How to Enter Samādhi as Quickly as Possible During Sitting Meditation

To enter meditative concentration (samādhi) quickly, you should relax your body and discriminating mind as much as possible. When taking your seat, let the body slacken; you must empty out body and mind. Relax your arms, hands, and shoulders; relax your legs and feet. Do not hold up your shoulders, arms, and hands—let the whole body loosen. The head should also relax, kept naturally upright and tilted slightly downward. The back should be naturally straight, neither bent nor stiffly erect. The shoulders should gently droop down and be drawn back a little, lightly and effortlessly, without using force. The whole body should use no force at all. Using force means you are stiffening yourself upright; once you stiffen up, the body becomes rigid, the flow of qi stops moving, the meridians are not easily set in motion, and the body will not easily become unobstructed. 

After the body is completely relaxed, relax the mind as well—empty it out, lightly and easily. Apart from the dharma you are contemplating, think of nothing in your mind, dwell on nothing, ignore everything. Even if the sky were to fall, pay it no heed; relinquish everything. Let the body be however it wants to be—you need not concern yourself with it. The more you attend to it, the more you grasp at it, the harder it is to set the qi in motion, the harder it is for the blood and qi to pass through, and the worse your meditative concentration will be. Conversely, the more empty and relaxed your body and mind are, the better your meditative concentration will be. Practice letting yourself completely let go, relinquish, and empty out—only then can you enter meditative concentration as quickly as possible.