Sitting Meditation and the Art of Settled Stillness (Internal)¶
Preface: Form and Essence¶
Sitting meditation is a form. Settled stillness is the substance. Lifechanyuan holds a uniquely clear-eyed view of this distinction: sitting has genuine value, but only when the conditions for it are ripe. Forcing the practice before those conditions exist does not accelerate progress — it produces "cooked-but-raw rice" and can, in Xuefeng's own words, lead to "madness and possession by demons."
I. The Nature of Settled Stillness¶
All things are consumed by movement and nourished by stillness. Stillness is where the spirit dwells. What generates my life is the spirit; what destroys my life is the turbulent heart. When the spirit resides, life flourishes without ceasing; when the spirit departs, life withers and ends. Settled stillness brings clear weather and radiant skies; agitation brings storms and howling chaos. Settled stillness makes all things flourish; agitation breaks all things down. A composed spirit brings orderly living and enduring health; a confused spirit brings mental disorder and physical weakness. Without serenity there is no far-reaching vision; without stillness of heart one cannot become a celestial being. Stillness generates wisdom; movement generates confusion. The ten thousand phenomena of the world are entangled in right and wrong — if met with stillness, the haze dissolves and clarity returns.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Section · Cultivating the Skill of Settled Stillness, 2011/7/1
Settled stillness is a skill — it cannot be reached without cultivation. To become a celestial being or a Buddha, one must cultivate this skill. The nature of Buddha is as unmoved as a great mountain, as a vast lake that only ripples gently. To attain the 64 supernatural abilities of a Heavenly Celestial Being, one must achieve them within settled stillness — like planting seeds: it must be done in fertile soil under gentle sun, not in a storm on barren gravel.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Section · Cultivating the Skill of Settled Stillness
The still is of the nature (xìng); the restless is of the heart (xīn). When the light of one's nature is clear and complete, that is stillness. When the heart has nothing to abide in and nothing that hinders it, one can enter stillness. Therefore, follow the nature rather than the reactive heart. Do not seek dead emptiness — true stillness exists within movement. Stillness without movement is mere torpor, of no benefit to oneself or to society.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Section · Cultivating the Skill of Settled Stillness
The spirit is found in stillness; through stillness one sees the spirit. Demons are found in agitation; through agitation one encounters demons. This stillness is not empty blankness — it is stillness of intention and heart. This agitation is not physical movement — it is movement of intention and heart. To cultivate the practice of stillness, one must first rectify body and mind, gathering genuine vitality, before great capacity and virtue can emerge. This great capacity and virtue is not human cleverness or intelligence — it is the formless, traceless virtue and capacity of the Tao itself.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Section · Cultivating the Skill of Settled Stillness
To become a celestial being or a Buddha, one cannot depart from one's own self-nature. Only through stillness does one perceive the self-nature. The moment the self-nature is seen and blossoms — that is Buddha; that is a Heavenly Celestial Being.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Section · Cultivating the Skill of Settled Stillness
II. The Eight Preconditions for Sitting Meditation¶
Many people love sitting meditation, advocate it, and believe it can calm the mind, produce supernatural abilities, and lead to Buddhahood — and this is true.
But if you haven't resolved the following issues, your meditation is absolutely pointless:
- Have you resolved the problems of food, clothing, shelter, transportation, aging, illness, and death? If not — your meditation is pointless.
- Have you resolved the problem of sexual hunger? If not — your meditation is pointless.
- Have you resolved the problems of caring for your parents and raising and educating your children? If not — your meditation is pointless.
- Have you resolved the inner troubles in your heart? Is your heart still clinging to things? If so — your meditation is pointless.
- Have you fully repaid your karmic debts accumulated across lifetimes? If not — your meditation is pointless.
- Have you accumulated sufficient merit for your next life in the Heavenly Realms? If not — your meditation is pointless.
- Have you cleared away the weeds from your inner garden? If not — your meditation is pointless.
- Do you know where you are going next? Are you familiar with that destination? If you don't know and aren't familiar — your meditation is pointless.
Until these eight questions are resolved, stop meditating — it is "a blind person lighting a candle, a complete waste." Once all eight are resolved, then meditate: practice the Art of Transcending Mortal Bones.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Section · "What's the Point of Sitting Meditation?", 2011/3/7
Using sitting meditation, quiet sitting, or hermetic retreat to calm the mind does not work. If the fundamental problems of the heart remain unsolved, how can the heart become calm? Any claimed calm is pretense — self-deception. An injection of morphine or heroin can create temporary quiet, but once the effect wears off, the mind is in chaos again. The core of calming the mind is having no troublesome matters in the heart. When the mind has nothing to abide in, no troubles, no attachments — and when the problems of food, clothing, shelter, transportation, aging, illness and death are not resolved — any method of calming the mind is working only at the surface.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Section · "Osho's Meditation Methods — They Don't Work", 2012/3/27
III. Against Formalism in Cultivation¶
The purpose of cultivation is to attain a perfect structure of LIFE. Any method that achieves this purpose is valid — methods can be as bizarre or diverse as one likes. But if one insists on placing all attention on forms like sitting meditation, chanting mantras, breath regulation, and visualization — that is picking up sesame seeds while dropping the watermelon.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Section · Break Out of Form — Advanced Cultivation 2
Entering the domain of spiritual cultivation, we find almost every theory and method lacks scientific foundation — they are all playing with concepts and piling up words: sitting meditation, fasting, yoga, qi-cultivation, breath work, opening the du mai and ren mai, bowing, incense, mantra, sutra recitation, Falun spinning, prayer wheel turning, introspection, dhyāna, visualization — none of these has genuine connection to cultivation; the benefits are few, the drawbacks many.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Section · "Cultivation Is a Science", 2022-01-18
Our cultivation must concentrate on awakening to the Tao, seeking the Tao, attaining the Tao, and walking the Tao. Do not become entrapped by techniques, methods, arts, and rituals. Focus on inner substance, not outer form. The core purpose of cultivation is to perfect the antimatter structure of LIFE — not to gain wisdom or supernatural powers. Apply effort to thinking; apply effort to the transformation of consciousness — not to sitting meditation and qi-cultivation exercises.
— New Era 800 Concepts (4th Edition), Concept 455
IV. Prerequisites for the Practice of Settled Stillness¶
This settled stillness practice should not be attempted by those who are not yet ready. To force it is to pour liquor on sorrow and slash water with a sword — not only will stillness be unattainable, but chaos will multiply and may end in nervous breakdown and possession by demons. Through many seasons of effort, twenty or thirty of our Chanyuan Celestials have entered the gate of the Tao. They have severed worldly ties and built their soul gardens; now it is time for these carp to leap through the Dragon Gate and cultivate settled stillness.
This practice must not be attempted by those who have not lived in the Second Home for at least two years; by those whose mind still abides in something; by those who have not yet reached the state of fluid adaptability (línghuo yuánróng); by those who have not yet become like a child in their manner; by those whose merit is insufficient. Those who ignore this warning and attempt it anyway will produce half-cooked rice, and the path ahead will only grow longer.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Section · Cultivating the Skill of Settled Stillness, 2011/7/1
V. The Eight Methods of Chan Practice (Complete Text)¶
The Eight Methods of Chan Practice:
Forget all teachings of gods, Buddhas, immortals, and sages. Forget Xuefeng's guidance and Lifechanyuan's concepts. Forget everything learned from written books. Make the mind empty, and enter a state of luminous spaciousness.
Be without self — life, death, glory, and disgrace are set aside. No virtue, no benevolence, no righteousness, no propriety — follow only the Tao.
Each day, spend about one hour practicing the Lifechanyuan health exercises. Draw in the essence of sun and moon; absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Bring intention, breath, and movement into perfect unity; bring body, mind, and spirit into perfect oneness. Pay special attention to breath regulation — make each inhalation and exhalation long, smooth, and continuous, storing abundant energy in the dāntián.
Do not read books with words; read only the wordless scripture of nature. When using the internet, only play and enjoy; with others, do not debate, do not argue, do not discuss — watch the entanglements of the human world as the moon watches from above.
Merge into the plain and ordinary. Do not perform the role of a great teacher, a superior being, a great person, a self-important sage, or a person with a special mission. Be an ordinary person; be like a child. Remember: those who crave strange things attract strange illnesses; those who cultivate strange tendencies attract strange disorders; those who practice schemes attract dark disasters; those who perform odd behaviors attract strange poverty. No matter how high human intelligence reaches, it cannot see the full picture of the Tao — it will always miss something. All worldly cleverness and skill is futile. Only the utterly plain, utterly ordinary, utterly common — naturally in harmony with nature — can connect with the great Tao.
Reduce desire and rest from excessive effort. Keep regular rhythms of rest and activity. Do not think, do not scheme, do not seek, do not crave. Restrain anger; restrain arrogance; restrain killing; restrain greed. In all things, follow the encounter and the condition; extend consideration to others as to oneself.
The still is of the nature; the restless is of the heart. When the light of one's nature is clear and complete, that is stillness. When the heart has nothing to abide in and nothing that hinders it, one can enter stillness. Therefore, follow the nature rather than the reactive heart. Do not seek dead emptiness — true stillness exists within movement. Stillness without movement is mere torpor.
Nurture health well; keep close the essentials of the Nourishment Section. If progress is made, keep it quietly — do not speak of it; do not display it. Hold goodwill in the heart; wherever one resides, protect the peace of that place. For all those with whom karmic connection is made — regardless of appearance, beauty, love, or grievance — bestow a quiet blessing. Use no words; make no outward gesture. Dissolve all conflict and darkness silently, then immediately forget and return to luminous spaciousness. When the work is done, claim no credit.
These Eight Methods of Chan Practice are suitable only for those who have lived in the Second Home for at least two years. Others must not attempt them. To do so invites chaos; to do so invites possession by demons.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Section · Cultivating the Skill of Settled Stillness, 2011/7/1
VI. The Art of Transcending Mortal Bones: Environment and Entry Method¶
Find a quiet place that is fragrant with birdsong, with fresh open air, clean and unpolluted. Invite a trusted friend to stand guard, keeping insects and snakes away, keeping idle affairs and people at a distance, keeping sounds of shouting horses and vehicles from disturbing you.
Sit — whether in full lotus or half lotus, sit as suits you. Hold the body upright, let it be at ease, ensure the joints are aligned; do not lean, do not curve. Loosen the clothing and belt; if there is any discomfort, make a small adjustment for ease. Ensure comfort throughout.
First rest for a time. Once body and mind are fully settled and the breath is even and calm, place the tongue against the upper palate, let the lips and teeth come together lightly, gradually bring the gaze level, then slowly close the eyes. Then begin to regulate the breath — not coarse, not gasping; let it be fine, gentle, and continuous. Do not think, do not conceptualize; have no intention, no idea. Simply sit.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Nourishment Section · Art of Transcending Mortal Bones
VII. The Five Levels of Dhyāna¶
First Level — Awakening to Life¶
In the first days: the mind wants stillness but the winds do not stop. Memories of the world's kindnesses and grievances, its rights and wrongs, appear one after another — impossible to chase away or drive off; Zhang San leaves and Li Si arrives. In the middle days: desires and cravings come to the fore; images of ideals, fantasies, and delusions arise in the mind — tangled and unclear. In the final days: the strange scenery of the stillness gradually fades; the heart grows gradually empty; it no longer pursues thoughts of fame, gain, debts, or loved ones.
At this moment — like a basin of dirty water from which the floating debris has been skimmed — the quality of the water begins to emerge; the surface can faintly reflect a little of the light of sun and moon, and the shadows of clouds and trees. The heart experiences the arising of a posture-sustaining energy; when this energy arises, body and mind naturally become upright; sitting no longer brings fatigue; the heart naturally becomes clear and still; it corresponds to the state of dìng (settled concentration); dìng sustains the body; movement becomes effortless; from shallow to deep, with no dispersed intention. This is called First-Level Dhyāna.
At first-level dhyāna, various tactile sensations arise: jumping, itching, coolness, warmth, lightness, heaviness, roughness, smoothness, sinking, cold, heat, floating, descending, solidity, softness. In the sitting, one cannot see one's own body or surrounding objects — it is as if in empty space. As the dìng deepens, body and mind become still and empty; neither inside nor outside is visible. Along with the tactile sensations, ten wholesome qualities arise simultaneously from outside: (1) settled concentration, (2) emptiness, (3) clarity and purity, (4) joy, (5) bliss, (6) wholesome arising, (7) clear knowing and seeing, (8) liberation from burdens, (9) appearance of a realm, (10) softness of the heart-mind. In this state, the whole body becomes soft and yielding, body and mind are comfortable and joyful, exquisitely beautiful — a hundred times more pleasurable than the sensation of one's wedding night — like waking from a long sleep, like a poor person finding a treasure. You have awakened to the meaning of life.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Nourishment Section · Art of Transcending Mortal Bones
Second Level — Transcending the Form Realm¶
To enter second-level dhyāna, one must completely reject the previous state — like a man burning with desire who abruptly turns away from a beautiful woman before him; like a starving, freezing poor person who brushes aside a table full of delicacies. Three steps: (1) do not receive it; (2) reprimand it; (3) analyze it objectively. By this, one can leave the experience of first-level dhyāna's awakening.
At second-level dhyāna, not only do ten merit-virtues arise from within, but four states are reached: (1) inner purity — from the body-consciousness correspondence of first-level dhyāna to heart-consciousness correspondence; from the awakening of one's nature to the direct appearance of Buddha-nature; (2) joy — body and mind are naturally delighted, knowing one possesses the ten wholesome merit-virtues; (3) bliss — serene, pleasant, softly continuous; (4) settled heart — having escaped the great difficulty, no longer receiving pleasure or pain, the way ahead is clear, the celestial realm is near, the heart is unmoved and will not easily regress.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Nourishment Section · Art of Transcending Mortal Bones
Third Level — Transcending the Formless Realm, Becoming a Celestial Being¶
First-level dhyāna transcends the Desire Realm; second-level transcends the Form Realm; third-level transcends the Formless Realm. The key to transcending the Formless Realm is transcending "self." With "self" at the center, one remains within the Five Elements, still in the cycle of life and death.
At third-level dhyāna, you have become a celestial being. The most notable characteristic is that food intake is greatly reduced — when sitting in stillness, ten or eight days may pass without a thought of food. Because energy expenditure is so low, one can exist without intake or output, forming a small self-contained cosmic system. Even living at the extreme altitudes of Everest — the so-called death zone — three or two months pose no threat to life. The highest attainment of Indian yoga corresponds to third-level dhyāna.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Nourishment Section · Art of Transcending Mortal Bones
Fourth and Fifth Levels¶
Advancing further brings fourth-level dhyāna: by this point one has attained supernatural powers and transformations, and can ascend to the Thousand-Year World or the Ten-Thousand-Year World. Reaching fifth-level dhyāna, one has become a Buddha and can ascend to the Elysium World.
Because fourth- and fifth-level dhyāna transcend the scope of intermediate refinement and the science of nourishment, they will not be explained further here.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Nourishment Section · Art of Transcending Mortal Bones
VIII. Xuefeng's Personal Experience¶
For about ten years I practiced cultivation exercises, primarily for health maintenance. I practiced outdoors in a garden rather than inside, with emphasis on aligning slow breathing precisely with movement. I did not sit in indoor meditation often, but the effects of sitting were excellent — the Art of Transcending Mortal Bones was mainly known to me through sitting. However, I noticed a problem: the more I sat in meditation, the more easily I could become destabilized — harmful to family and close ones. So I did not go deeper. Awakening and direct verification complement each other; direct verification does not require sitting meditation. Verification happens everywhere in life — for example, my attitude and state of mind toward ants and mice led to changes in the behavior of ants and mice. That is direct verification.
— Xuefeng Corpus · Q&A Section · Answering Questions (1)
Sitting meditation, visualization, yoga, and Lifechanyuan's "Art of Transcending Mortal Bones" can all bring us into the non-form state. This is especially so when entering fourth- and fifth-level dhyāna — at those levels, it is absolutely a state of returning to zero, a state of having entered the Elysium World. The subtleties of this will be explained and described when practicing the Art of Transcending Mortal Bones.
— Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Section · The Wonder of Zero — Non-Form Thinking (IV)