Stillness Meditation

"following the breath"

 

 

The Healing Tao lacks instruction on a basic stillness meditation.  Yet, there are times when no-technique is needed: prior to HT meditations: to establish yourself in meditation, after HT meditations: to quietly let the effects of a HT practice integrate with your body unhindered, and as a meditation of its own: to settle quietly into the Tao and let its energy naturally integrate with your body.

 

Stillness is related to fundamental concepts within classical religious studies.  Emptiness, quietude, many varied terms for Fundamental Ground.  One is often taught methods ... breath, concentration, and mindfulness training, energy refinement, chanting, body wisdom disciplines, specific styles of philosophical inquiry, right action ... methods that have as an important part of result, that they culminate in stillness.  As the foundation of stillness is realized, it becomes pervasive: a practical basis and context for the methods, rather than only their fostered result.  As that occurs, it might be said that the practices become classically authentic.

 

 

Technique: "Follow the Breath"

The basic stillness meditation that is widely taught is to simply follow your breath with your attention from top to bottom and back out again.  Breathe with a relaxed and comfortable breath, and be sure to breathe all the way into your lower abdomen (comfortably, not so deep that it's forced).  Your attention should cycle right along with your breath, to its deepest point and then back out.

 

"Following the breath" activates, mixes, and balances (at least to a modest extent) the energies of the entire torso, upper ~ middle ~ lower.  "The lungs rule the qi."

 

Uniting your attention with your breath does two things.  It gives your breath the extra spark of conscious attention which, of course, makes a huge difference.  Additionally, it gives the mind something quiet and singular to focus on - as an alternative to general discursive thought (which tends to shut off the flow of energy through the body).  When you find yourself thinking, you simply bring your attention back to the focus of the breath.  You mind becomes quieter and quieter, more still.

 

Stillness meditation is simple and profound.  Many systems use this "follow the breath" meditation as their primary meditation - to be practiced for years (indefinitely, actually).  It quiets the human mind, and allows the mind of Tao to gradually emerge.

 

While the HT is primarily a system of technical 'doings', 'non-doing' still has (or should have) a critical place in a HT practice regime.  The time spent between sessions, going through your normal day, often doesn't provide the degree of subtle openness that your body needs to fully process what you've initiated through powerful technique/s.  Sometimes a particularly strong session of technique/s needs your next one or two practice sessions to be still - for quiet integration and processing in deep organic ways that won't (and couldn't possibly) coincide with any preconceived technique.

 

By the way, "following the breath" contrasts with lower tan tien breathing.   In lower tan tien breathing the attention stays in the lower abdomen and the breath is intentionally used for internal massage.  In "following the breath" the attention cycles up and down with the breath, and the whole thing is very relaxed.  There's a much longer learning curve in getting lower tan tien breathing to be really smooth and still.

 

 

 

~ quote ~

The shining mind is the mind of Tao, the wandering mind is the human mind. When it is said that the mind of Tao is vague, this means it is subtle and difficult to see. When it is said that the human mind is in peril, this means that it is insecure and uneasy.

 

Even in the human mind there is the mind of Tao; even in the mind of Tao there is the human mind. It is a matter of persistently keeping centered and balanced in activity and stillness, so that the shining mind is always present and the wandering mind does not stir. Then what was insecure will become peaceful, and what was vague will become clear.

 

                              - from The Book of Balance and Harmony

~ unquote ~