Cultivating Samādhi in Motion on the Foundation of Static Meditative Concentration

Meditative concentration that combines movement and stillness gives rise to wisdom more easily than concentration in stillness alone, because there are more conditions that can prompt the arising of wisdom, and sudden enlightenment comes more readily through conditions in external circumstances. When the mind can remain in samādhi whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, such concentration is more stable, and bodily, verbal, and mental actions can all be purified, bringing greater benefit. After the contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) of seated meditation has become proficient, one should practice maintaining meditative power during bodily activities, so that contemplative practice becomes even more focused. 

When contemplative practice during seated meditation is very focused, try slowly rising from the seat and doing walking meditation on the ground—walking, strolling, fast or slow—and then reflect back to see whether your mind can still rest on the breath without being swayed by the surrounding sense objects. However, without concentration in stillness as the foundation for beginning cultivation, it is difficult to have dhyāna during bodily, verbal, and mental activities; if the mind is not carried away by sense objects during activity, it shows that meditative power has increased. Meditative power during activity is extremely important—it is even firmer than meditative power in seated meditation, it is used more often, and there are more opportunities for awakening to the Path. If during activity the mind is not scattered and can maintain the meditative power of contemplative practice, it shows that the skill of observing the breath has become quite mature, and the practice of walking, standing, sitting, and lying down has become seamlessly continuous.