Page 47 - 加拿大佛教会湛山精舍杂志季刊第60期

any need of any kind. It will be realized that mind becomes evident. Without thoughts and without the
is no-mind, that no-mind is pure mind and that pure illusion of self and other, greed, anger and hatred
mind is the true mind. At that time, the sound of dis- have no place to arise; and the energy that was tied up
cussion and the role of thought will be finished. It by those illusions becomes available, helping to pro-
cannot be expressed in words, and yet it is as simple vide an overall improvement in health. That is why
as drinking water and knowing whether it is cold or meditation is called The Fundamental Practice.
warm. It is called Sudden Enlightenment. The Psychophysiological Effects Of Meditation
It is my express wish that this guide, based on the The Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936),
meditation manual of Ting Chen, will prove helpful emphasized the role that the cerebrum plays in phys-
in imparting the Dharma to its readers. In helping me iology. At first glance, one might assume this to be
reach this goal, I wish to thank Sam Langberg and Dr. merely a statement of fact, because that part of the
Frank G. French, without whose help regarding fine brain is usually thought to involve little else other
points in the translation and without whose editorial than thinking. Actually, it takes part in the produc-
acuteness this task might have proved too difficult. tion of many hormones, both directly and indirectly.
May this work, then, help everyone to generate the Every aspect of a person is interrelated, and that is
Bodhi Mind and never to regress. how and why thoughts and emotions can have such
Dharma Master Lok To far-reaching effects. That is, however, also why med-
itation and calm-inducing thoughts can be so stabiliz-
The Foundation Of Meditation Practice ing and so healthy. One can safely assume, then, that
Why Meditate? most of what contributes to proper functioning also
When you are caught up in the emotional upheaval contributes to good health.
of greed, anger and delusion, you may find yourself Useful Hints For Better Practice And Better Health
succumbing to some very real physical ailments; As you progress in your practice, you are required to
and when you are ill, the world may seem to be a sit motionless for longer and longer periods of time
very dismal place. That is not to say, however, that at a stretch. It is then that some very important phys-
all of our illnesses are due to extreme emotions. Ex- ical limitations may oblige you to make some adjust-
posure to substances to which you may be allergic ments in the way that you sit. Should you choose to
can alter everything about you. It can cause violent ignore them, thinking that there is just one right way
mood swings, depression, hallucinations and all sorts to practice, you may cause yourself needless pain and
of physical effects, including actual tissue damage. distraction (which means that you will not be able to
Whatever the cause, disease is most often accompa- concentrate); and you may possibly expose yourself
nied by an assortment of disruptive emotions. Pro- to irreparable physical damage as well.
grams that have been designed to make therapeu- It is not unusual for people who have gone on retreats
tic use of relaxation methods and meditation have to return with painfully damaged knees, having held
proved to be effective in curbing both the physical ef- a position in spite of pain and having welcomed an
fects and the emotions which accompany them. Yet, ensuing numbness, simply because they have more
as beneficial as they may be, such methods can take trouble than they can remedy. To paraphrase The Kal-
one only so far. ama Sutra, “Do not do something because you have
In the Buddhist tradition, meditation is used to de- been instructed to do so, but try it and find out how it
fuse the source of all the trouble-the illusion of self works for you.” Be always on guard for what doesn’t
and other. In Ch’an (or Zen), the aim is to overcome seem to be quite right, and see what might be done
thought and defilement. Having done this, and with about it. There are many, many methods that can be
thoughts no longer stirring, the real substance of mind tried. There is no reason to have to submit to pain or

45