Wang Yangming’s famous sayings about meditation are as follows:
1. The mind can be calm when nothing happens
The difference between ordinary people and saints lies in the daily effort of concentration superior. People with little skill can hardly settle down even if they have nothing to do. It is always created by the heart and comes up with something to make myself worried, annoyed and angry. All kinds of distracting thoughts disturbed me so that I could not have any peace for a moment.
People with deep knowledge are good at filtering out complicated information from the outside world and always maintain inner calm. Yu looks at problems from the favorable side, does not panic when encountering problems, and analyzes problems calmly. Wang Yangming's achievements in his life were mostly due to self-cultivation and less to knowledge. And his self-cultivation skills mainly come from concentration.
He said: The more you seek tranquility, the less tranquil your ears will be. In the eyes of ordinary people, life is life and practice is practice. The two cannot be confused. In Wang Yangming's eyes, the time to calm down is in peacetime, when there is nothing to do. "Small Window Quiet Notes" writes: Sitting alone in the meditation room, doing nothing, cooking a pot of tea, burning incense, and looking at the picture of Bodhidharma on the wall.
After hanging the curtain for a few moments, I felt my mind was calm, my mind was clear, and my breath was soft and calm. People only pay attention to their inner world when they have nothing to do. Sit alone in the Zen room, brew a pot of tea, light a burner of incense, and admire the paintings of Bodhidharma facing the wall. Close your eyes and before you know it, your mind will become stable and peaceful.
Why is it difficult for people to recognize themselves? Because the true heart is concealed in the turmoil of external things. Just like when the waves are rising, we cannot see the bottom of the water; only when the horizontal waves are calm, we can see the clear bottom of the water. We must learn to slowly clarify the turbid and turbulent heart.
Only by calming the mind and restoring its original clarity can we see clearly what we really want, so that our lives will not be dictated by circumstances.
2. The mind can be calm when things happen
Life is full of all kinds of accidents and surprises, and many people's moods are easily affected by them. Once, a student asked Wang Yangming for advice: Teacher, when I cultivate my mind when I am quiet, I feel that my mind is okay; but when something happens, my mind is completely different. What should I do?
Wang Yangming answered him: Only by grinding on things can one be able to stand still; only then can one be still and still, and be still and still. No one is born knowing how to meditate. We must withstand the trials of worldly affairs so that our foundation will be more solid, so that we can be calm when nothing happens and calm when things happen.
Learn to keep your mind still, and you will be as calm as still water. No matter what the surrounding environment is, we must learn to meditate. When encountering frustration, one can endure it; when encountering pleasure, one can look down upon it; when encountering honor, one can put it aside; when encountering one's sorrow and anger, one can calm down.
Being calm and composed is a way of living and a state of mind. Wang Yangming said: All patients who have good and bad things, and suffer from difficulties and missteps are all involved in reputation and loss, and they cannot realize their conscience. In work and life, many people are in a hurry, getting busier and more chaotic. In the end, they make a mess and become trapped and even embarrassed.
Why is this? It's because I have too much focus on gains and losses, I only want good results, and I'm afraid of getting bad results, which blinds my heart that can handle things calmly and calmly. Ups and downs of gains and losses are normal, and doing your best and letting nature take its course is a reasonable attitude.
Zhuangzi said in "Da Sheng Pian": Those who use tiles to inject are skillful, those who inject with hooks are in danger, and those who inject gold are perishable. ...What a coincidence. To be cautious is to focus on external aspects. Anyone who is heavy on the outside is clumsy on the inside.
The same is true for placing bets. When you use tiles for bets, you will be smart and perform normally; . The same person, the same skills, but because they attach too much importance to external objects and their material desires obscure their spiritual intelligence, they become clumsy inside.
So, only when a person eliminates distracting thoughts in his mind and is not burdened by external things can he pursue spiritual freedom. With a quiet heart, isolate yourself from the interference of the external environment, focus on what you are doing at the moment, and solve the problems you are facing at the moment. This is the best attitude towards life.