. If he does not pay attention to the commands of these influences, nor does he obey them, then what does he pay attention to, and what do he obey? The answer is that he focuses on his service to the whole, because he is inspired or motivated by the power of spiritual love, which is very different from the states of ignorance, passion, or goodness. Such a liberated yogi can be likened to a person who is so focused on his job that he doesn't care much about the weather. It could be a sunny day (which can be compared to a state of goodness), or a cloudy day (which can be compared to a state of passion), or a rainy day (which can be compared to a state of ignorance). Although he knows: "Ah, it's the sun today" or "Ah, it's raining today!" But he still keeps his head down and does his job.

According to yogis, attaining liberation from the influence of the three states of matter and nature is a gradual process. For example, if a person who was previously primarily in a state of ignorance engages in yoga practice and adopts a yogic lifestyle, he gradually becomes more and more in a state of passion, and more or less in a state of goodness. Then, as he continues to practice, he will gradually and more fall under the influence of goodness, less and less under the influence of passion, and even less under the influence of ignorance. Then, he gradually transcended the shadow of a state of goodness. Such a state is called a purified state of goodness, or a state of transcendence. or Samadhi.

Therefore, it is imperative for all yogis to try to be free from the influence of ignorance and passion. The way to achieve this is to turn more and more to the influence of a state of goodness. In the past, the yogi gradually transcends even the influence of the state of goodness.

In order to transcend all three states, one must first basically hold on to the state of goodness, and not attach itself to the state of ignorance or passion, because the state of goodness is the starting point for getting rid of these three states. After attaining liberation, no matter which of the three is active, ignorance, passion, or goodness, one remains unmoved.

Therefore, the purpose of all yogic meditation practices is to liberate one from the domination of these three states of material nature – starting with the state of ignorance and passion, and finally, even the state of goodness.

Yoga meditation

Of all the yoga meditation systems, none is as straightforward, time-tested, or widely used as the efficacy of yoga voice meditation. As mentioned earlier, yoga voice meditation can be practiced in conjunction with exercises to enhance the qi of life, or it can be practiced individually throughout life.

Yoga voice meditation is also known as Mantra meditation. The Sanskrit word "mantra" can be divided into two parts, namely "man" (man) and "tra" (tra). "Man" means "mind". "Tra" means "to lead away". Thus, "mantra" means a special set of sounds that can draw the human mind away from its worldly thoughts, worries, desires, mental burdens, and so on. By concentrating one's attention on one's yogic voice, one can gradually transcend the qualities of ignorance and passion and become one of the qualities of goodness. From this step, yogic meditation progresses deeper into perfect meditation and finally into a state of concentration.

It is against the capacity of the mind to try to keep the mind focused on an object by means of attention. It is difficult and futile to do so. This is also actually against the principles of yogic meditation. In yogic meditation, the person gently tries to focus his mind on an object, and if the mind is going to leave it, he tries to catch it and bring it back. But this is done extremely gently.

The practice of yoga voice meditation is extremely easy to follow. There are no hard and fast rules. Sometimes it's a repetition of the heart and mouth at the same time, and sometimes it's just a silent recitation. When chanting aloud, sometimes in a whispered voice, sometimes in ordinary language, and sometimes in rhythmic singing. Sometimes the chanting is synchronized with the breath, and sometimes it doesn't have to. Sometimes it's sitting, sometimes it's standing, sometimes it's walking, and so on. The practitioner's eyes are sometimes closed, sometimes partially closed, and sometimes fully open.

Misunderstanding

Meditation and pranayama techniques do not have to be practiced at the same time

Meditation techniques before meditation, such as pranayama, restraint, conjunction, and some techniques for cultivating and manipulating the breath of life. So, when practicing yoga voice meditation, you have to practice these techniques together to get the best results?

In fact, you don't need to practice any pre-meditation techniques, just practice yoga voice meditation to reach the highest level of yoga meditation.

Like yoga postures, confinement, conformity, and pranayama (the cultivation and manipulation of breath and life qi) are all at the service of yogic voice meditation. If you feel that any of these techniques can directly or indirectly help you put your mind into yoga voice meditation, you may want to practice these techniques. But if you don't need to rely on these techniques to achieve single-minded immersion in yoga voice meditation, don't spend precious time.

For example, a person may practice yoga poses because of their health and strengthening effects, as well as releasing superficial tension and stress, so that they can easily achieve a state of concentration when doing yoga voice meditation. That said, his yoga poses are at the service of yoga voice meditation. Similarly, some people practice confinement, alignment, and pranayama, or other techniques that cultivate or manipulate the breath of life, because they feel that these practices can directly or indirectly contribute to the practice of yoga voice meditation.

Yoga voice meditation does not require the assistance of techniques such as the cultivation and manipulation of the breath of life, on the contrary, these techniques require the assistance of yoga voice meditation in order to realize the true and deep spiritual value; Otherwise, their value will be limited to physical and psychological levels.

If you are accustomed to practicing pre-meditation techniques, you can continue to practice them along with yoga voice meditation. However, if you are not familiar with these meditation techniques, you don't need to spend precious time on them in terms of the nature of meditation and the primary and secondary relationship between pranayama meditation (but if you have a specific illness or discomfort, you may benefit from practicing these pre-meditation techniques).

The ultimate goal of yogic meditation is not to empty the mind or to reach a state of "selflessness."

Rather, it allows the mind to sense a transcendent voice with a spiritual nature, so as to achieve the effect of purifying consciousness.

Generally speaking, the attempt to make the mind "empty and empty" is almost futile, and such an attempt will only bring frustration. Even at the moment when the state of "nothing comes to mind," you think, "Ah, I almost did it!" I barely had any thoughts! "But when you think about it, don't you have a new idea in your mind?! It's that you're thinking, "I didn't think about anything." According to the science of yoga, the state of "selflessness" is also impossible. According to Yoga, nirvana does not mean the end of existence, but the end of ignorant and painful meaningless existence. True perfect nirvana is the realization of a being that is full of spiritual love, inner wisdom, and purpose. Nothing is more real to us than our own existence; Nothing is more natural than being aware of one's own existence.

Therefore, to think that the purpose of yogic meditation is to make us unaware of our own existence or to terminate our existence is actually difficult, in fact, impossible. Any attempt to destroy existence is really just a hopeless struggle and a waste of time, and it does not solve the suffering at all. The solution to suffering is not to try to terminate or forget the existence of the self, but to make our existence more meaningful, full of spiritual love and wisdom, and ultimately to a fulfilling life.

If people lack spiritual love and wisdom, they will naturally find it difficult to recognize the purpose of existence, and they will always be in a state of unhappiness. However, through the practice of yoga meditation, we recognize the meaning of existence. Therefore, we are no longer seeking to end or forget about ourselves, but to understand that there is a longer purpose in life and live happily.

Meditation training

1. Breath method: The mind and breath naturally come and go, the heart and breath depend on each other, and the mind and qi follow each other, without interference, which is called breathing.

2. Counting breath method: meditate on the number of breaths, from one to ten to hundred, the real one counts "exhale", and the imaginary one counts "inhale".

3. Listening and breathing method: listen to your own breathing with both ears and eliminate distracting thoughts.

4. Anapana: Like a viewer, observe and experience your own breathing.

5. Breathlessness method: Through the practice of any of the above methods, you will be proficient for a long time to form a soft, slow, delicate and long breath. The breath is as thin as a gossamer, if there is nothing. Called stopping. It is also called fetal breath.

6. Zen language into the law: (silently recite several times) experience the association: "sit alone in the stream and let the water flow".

7. Relaxation and meditation: recite the word "quiet" silently when inhaling, and silently recite the word "loose" when exhaling.

8. Contemplation and self-meditation method: use your own mind to observe, observe, and analyze your own thoughts and distractions, let the distracting thoughts flow, without interference, and return to silence for a long time.