The Benefits of Sitting in Meditation and Worshipping the Buddha

When practicing sitting cross-legged, first arrange your legs properly, then sit cross-legged while prostrating to the Buddha, with extremely slow movements. The body forcibly presses down on the legs, so the qi channels can easily pass through both legs; once the qi channels pass through, the legs become supple. When prostrating to the Buddha with legs crossed in this way, because your attention is on the movements of prostration and not on the legs, you cannot feel the leg pain. Originally your mind consciousness's attention was on the legs; when prostrating with legs crossed, you transfer all your attention to each movement of the prostration. Once the attention is transferred, you no longer feel the leg pain.

Because the legs are forcibly pressed and cannot move, the mind also becomes stable, the qi channels pass through quickly, the legs become supple quickly, and gradually you no longer feel pain. The same applies to the waist: when you forcibly prostrate with legs crossed, you cannot feel the waist pain either. As you keep prostrating, the qi channels open up and the waist becomes supple, and then the whole body will soften. Later, when you sit in meditation again, the body will not feel uncomfortable, the legs will not hurt, the waist will not hurt, and the duration of your meditation will lengthen.

When prostrating with legs crossed, prostrate slowly, very slowly, tethering all your attention to the movements of the prostration. The slower the better, the slower the better. With attention concentrated on the movements of prostration, the mind will become concentrated, no longer scattered, and will not engage in random thoughts. Once the mind settles down, the qi channels circulate and the body feels comfortable, and body and mind are subdued; when sitting in meditation, the mind will easily become calm. Using this practice to tame the legs and the waist, and to subdue one's scattered mind, is very effective. When prostrating, press the whole body against the prostration cushion; the two tendons on the back will be fully stretched, the body gets stretched out, making it easy for the qi channels to pass through the Governing Vessel (dū mài) along the back. Once the qi channels start moving, it is easy to expel diseased qi, and the body becomes healthy.

When prostrating with legs crossed, the slow movements of the body can lead the qi channels to circulate within the body along the channels they are supposed to follow, continuously opening up the body's acupoints and passages, making the body supple and healthy, and eliminating illness and hidden ailments. In this way, the tendons lengthen, the body becomes relaxed and supple, and the mind becomes pure. Once the tendons lengthen, many illnesses can be removed, and it is also conducive to longevity. The method of prostrating with legs crossed works on the same principle as practicing judo or yoga: both can make the physical body relaxed and supple and the mind gentle, thereby making the body healthy and long-lived.

When you prostrate with legs crossed, you can stretch open the two tendons on the back. Prostrate slowly; the slower you go, the more thoroughly they are stretched, and the more the tendons can be lengthened. Once lengthened, the body becomes supple. If you never exercise or move the body, it becomes stiff. What is called stiffness is really just shortened tendons; when the tendons are short, bodily functions are restricted and vitality is lost.

When prostrating with legs crossed, not only can you stretch the tendons of the back, but even the tendons of the neck are extended; then stretch the tendons of the buttocks, and then the tendons of both legs are also stretched open. Once the tendons are stretched open, the legs become supple and the waist becomes supple too. When you first begin sitting, the body may be entirely stiff, because the tendons are all contracted and have not been stretched open, so sitting in meditation feels painful. Persist in practicing for a while and it will be fine. Especially when you are somewhat older, you must all the more cultivate your body and mind, stretching open the tendons of every part of the body; then the body becomes supple and full of vitality, the mind easily settles, and while subduing the body, the mind is also gradually subdued.

In prostrating to the Buddha, the mental attention is very important. Concentrate the mind on each movement of the prostration, with a constant inner awareness—knowing clearly and distinctly what you are currently doing, lucid and clear, without distracting thoughts. Then, when walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, carry this awareness without letting go, with single-minded concentration. Once the samādhi in motion is firm, you can investigate the huatou. Replace the object of the mind's awareness with the huatou of a phrase, suspending it in the mind, carrying the huatou whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. When the questioning doubt arises, you can investigate the huatou, and one day you will be able to see the mind and attain enlightenment. This is a very important method of cultivating meditative concentration, called "Chan in motion" (dòng chán). I hope it can benefit everyone and help you realize the Path soon.