There are many points that might touch your heart or stimulate your mind from a teaching by Shifu. The purpose of these key point suggestions is for non-mandarin speakers to have some potential focuspoints.. Or for those that do not feel a clear connection point. It is important that if some other point from the talk touches your heart, focus there for this week.
These are key point for our practice time, like sitting Chan, group classes, training etc.. and application to daily life points.. These are not absolute though and may likely overlap.
Points for practice consideration:
- Shifu shared steps to Chan ding from his own experience: establish a Quiet environment, continuouosly strive to Purify, Observe within the self, create Stillness, Empty of all things. Strive to maintain stillnes in emptiness… “ding” Then we have a chance to surpass the earthly realm. Don’t open eyes or be afraid if we feel we are flying up or other sensations in meditation until we naturally return from spiritual essence to our earthly realm.
- Shifu reinforces the importance of fundamentals.. posture, breath, etc.. if possible wotk with teachers and other practitioners to evaluate and improve your meditation fundamentals.
- Meditation: connect and flow through Navel, Root, Sacrum, Life, Kidney, Heart chakras
Points for application to daily life:
Purpose of Heartchan is a spiritual practice of body, heart, and spirit. Practice can allow for positice changes, positiver direction in our lives. It can change our destiny including the status of our life, relationships, health and our fortunes.
Other methods, although a pleasant distraction, such as reading sutra, study of religious/spiritual writings, mantra/chanting, praying, sitting meditation (thinking about things without entering Chan-ding)…etc, often don’t change the course of our lives. Use the precious moments of life to greatest benefit.