Only Stillness Meditation anyone?

[SiliconValley]

There has been some discussion on Qigong [i mean energy work or willful moving of energy], its need or lack of it when compared to Stillness meditation etc. in the past. This question is mainly for those from Master Nan's school who think stillness meditation is simply sufficient as one of the lower stages of meditation involves opening of all chi channels.

 

Anyone here, who has been only practicing stillness meditation or more of it, would like to comment?

 

- As the practice opens the energy channels, does it bring in the health benefits of Qi Gong as well? Are Zen monks physically healthy as well?

 

There was some discussion on this at my local Buddhist study group but there seemed to be no concrete answers regarding the explicit health benefits or healing, which has been demonstrated through Qigong.

Edited September 29, 2008 by SiliconValley

[mwight]

In my personal experience, the only way I am able to begin to feel flows of chi inside my body is by first entering a state of suspended animation. This usually takes 3-4 hours of breath regulation and relaxing to arrive at a state where I feel drunk, heavy, and like I am deep underwater. Sounds outside of me are distant and time is distorted, 30 minutes in this state is really many hours in the outside world. Master Lin of SFQ, Robert Bruce, The book "The Tao of Meditation", and many other styles I have studied all emphasize this state of void, emptiness, suspended animation as the first step.

 

There has been some discussion on Qigong [i mean energy work or willful moving of energy], its need or lack of it when compared to Stillness meditation etc. in the past. This question is mainly for those from Master Nan's school who think stillness meditation is simply sufficient as one of the lower stages of meditation involves opening of all chi channels.

 

Anyone here, who has been only practicing stillness meditation or more of it, would like to comment?

 

- As the practice opens the energy channels, does it bring in the health benefits of Qi Gong as well? Are Zen monks physically healthy as well?

 

There was some discussion on this at my local Buddhist study group but there seemed to be no concrete answers regarding the explicit health benefits or healing, which has been demonstrated through Qigong.

[Aetherous]

Correct stillness meditation is all you need...but who can perform it correctly?

 

If you're trying to take water out of of boat and you have two choices, suck it out with a pump, or scoop it out with buckets...why just do one? It will be quicker to do both at the same time.

 

Attack from both sides.

 

[joeblast]

In my personal experience, the only way I am able to begin to feel flows of chi inside my body is by first entering a state of suspended animation. This usually takes 3-4 hours of breath regulation and relaxing to arrive at a state where I feel drunk, heavy, and like I am deep underwater. Sounds outside of me are distant and time is distorted, 30 minutes in this state is really many hours in the outside world. Master Lin of SFQ, Robert Bruce, The book "The Tao of Meditation", and many other styles I have studied all emphasize this state of void, emptiness, suspended animation as the first step.

longevity breathing!!!

[steve]

Whatever it is that we feel in the body is a representation of our thoughts, our conditioning, our training, our culture... Stillness encompasses all of that and more - stillness is closer to the underlying condition than all of our paradigms.

Anyway, that's how I think about things.

I practice stillness but I also practice Daoist methods which are nicely incorporated into my taiji training.

[Spirit Ape]

Stillness / emptiness is the best for cultivating chi and spiritual work, spontaneous is to correct any blockages and open up the body.

 

look for stillness in stillness and stillness in motion as well movement in stillness and movement in movements!

 

Ape

[SiliconValley]

Thanks mwight. Like I stated above, I have read the "best thing to do is do both" thingie and accept it. But I was interested to know how those sticking to stillness alone fare in the physical health department. Yours seems to be an experiential statement than a picked up quote.

 

Thank you

[Guest sykkelpump]

Thanks mwight. Like I stated above, I have read the "best thing to do is do both" thingie and accept it. But I was interested to know how those sticking to stillness alone fare in the physical health department. Yours seems to be an experiential statement than a picked up quote.

 

Thank you

 

Hello.I generata a lot of energy when I meditate and I feel it circulate through the body in a way I never could feel in qi gong.meditation has given me the most healt benefits,and it incresase the effect of my qi gong a lot.If i didnt meditate i wouldnt have any energy to move around with my qi gong.

[Smile]

- As the practice opens the energy channels, does it bring in the health benefits of Qi Gong as well? Are Zen monks physically healthy as well?

The 2 masters I know Nan Huai-Chin and Hyunoong Sunim both are also masters in moving arts- Taiji and Sun-do respectivly. So here you have it.

[de_paradise]

Stillness seems most pure, the chi gets stronger incrementally, and there is a refined mental componant in stillness that is missing in energy practises. I somehow feel like I'm slumming when I do energy practises, though no doubt energy practises can make significant leaps in progress.

 

I think it comes down to personality. I dont like holding weird postures while standing, but it seems fine for others. I can sit altered all day long though.

 

Buddhist monks often look like wussy boys. They should give them gym passes.

[Vajrasattva]

Buddhist monks often look like wussy boys. They should give them gym passes.

 

 

Have you ever trained with Real Tibetan monks????

[Spirit Ape]

Smile - canyou tell me more about Sun Do? What is the practice i saw a clip of dynamic tension etc what else do they do?

 

Ape

[sheng zhen]

Stillnessmeditation is the only meditation that lets the body, mind and spirit do its job, which is healing, evolving and rejoicing in life, properly.

 

Stillness means that the body, mind and spirit wont get distracted by our conscious (and unconscious) constantly confirming limitations and illusions. When are still we let our natural, immanent intelligence take over. And this intelligence is endlessly more intelligent than what we are able to imagine in our little illusory mind

 

Just look at nature, look at our fysiology. The complexity and perfectly syncronized activity of every single molecule, to every single cell, to every singel organ, to every single organism, to interaction of emotions, to mind, to spirit, to tao, to... to... to.... It is just amazing. And it all works without our illusory mind directing it in any way.

 

And as suggested by all the research being done on meditation, this whole organism we are, including body, mind and spirit, works BETTER when we dont interfere(by being still)

[styrofoamdog]

The 2 masters I know Nan Huai-Chin and Hyunoong Sunim both are also masters in moving arts- Taiji and Sun-do respectivly. So here you have it.

I'm not aware that he has ever said anything praising Taijiquan or popular Qigong methods. He basically advocates still Buddhist meditation practices, even when discussing Daoism. When he does mention Qigong, it's usually to point out popular misconceptions about Qi and Qi channels that he regards as being foolish.