Chan Meditation initially grabbed my attention with the concept that the endurance of pain can be used as a tool for the development of concentration. I was first introduced to Chan meditation after participating in a short group meditation sit, held at a park in Downey and organized by the Lu mountain temple. The participants mainly discussed pain, and how concentrating on the discomfort can help relieve it. This experience left me with three major questions; what is Chan Buddhism? ; Why do they choose to put themselves through intense discomfort while meditating? ; How do the people feel Chan Meditation effects their lives? For my ethnography project I decided to take the descriptive, interpretive approach. I used open-ended questions to
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“Crossing your legs in the lotus position, promotes Qi flow and the pain is the Qi working its way through the blockages, and balancing your karma. Chan meditation teaches you not to be afraid of the pain and it well naturally subside.”
How long have you been a monk? What was it like at first? “I have been a monk for the three years. At first it was very difficult to sit for two hours but after some time I could push myself to sit for five hours. My first year as a monk, I attended a retreat where we would meditated for 21 hours a day for three weeks straight. The first five hours all I can think is don’t unbuckle, don't unbuckle, after that the silences started to drive me crazy. Meditation became torture. At that point I was looking for anything else to do, by the first week me and my class mates all wanted to quit.”
Why are you a vegetarian? “Buddhism teaches that eating the flesh of a sentient being keeps you from entering into Samadhi, and creates bad karma. When I started as a Buddhist monk I wasn’t a vegetarian and after a few months of not eating meat I felt so light and healthy. Your Qi flows better when you do not eat meat.”
Are there any other foods you avoid? Why do you avoid …show more content…
In Buddhism concentration power is strictly defined. People who don't meditate have zero Samadhi. Meaning people are scattered and have a hard time concentrating on a subject. In China they call this the monkey mind, jumping from branch to branch. When you enter first Samadhi, you lose track of time and feel lightness and blissful. Dharma bliss, the first degree of concentration you can achieve first Samadhi/Dhyana, at this stage you are able to concentrate then you go to second Samadhi, third, all the way up to ninth level. The first eight can be reached through different meditation practices, but the ninth can only be attained with Buddhist
“Crossing your legs in the lotus position, promotes Qi flow and the pain is the Qi working its way through the blockages, and balancing your karma. Chan meditation teaches you not to be afraid of the pain and it well naturally subside.”
How long have you been a monk? What was it like at first? “I have been a monk for the three years. At first it was very difficult to sit for two hours but after some time I could push myself to sit for five hours. My first year as a monk, I attended a retreat where we would meditated for 21 hours a day for three weeks straight. The first five hours all I can think is don’t unbuckle, don't unbuckle, after that the silences started to drive me crazy. Meditation became torture. At that point I was looking for anything else to do, by the first week me and my class mates all wanted to quit.”
Why are you a vegetarian? “Buddhism teaches that eating the flesh of a sentient being keeps you from entering into Samadhi, and creates bad karma. When I started as a Buddhist monk I wasn’t a vegetarian and after a few months of not eating meat I felt so light and healthy. Your Qi flows better when you do not eat meat.”
Are there any other foods you avoid? Why do you avoid …show more content…
In Buddhism concentration power is strictly defined. People who don't meditate have zero Samadhi. Meaning people are scattered and have a hard time concentrating on a subject. In China they call this the monkey mind, jumping from branch to branch. When you enter first Samadhi, you lose track of time and feel lightness and blissful. Dharma bliss, the first degree of concentration you can achieve first Samadhi/Dhyana, at this stage you are able to concentrate then you go to second Samadhi, third, all the way up to ninth level. The first eight can be reached through different meditation practices, but the ninth can only be attained with Buddhist