Explanations by Master Cheng-Yan
Subject: Sitting Peacefully in the Lotus Position (結跏趺坐 安穩不動)
Date: February.05.2018
“Among the methods of sitting in meditation, sitting cross-legged in the lotus position is the most secure and stable, and our minds will not grow fatigued. If we adopt the right method of sitting, whenever King Mara sees this, he will become worried and frightened, unable to be at peace. Upon seeing a picture [of the Buddha] sitting in the lotus position, Mara will become worried and frightened, to say nothing of [seeing] someone who has entered the Path sitting peacefully without moving.”
Among the methods of sitting in meditation, sitting cross-legged in the lotus position is the most secure and stable, and our minds will not grow fatigued. This is the way we practice meditation. Actually, most of the time, we do not talk about “practicing meditation,” we just say “sitting in meditation,” in which we calm down our hearts. This method of sitting in meditation is to “sit cross-legged in the lotus position.” We usually say things like, “Let us calm down and sit in meditation for a little while.” Because we are always so busy, sometimes, we need to calm our minds and sit down. What method of sitting can we use that will make our body feel secure and stable and bring peace to our hearts? It is “sitting cross-legged in the lotus position.” This is the way to sit in meditation. The way we sit in meditation is to sit cross-legged in the lotus position. Depending on what we are accustomed to, some people will sit with one leg crossed, while some will sit with both legs crossed. These are both methods of sitting. If we can find a way to sit where we can feel peaceful and at ease, then we will be able to sit securely and stably, so “our minds will not grow fatigued.” If we sit like this, our mind will follow our body and be at peace. Our mind will not be easily disturbed, nor will it grow fatigued. As we sit [like this], we will be less likely to doze off.
So, we must mindfully seek to experience this method of sitting. Thus, “if we adopt the right method of sitting,” naturally, “whenever King Mara sees this he will become worried and frightened.” If this happens and King Mara sees a spiritual practitioner using the right method of sitting, after King Mara sees this, he will naturally become worried and frightened. He will feel uneasy. Some say that evil cannot triumph over righteousness. If we adopt the right method of sitting and our bodies and minds are at ease, then if King Mara wants to disturb us, as soon as he sees an upright spiritual practitioner, with upright body and mind, free of discursive thoughts, he will naturally become worried and frightened; King Mara will be unable to calm his mind. This requires us to be mindful; we must be mindful in our daily living. In our actions throughout our daily living, with our bodies and minds, we must have the correct demeanor. We should not be upright only when we are sitting. Our bodies and minds must always be upright. Not just when we are sitting, but our daily living must be the same as when we sit in meditation.
We must be very upright in our minds, in our bodies and our thoughts. This requires us to be very mindful. Even if King Mara wants to [distract us] with deviant views and practices, when he sees our upright body and mind, he will naturally become worried and frightened. This is just like the time when Sakyamuni Buddha sat upon the Dharma-seat, when He was very calm. Many maras, many maras of the mind, many mental obstructions, appeared before Him. It was as if in the external environment there were so many challenges and illusory states emerging. He used right mindfulness to suppress these appearances of maras from outside His mind. But is are there maras beyond the mind? In fact, all maras come from the afflictions and ignorance in our minds. When Sakyamuni Buddha sat in meditation, His mind was very clear. But, in this state, it was hard to avoid illusory conditions appearing. When our minds are disturbed by our surroundings like this, illusions will emerge endlessly. Fortunately, He had right mindfulness, had right views, right understand and right mindfulness. Previously we talked about how the ground was made of crystal. There were tress of treasures and golden cords bordering the roads. Does everyone still remember? Golden cords bordered the roads. This means we must have the Eightfold Noble Path.
The Eightfold Right Path includes right views, right mindfulness and right thinking. When these eight right practices in total can stabilize our hearts, then naturally, maras, that illusory ignorance, will be completely eliminated and [our hearts] will become completely pure. We must eliminate all [afflictions and ignorance], defeat the army of Mara and eradicate all our delusions. This way, our afflictions and ignorance will never come back again; [our hearts] will become completely pure, as pure as crystal. In this spiritual world as pure as crystal, when afflictions and ignorance are completely eliminated and our hearts become one with the universe, then we will see the stars and awaken.
So, we must be very careful about how we sit in meditation. Ordinary beings are quick to say, “I want to practice meditation.” But as soon as we sit down to practice meditation, as soon as the slightest mental states arise, if we lack right mindfulness and right views, we may mistakenly assume that the states that have emerged are real. If we become attached [to these conditions], returning our minds to an upright and calm [state] will be very difficult. We will be unable to bring ourselves back. We will follow the maras within our minds. We will become obsessed, [thinking], “I want to meditate. I am in a certain state.” Like this, we will sink deeper and deeper into our attachment [to this state]. This is called becoming obsessed. These mental conditions will follow us everywhere. Even when we are not practicing meditation, we will still be in this state. We will hallucinate as if someone is speaking to us. We will see illusions. This way, [our minds] will be disturbed. So, for those of us who do not regularly practice meditation, if there is no Chan (Zen) master present who is properly trained in meditation to guide us well, if we are unable to comprehend [the practice], this is a very dangerous thing. We must have a very experienced Chan master who has specialized in studying meditation to guide us. In today’s society, we are all very busy; how will we have time for this? So, we just talk about sitting in meditation; we do not say we are practicing meditation, but just sitting in meditation. As we sit down in meditation, matters that cause us afflictions will slowly disappear and our minds will become focused. We have talked about this before. If we have time, we can sit in meditation and practice “counting the breaths”. This means we follow our breath; after one exhale and one inhale we count one another exhale and another inhale makes it two. Like this, we count from one all the way to 10. Then, we can start over again from one to 10. As we do this, we regulate our breathing, and our breaths will become even. When our breathing is steady, our mind will become focused as one. This way, our mind will not run wild such that though we sit here, our thoughts are running over the place until we do not even know what we are thinking.
Most importantly, we must find the way to regulate our breathing. We should regulate our breathing well and count our breaths, counting one, two, three, four along with our breath. From our dantian (lower abdomen), we exhale slowly. As we exhale, we must be mindful, also reaching our dantian. Then, when ready, we inhale again and return to our dantian. One exhale and one inhale count as one. If we so this, our thoughts will all be here; we will not let them wander all over the place, and our mind and body will be unified as one. This is what it means to focus our minds. If we can train ourselves to be focused, naturally, our body and mind will be at peace. As for me, I have been doing this since I was young. Early in the morning, if I have more time, I will sit in meditation longer. If there is less time, I will count my breaths for a shorter time. Or whenever I have some time, even it is just a little bit of time, if I can do a few rounds of counting breaths, this is really great. No matter how many [counts] we do, as long as we count our breaths one by one, [we can do] 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50, or even a hundred [at a time]. In short, this all depends on how we use our time to regulate our body and mind. If we do not have time, we should train ourselves to focus while we are doing things. In our busyness, we will have trained ourselves. When we focus our bodies and minds, we can naturally be focused in our daily lives. Furthermore, with an upright mind and upright thoughts, we can naturally vanquish the mara of afflictions. Actually, there are no maras outside ourselves; it is our own afflictions that act as maras. It is our own discursive thoughts, our own afflictions and our own ignorance that enshroud our minds. We must train our [minds]. We must train ourselves to be free of afflictions. When our minds and thought are upright, whenever we are faced with people, matters, and things from the outside, we will naturally be able to analyze them accurately, because our minds will be free of discursive thoughts and afflictions.
Are the things that people say true? Or are they fake? Are they correct or are they biased? As long as our bodies and minds are upright, when we analyze the people, matters and things in this world, we will not get confused. This is what spiritual practitioners need the most. It is not enough to have simply practiced a lot of deep meditation. That will not be effective. What is most important is that our minds must not be chaotic so that for whatever we see and hear, we will analyze it with the right mindset. When we look at something, we must use the right mindset, must use right mindfulness and right thinking to analyze these things. Then naturally we will not simply say whatever others say. Whatever we hear, even if it is wrong, by the time it reaches us, we will use right mindfulness to analyze it. “This is untrue. I should not believe it.” Once we know it is untrue and that we should not believe it, how can we deal with this? How can we help those who spread untrue things to be fully convinced? How can we overcome this? When they are wrong, how can we correct them so that their thoughts will be proper? This all depends on our right thinking, how we mindfully overcome things that are incorrect. When speaking to us, everything they say may be false, but we will not be able to stop them right away. So as we listen, we must determine how much we can trust and how much we should not trust; we must be able to filter [ their information] like this. After we filter [the information], if it is true, then we can rely on this person. If the [information] is false, we must be careful with this person. How can we help this person change? These are all the methods of being a good person. How can we face the people, matters and things of this world? We must not say, “This person is always correct, so the people around her must be trustworthy.” We cannot speak and think like this! [These people] may be 80 percent trustworthy, 60 percent trustworthy or 40 percent trustworthy. So what should we do? The Buddha always tells us to embrace people with compassion. We must find ways to help them adjust. If we are unable to do this, then we can just ignore him. We always hope that there will be an opportunity to [help them go] from 40 percent trustworthy to 60 percent, to 80 percent until they are completely trustworthy. This requires us to apply [the right] methods. In summary, the Buddha will never abandon sentient beings. This is our method of spiritual practice; we must cultivate ourselves and also teach others to engage in spiritual practice. We must benefit ourselves as well as others. So, we must first regulate our bodies and minds. We must tame and overcome the maras. This is what King Mara will see; if we earnestly practice the right Dharma we naturally rectify our body and mind. When King Mara sees this, he will become worried and frightened.
So, there is such a story; once, King Mara saw an image. In the image, the Buddha was sitting in meditation. When King Mara saw this image all of a sudden, because this image was so magnificent, when he saw it suddenly, he thought it was real. This frightened King Mara. Seeing it from afar, he became worried and frightened. This is a story from the Zen School of Buddhism. This story shows how whenever King Mara sees a person with upright demeanor, naturally, King Mara will retreat. This is to say nothing of people who have entered the path with genuine hearts! The Buddha expounded the Dharma for us. “The sutras are a path; this path is a road to walk on.” The Buddha taught us all so that we can walk the Bodhisattva-path, which is the Bodhi-path, the path of perfect enlightenment. If spiritual practitioners, those who have already entered the path of perfect enlightenment, are sitting there peacefully and still, just think about it; King Mara will certainly retreat. He will not dare to come any closer. This is an analogy for how, if we can earnestly [maintain] our right mindfulness, right views and right thinking as we earnestly sit in meditation, we will not give rise to discursive thoughts; our afflictions and ignorance will not draw near and disturb our minds. This is the way we should sit. So, as we learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must learn to practice right thinking. Our thoughts must be upright. [This is what] it means to sit in meditation.
When we sit like this, our body and mind are upright. By sitting cross-legged in the lotus position, we are shaped like a square. A square shape indicates unwavering virtue. Thus, when we enter the Path, we must especially make use of this method of sitting.
“When we sit like this, our body and mind are upright.” If we can sit in meditation like this, then our body and mind are upright. By sitting in the lotus position, our appearance is upright. We will be sitting very upright. When a person sits down “still like a bell, sitting with their legs crossed, they are sitting very upright, like a bell. A square shape represents how we are unwavering. When we are sitting firmly, we will not move even if someone pushes us; we can sit still without moving at all. [This shape] is not round. If something shape is round, whenever we move it in the slightest, whatever is round will start to rotate. If our shape is square, as we sit down, we will be very upright, and naturally we will not move at all. We will be very firm and stable. This is virtue. This represents how when we sit, our virtue is unwavering. So, this is how we sit in meditation. So, when we enter the Path, we must especially use this method. To sit in meditation, we should do it like this. We must do it properly. I see how everyone is sitting; you have been sitting for an hour without moving. The way you sit now is with one leg crossed, with one leg underneath and another leg on the top. It does not matter whether you put the right leg or the left leg on top. Whatever is comfortable for you is best. If you want to put your right leg on the bottom and the left leg on top, as long as you are comfortable, it is fine. Or you can put your left leg on the bottom and right leg on top. As long as you are comfortable, it is fine too. Or you can put your right leg on the bottom, then cross your left foot on top of your right thigh, on top of your left leg again. This is called sitting with both legs crossed. As long as you are comfortable, it is fine. As long as your legs are crossed, you are sitting in the lotus position. When sitting with our legs crossed, we are sitting firm and upright. We are not sitting in a round shape, in which the slightest disturbance will easily cause us to waver. So, to be unwavering is a virtue. This also represents unwavering virtue. “Thus, when we enter the Path, we must “especially make use of this method of sitting.” To truly calm our minds, this is the method we should use.
Continuing on, the previous sutra passage states, “Each tree of treasures was 500 yojanas in height.” Each tree of treasures was 500 yojanas in height. Their branches, leaves, flowers and fruits. Beneath all these trees of treasures were lion’s thrones, five yojanas in height. They were also adorned with great treasures.
The multiple manifestations of Sakyamuni Buddha had already arrived. When they arrived, [they gathered under] “each tree of treasures”. They all sat beneath the trees of treasures. The trees of treasures were 500yojanas in height. The trees of treasures were as high as the stupa. Do you still remember? The stupa of treasures is 500 yojanas in height. The trees of treasures are also 500 yojanas in height. Do you still remember how tall 500 yojanas is? 500 yojanas is 20,000 li, which represents actualizing the Six Paramitas in 10,000 actions. If we want to walk the Bodhisattva-path, we must be replete in blessing and wisdom so we can attain Buddhahood. We must actualize blessings in 10,000 actions and wisdom in 10,000 actions. We create blessings among people and actualize the Six Paramitas in all actions. As we go among people, amidst afflictions and ignorance, we are able to not be defiled by afflictions and ignorance. We can go among afflicted people to guide them and use the Buddha’s teachings to teach and transform sentient beings. this is called cultivating wisdom. So, with wisdom, we actualize the Six Paramitas in all actions.
When these two merge together, we will be replete; we will be replete with blessings and wisdom. This is why [the trees] are 500 yojanas in height. Their “branches, leaves, flowers and fruits were [arranged] in magnificent sequence.” As for these trees, their trunks branched outward and began to grow branches and leaves. This represents all our actions, whether we cultivate blessings or wisdom. As the branches grow out on these trees there is a distinct sequence. They can provide shade for those who are hot. Everyone can all relax under the cool shade. So, the multiple manifestations of the Buddha, all the true principles of the Dharma, were all relaxing in the cool shade were all relaxing in the cool shade. In that place, the multiple manifestations of the Buddha all sat beneath the trees of treasures. Not only can trees block the wind, they can also protect us from the rain. They can block the sun with their shade as well as block the wind. This is what the branches and leaves do. The branches and leaves of these trees were so magnificent. We know what kind of tree this is “Beneath all these trees of treasures were lion’s thrones.” A lion’s throne was placed under each tree. The thrones They sat upon were all five yojanas [tall].
We talked about this earlier, about the Fivefold Dharmakaya, precepts and so on. Precepts, Samadhi, wisdom, liberation and liberation’s understanding and views are “the Fivefold Dharmakaya”. This represents the Dharma. “They were also adorned with great treasures.” These surroundings were very majestic. So, I hope that after hearing this, everyone will understand that this is using appearances to make analogies for the Dharma. The Dharma is like this.
The following sutra passage states, “At that time, each of those Buddhas sat upon these thrones, cross-legged in the lotus position. This continued on in this way, pervading the great trichiliocosm. Yet Sakyamuni Buddha’s multiple manifestations from just one direction had yet to be completely accommodated.”
We must listen mindfully. “At that time, all the Buddhas from each direction came one by one, one after the other. Upon arriving, They each had Their own place and each took their seat upon a lion’s throne. The Dharma was being returned to its place. So, upon arriving, They each sat upon Their jeweled throne the Dharma began to return to its place.
At that time, each of those Buddhas sat upon these thrones, cross-legged in the lotus position: Upon arriving there, each of Them sat upon a lion’s throne beneath the trees of treasures. “This continued on in this way, pervading the great trichiliocosm. This continued on in this way, pervading the great trichiliocosm. This process unfolded and continued in the same way, filling the words of the trichiliocosm transformed by the One.
In this way, every Buddha that came, came in a particular order. Although there were many Buddhas that came, each of them followed the same order to return to their [proper] place. “This continued on in this way, filling the worlds of the trichiliocosm transformed by the One. “The One“ is Sakyamuni Buddha, who attained Buddhahood in world. After the Buddha attained Buddhahood, the Dharma that He taught was the principles that pervade the universe, all brought back to the world. As He expounded the Dharma for the world, whether He taught about emptiness or existence, all Dharma must return to its place in our hearts. All Dharma exists within this world. So, when it comes to the great trichiliocosm, 1,000 small chiliocosms together comprise one medium chiliocosm. 1,000 medium chiliocosms together comprise one great trichiliocosm. For Heaters, Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas, what they take in depends on [their aspirations]. The greater our aspirations, the more Dharma we can accept. So, we must continuously expand [our hearts]. “[The Buddhas filled] the world of the trichiliocosm transformed by the One. One Buddha teaches the Dharma until everyone forms Great Vehicle aspirations until everyone forms Great Vehicle aspirations and cultivates the Great Vehicle Dharma. These are the teachings of the Three Vehicle. How do we eliminate sentient beings’ afflictions, ignorance and dust-like delusions? Delusions of views and thinking are eliminated by Hearers and Solitary Realizers, while dust-like delusions are eliminated by Bodhisattvas.
With so much ignorance and so many afflictions, we need this many teachings. Think about it, isn’t there a lot of Dharma? Yes, there truly are many teachings. He had to gather Them all together. So, “His multiple manifestations from the east alone pervaded the trichiliocosm, but had yet to be completely accommodated.”
Yet Sakyamuni Buddha’s multiple manifestations from one direction had yet to be completely accommodated: His multiple manifestations from the east alone pervaded the trichiliocosm, but had yet to be completely accommodated. Had yet to be completely accommodated: This means the Buddhas from the ten directions had already filled the seats throughout the worlds of the great trichiliocosm. Thus, for Sakyamuni’s multiple manifestations from this one direction, there were not enough seats.
Though the Buddha’s light illuminated the east, it actually spread throughout all the directions, to all the worlds of the great trichiliocosm. So, They had yet to be completely accommodated. Like this, the Dharma and the Buddha’s multiple manifestations continued to return and were continually accommodated, but they had yet to be fully taken in. So, “They had yet to be completely accommodated.” This means that “The Buddhas from the ten directions had already filled the seats throughout.” Just [Buddhas] of the east, in the four cardinal and intermediate directions and above and below, did not have enough [seats]. Then there were still [the Buddhas from] the south, west and north, from the four cardinal and intermediate directions and above and below. Then the multiple manifestations of the Buddha from all ten directions would have all arrived. Thus, throughout the great trichiliocosm, “for Sakyamuni’s multiple manifestations from this one direction, the seats” were still not enough. So, the Saha World alone was still not enough to accommodate all of them. This is an analogy.
“Sakyamuni’s multiple manifestations are like how one lamp can light hundreds of thousands of lamps. He can truly manifestations infinitely, yet the material world is finite, so even the great chiliocosm cannot contain this.“
With True Suchness, [the Buddha’s] manifestations are infinite! Do you still remember the story about the lamp? The Buddha’s disciple asked, “One I light my lamp, if someone uses my lamp to light theirs, will this lessen the light of my lamp?” The Buddha replied, “When one lamp is lit, it can be used to light infinite lamps. Not only will your lamp stay just as bright, but its surroundings will become even brighter.
By the same principle, after the Buddha attained enlightenment, people came to listen to Him. After they listened, with the wisdom they developed, they could be equal to the Buddha. Likewise, there were more awakened people. The more awakened people there are in the world, the more sentient beings can be delivered. Thus, this pervades the worlds of the great trichiliocosm.
“[There are] hundreds of thousands of lamps. He can truly manifest infinitely.” With True Suchness, His transformation-bodies were [countless] in number. And yet, “the material world is finite, so even the great chiliocosm cannot contain this.” If we are talking about this material world, which is the Saha world, to accommodated these principles, the Buddha’s many manifestations, the entire Saha world would not be enough to fully accommodated all of them. If it could not accommodate them fully, what then? The Buddha had to think of another way to find more space to accommodate [these Buddhas]. So, the Buddha had to turn this defiled land into a pure land.
In our world, in the material world, in our Saha world, the size of the Earth has already been measured by scientists. There is already a number for how big the Earth is. What this planet contains is the material world. This material world is finite. However, the realm of the Buddha, His spiritual and His principles of enlightenment, are infinite, just like the universe. All the principles are intangible and without substance, so He can accommodate them infinitely. In terms of our material world, it is tangible, and has substance, so there will be obstructions. Just look at how on our Earth, there is the cycle of the seasons. During summer and autumn, there are often typhoons. The previous typhoon passed us by; now today there is another typhoon coming. Will today be a rainy day? Will the typhoon arrive today? This is what we have to worry about. This is the material world, the world of material things. In the world of material things, there is the passage of time, the cycles of time and seasons, They cycle in this vast space. Yet the Dharma is intangible and without substance.
In this Saha world, to encompass the true principles of all things in the universe, for an awakened person to unite them all, become one, and attain awakening, He must have “a heart that encompasses the universe and the boundless worlds within it.” The Buddha’s heart is vast and open. It cannot be compared [to anything] in the material world. This shows that the Buddha-wisdom encompassed heaven and earth as well as the universe.
So, as we listen to the Dharma today, we use appearances as analogies for the principles. If we mindfully listen to the Dharma, we will be able to understand it.
The Buddha-Dharma is everything that the Great Enlightened One was able to comprehend. This great enlightenment is something everyone intrinsically possesses, because we all possess the intrinsic nature of True Suchness; it is just that our ignorance and afflictions enshroud [our True Suchness]. So, we must slowly clear them away. This [True Suchness] is encompassed in all Dharma. So, we must always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV – Wisdom at Dawn program – Explanation by Master Chen-Yen)
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