【Description】
To bring us health and happiness, Master JinBodhi introduces several methods of meditation practice. How to choose the one that best fits your needs? And how to fit self-cultivation into your busy schedule?
Master offers practical suggestions on how to make meditation a regular part of life.
【Content】
Q&A on Cultivation
(Hello, Master. Bodhi promotes many meditation techniques. How can I choose one that suits me? How can I arrange my practice time reasonably?)
OK. Here is my opinion: These meditation techniques which I promote give choices to people with different health issues and tastes. Among these, there must be one that suits your present health condition. I suggest you combine dynamic and static techniques.
Be it sitting or standing meditation, our body is almost static. Only when we calm down can our energy be purified and transparent. Our mind is then crystal clear. When we calm down, our disordered mind can settle down and be clear. This way, one becomes wise. In fact, this isn’t innate wisdom. Our mind is like dirty water that turns clear after settling down. This differs from great wisdom.
In the morning, if convenient, do dynamic meditation. In the evening, do static practice. In the early morning, the sun begins to shine on you. That is cool. What about the human body? You may not have enough energy or heat. We need to replenish heat. Our body needs to exercise. Today’s urbanites do less physical labor and exercise. Modern automated tools and machines greatly increase productivity and save labor. However, humans need exercise and physical labor to stay healthy. So, we need to create exercise opportunities. So, practice dynamic meditation.
We have 2 types. One is prostration. Buddhists can prostrate before the Buddha and bodhisattvas. If you don’t have a belief, you may prostrate before my photo. Or you may prostrate before the deity you worship. You can’t prostrate toward nothing, as it may attract evil energy. It is up to you to believe it or not. I have to tell you what you should know. This is my responsibility. You may do full or partial prostration. The full one is better.
The first benefit is losing weight; this is a great benefit for overweight women or mothers. One cause of obesity is overeating, too much lust for food. Some people eat recklessly and lose control before food. Also, they eat more, but excrete less. The food turns to fat and extra flesh. Prostration improves digestion and excretion. One will not become overweight naturally, it is obvious. So the best method of losing weight is prostration. It flattens your abdominal muscles; they won’t look like bulky gym-trained muscles. Never. They will become flat, smooth, beautiful muscles. You will become beautiful. So, your loose abdomen becomes tight, flat and smooth.
Prostration exercises not only our abdomen, but also our brain. Why does it awaken our wisdom? We must prostrate on a flat surface. Our body lies flat for every prostration. Our arms and spine stretch flat on the floor. Every rise and fall of prostration flattens our abdominal muscles. The 3 knocks with the forehead exercise our head and cervical spine. So, this is the best method of tapping into our wisdom. That is for health.
As for dharma practice, a higher effect is the elimination of ego. Ego is eliminated gradually. Only after eliminating ego can we revere and treat others kindly. Arrogance will recede. This is a higher mental state. The elementary level of practice is actually the most practical. It awakens wisdom. Prostration is especially good for seniors and children. Either a full or half prostration awakens wisdom. If children want to become wise, they should do prostration. If women want to lose weight and become beautiful, they should do prostration.
It has no negative side effects. It greatly helps with digestive, cardio-cerebrovascular and gynecological diseases. As I see it, hanging on to internal energy and emotions leads to gynecological issues. Eventually, these emotions become energy leading to illnesses, especially cancer. When we prostrate, such energy is released automatically. Many illnesses will resolve themselves. It has such a good effect. If you want to have health, a good figure, happiness, increased energy and wisdom, prostrate.
How many prostrations can be effective? Prostrate for at least 20 minutes. If you spend less time, there will not be any effect. A reminder: When you begin your practice, you may feel abdominal pain the next day. It shows you don’t exercise at all. But the pain shows that there is an effect. Think about it: Where is the pain? That is the part benefiting from prostration. Such an effect arises after 7 days. After 100 days, there will be obvious changes in your shape and weight. So, in the morning, do dynamic meditation.
Besides prostration, the other practice is Energy Bagua. It exercises our legs. There is an introduction online. Google it. This is Energy Bagua. It is taught by me. Practice according to the video. It is simple. Practice around a tree either indoors or outdoors. If you want an effect, you need to practice for at least 30 minutes. There is no effect if you don’t spend enough time. It is not like medication: One dose of medicine creates an effect. Through training, our body heat, energy and functions improve. How nice! Humans aren’t inanimate machines, but living and wise creatures. If we practice properly, we can create, regulate and use our energy. This is very good.
Recently, Bodhi Facebook has published many testimonials about Energy Bagua. Read them. These people are from all over the world. I don’t know many of them well. Every day a new testimonial is posted. What is Energy Bagua effective for? It affects the whole body. It is a method to increase vital energy. It is effective for all illnesses related to a lack of energy. So, in the morning, a dynamic meditation that produces heat or energy is best. During the day or at night, doing static meditation is better.
These methods are good; there is no noise or disturbing others. In any room, you can practice Energy Bagua or prostration. There is no sound. If you need to listen to music, use earphones. Now there are wireless earbuds without a wire linked to your cellphone. With them, we don’t disturb others. In the morning, we do these practices. In the evening, we do The Meditation of Greater Illumination, chanting or sitting meditation. Choose this program of practice in the morning and evening.
Do you practice all the techniques once daily? You can have a preference. If you don’t have a specific physical issue, combining one dynamic and one static technique will do. Don’t practice this way for life. For about 3 to 6 months, you should choose 2 methods to practice. See how you feel. Practice this way, but not for a long time.