A Guide for Seon Meditation <3>

Quieting the body and the mind is Seon meditation. 

I was once asked if life’s pleasures and pains ultimately balance each other out, what is the point of trying to overcome the present suffering? This question assumes that if we try, we should be able to avoid growing old, getting sick, or dying. The truth is, no matter how hard we try, we are destined to get old, sick, and die. However, this does not mean that we should not try. 

Sometimes, we will suffer no matter how hard we try to avoid it. The Seon masters of old teach us the unfettered freedom of enlightenment and the wisdom of letting go. But instead of seeing reality as it is, the reality and the phenomena taking place in it are always perceived through the filter of the karma of pleasure and pain, and that is why suffering arises in our lives. To practice Seon meditation is to see reality as it is. Seon meditation is the best thing we can do in the course of trying to overcome suffering, which will bring us greater benefits. 

Some people meditate every day, morning and night, and what they learn makes sense in theory, but it does not resonate with them. Sometimes we meditate because we just want to feel good, to feel joy and happiness, but meditation is all about calming the body and mind. Still, all kinds of thoughts and feelings will arise. If we can observe these thoughts and feelings arising and say to ourselves, “This is karma manifesting in me,” then that is meditation.

Even if we do not fully understand the karma of pleasure and pain, all we have to do is just feel and notice how our mind is, just as it is, without labeling it as pleasant or unpleasant. If we keep thinking that we should do this or that, that is attachment, which is the direct cause of karma of pleasure and pain. Once the karma of pleasure and pain is reduced, so is the suffering. We must keep practicing it without ceasing.

What should we focus on when we practice Seon meditation? Thunder and rain, clouds disappearing and clearing to reveal the sun - all these things are just natural phenomena caused by countless causes and conditions coming together. Suffering arises only when we attach meaning to and create emotions about them.

We experience suffering, sorrow, and delusions when what is inside of us reacts to these naturally occurring phenomena outside. Observing this process is Seon meditation. Distress, resentment, or depression are purely manifestations of our own karma of pleasure and pain. Knowing and observing this as it happens is the key.