20120331 walking meditation and eight fold path

Updated Mar 2010

加拿大佛教會湛山精舍　

禪修學佛入門 Introduction to

Buddhism and Meditation2012/03/31

Buddhist Association of CanadaCham Shan Temple

Updated Mar 2010

Buddhist Association of CanadaCham Shan Temple

ná mó fó tuó南無佛陀

Namo Buddha

ná mó dá mó 南無達摩

Namo Dharma

ná mó sēng qié南無僧伽

Namo Sangha

加拿大佛教會 © 2006 Buddhist Association of Canada

Buddhist Association of Canada

The Miracle of Mindfulness on Your Footstep

1. Breathing呼吸2. Walking行3. Counting數4. Keeping a half-smile微笑That can generate:5. Mindfulness正念6. Concentration 專注7. One-pointedness一心8. Peace和平



Lotus Flower Blossoms From Your Footstep 每一步都使蓮花開花

When you are walking, you are aware of that:a) Your heal is up.

b) You are lifting your foot.

c) Your body is moving forward.

d) You are lowering your foot.

e) You are touching the floor with your toes.

f) You are pressing your foot on floor.



7 Postures: 調身七支坐法

1.足支：結跏趺坐 Full/half lotus/free seat 雙單散盤，足心向上

2.腰脊支：脊直肩平 Spine and neck straight, back flat 背平頸直

3.手支：手結定印 Left palm below abdomen, right palm on the left palm, thumbs touching each other 姆指相挂

4.肩胛支：頂門向上 shoulder upright and head top 頭正容寬，收斂下顎 Chin withdrawn

5.头颈支： Head upright and neck straight 6.舌支：舌抵上顎 Tongue on upper jaw 兩唇輕合7.目支：雙眼平視，半開半閉，視若無睹 Eyes level and

natural 開合自然 ,



Adjusting, Counting, Observing Breathing 調息 , 數息 , 觀息

數息 – Counting from 1 to 10 and then repeat

Mindful of Abdomen Breathing觀腹式呼吸 – Tummy 丹田 Dantain

觀鼻端呼吸 – Focus in front of Nose 　眼觀鼻鼻觀心 – Eyes contemplate on nose

Nose contemplates on mind



A Pragmatic Approach to Vipassana Meditation

Essentials of Insight Meditation Practice



The main aim is to purify the mind of all negative tendencies—such as greed, anger and delusion, through mind control. When all negative tendencies are removed, the mind will be clear and freed from suffering.

The actual aim is very exalted, as it aims at the complete eradication of suffering. This process does not only happen in or cover one existence, it spans over limitless existences.

The Main Aim of Buddhist Meditation



Insight meditation does not just involve holding the mind still. It also involves penetrative observation and absorption.

This kind of penetrative observation, without any thinking, without any conceptualization, allows the mind to realize the true nature of things as they really are, things like the nature of our mind and body processes, the nature of the person and the nature of the world.

Insight meditation



With the realization of the nature of existence: •The mind no longer has conflicts with the nature, •The mind becomes together with nature, and •The mind realizes the true nature of things.

•Consequently, the mind becomes purified and absence of delusion.

The Results from Insight meditation



In the process, the mind transcends everything—

1. It transcends conceptual reality, 2. It transcends conditioned reality and finally 3. It goes into absolute reality, which is the unchanging

state. 4. After much practice, it is the true nature that is

experienced by the mind.

Transcendence in Insight meditation



At the start of our practice, we have to recognize the natureof mindfulness, which we have to develop

over time during meditation.

The presence of mindfulness is what really makes the difference between true happiness and false happiness.

True happiness is when we really have peace of mind. False happiness is when greed and excitement overcome the mind—the mind is agitated.

The Nature of Mindfulness



1. The 1st factor is clarity of the mind. The mind is clear and pure—clear from all greed, anger, dullness, delusion and hallucination.

2. The 2nd factor is stability, calmness and peace. The mind is in the state of serenity, steadiness and non-violence even in an adverse condition.

3. The third factor is alertness of the mind. The mind becomes sensitive and alert at meditation object and all the conditions and cause/effect associated with it.

Three factors in mindfulness



1. To keep the mind in the present moment.2. To keep mindfulness clear, calm and in the present moment.3. To see what is happening to our meditation object.

In walking meditation, the object of the mindfulness is the walking process. In sitting meditation, the object is the “rising” and“falling” process of the abdomen; and in other daily activities, the object is to know what we are doing.

The Purpose of Meditation Practice



Brisk walking is a walk that is faster than the normal walk. It can beextended to almost a run but not quite. It is just a fast walking without running.

When you perform brisk walking, you keep your mind on the footstep.

To keep your mind on the footstep, you may say mentally: “right, left, right, left…” or “stepping left, stepping right…”

Brisk walking



Most of the walking is done at a moderate pace.

1. First, when you stand, you must be aware of standing posture and bring you mindfulness down at the feet.

2. Take a deep breath, physically relax and be mindful on your feet.

3. Let our mind be clear, without any thinking. Just keep the mind calm, clear and mentally relaxed.

4. Keep your eyes downcast but not looking down during walking.

5. Your eyelids are half-closed when you are relaxed.

6. Only when you really want to look at something, do we look straight ahead.

Moderate walking



Arousing Awareness on Standing

When you are standing, you bring the awareness from the head to the soles of our feet.

You can say in our mind “Standing, standing,…” at the same time be aware of the body.

The awareness should be clear, steady, calm and very alert and sensitive to the sensation of the body standing.

When you bring your awareness onto the soles of the feet, you will feel the sensation of the feet, i.e. weight, texture, moisture, coolness or just clear awareness.



Arousing Awareness on Walking

You need to focus your awareness on all the sensations.

All five sensations are basic experiences before the other form of thought processes begin, e.g. the idea of who and what your are, what is happening around you, is there anybody looking at me?

When you start walking – right step, left step, saying in your minds “right step and left step” and focus on all your sensations.

This will help you keep your minds on the object, otherwise you will start thinking instead of truly sensing.



Slow Walking

Your hands are folded in front of you. Right hand on top of left hand with both thumbs touching each other.

The pace of walking should be very slow and take steps which are half the normal distance.

The feet should not be lifted too high, otherwise, you will not be stable.

You should find the feet as if gliding parallel to the ground.

When your body shifts forward, the hell automatically turns up slightly.



Random Thinking During Walking

Two Types of Thinking:

1. You know that you are thinking. Once you know that youare thinking, the thinking will go away. In this case, youdo not have to stop walking.

2. You know that you are thinking but you are unable tostop thinking. In this case, you have to stop and say inyour mind “thinking, thinking…” When you are awareof the thinking, it will go off.

When the mind is no more mindful, it is as if the surfboard has overturned in the water and you have to bring yourselves back to balance again.



Observation in Walking

1. Arousing the awareness – relax and clear your mind

2. Once your mindfulness is aroused – follow the object with awareness

3. Get into the actual phase of insight meditation – observation.

4. Follow a certain rhythm and pace of walking – like dancing.

5. When you lift your hind foot, there is a feeling of a pulling force.

6. When you foot starts lifting, you can feel the tension of lifting up – the sequence of processes of the sensations – happening from the calf to the sole, etc..



Observation in Walking

You begin to discover what is happening in true feeling before the conceptualization takes place. It is the true reality that is happening within you all the time. You just need to be mindful on what you are doing consistently.



Kayanupassana Satipatthana 觀身不淨 (Mindfulness of Body)

Vedananupassana Satipatthana 觀受是苦 (Mindfulness of Feelings)

Cittanupassana Satipatthana 觀心無常 (Mindfulness of Mind)

Dhammanupassana Satipatthana 觀法無我 (Mindfulness of Phenomena)

Satipatthana Vipassana Meditationn 四念住



In the Buddhist tradition, satipatthāna refers to the establishing, foundation or presence of "mindfulness“. The Buddha taught the establishing of mindfulness as the direct path to the realization of nirvana. Satipatthānā means the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, bases for maintaining moment-by-moment mindfulness and for developing mindfulness through meditation. In contemporary times the practice is most associated with Theravada Buddhism ( 上座部佛教 ). The method is also known as Vipassana meditation.

Satipatthana Vipassana Meditationn 四念住



Herein a monk dwells contemplating

the body in the bodyfeelings in the feelingsconsciousness in the consciousnessmind-objects in the mind-objects

ardent, clearly comprehending and mindfulhaving overcome covetousness and grief in the world.

What is a Foundation of Mindfulness?



Herein a monk dwells contemplating the fall of things in the body.He so dwells contemplating both the rise and fall of things in the body,ardent, clearly comprehending and mindfulhaving overcome covetousness and grief in the world.

Cultivation of Foundation of Mindfulness



1 Breath2 Postures3 Clear comprehension4 Parts of the body impurities5 Four elements (earth, fire, water, and wind elements)6-14 Decay

BODY CONTEMPLATION AS FOUNDATION OF MINDFULNESS



It is clear that some of them are initially pure tranquility meditation exercises but are later switched to insight meditation in theclosing verse of Satipatthana Sutta—

He lives contemplating origination thingsin the body, or he lives contemplating dissolution-things in the body,or he lives contemplating origination and dissolution-things in the body.

BODY CONTEMPLATION AS FOUNDATION OF MINDFULNESS



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Questions and Comments 討論



yuàn xiāo sān zhàng zhū fán năo

願消三障諸煩惱We wish to rid ourselves of the three hindrances and all klesas.

yuàn dé zhì huì zhēn míng lĭao

願得智慧真明了We wish to gain wisdom and real understanding.

pŭ yuàn zuì zhàng xī xiāo chú

普願罪障悉消除 We wish all sinful hindrances to be totally eradicated.

shì shì cháng xíng pú sà dào

世世常行菩薩道In one life after another we always follow Bodhisattvas’ paths.

回向Parinamana (Transfer of Merit)

20120331 walking meditation and eight fold path

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