Quiet is the first level of practicing internal skills, and it is also a crucial level. With the deepening of quietness, kung fu is also improving. Quiet means entering what we usually call qigong state. In this state, the yogi replaces all thoughts with one thought and is in a daze. There is no distinction, no difference. Taoism calls it keeping one, and Buddhism calls it entering the air. There is a passage in Lao Tzu's A Tao Te Ching that describes this state: "Tao is a thing, but it is a trance." Vague, there are images, vague, and something ... "The word trance is very learned and many scholars have been explaining it. Mr. nan huaijin thinks: "Trance refers to the state of bright mind. We don't need tedious exegesis to explain these two words. Just by the shape, you can see that it is the light words beside the vertical center, and the sudden words beside the vertical center indicate that your mind is bright, floating and lively, and you are not upset at all. "Here we should pay attention to two points. First, being in a state of silence means being in a trance. There is no difference, no difference, that is, thinking nothing, putting everything down and not needing any logical thinking. Secondly, in the trance state, JL is naturally bright and lively, which means that there are images and objects in it. This kind of internality is the result of practicing to a certain extent, and the natural qi of heaven and earth acts on the internal qi of people.
What's the use of silence? First of all, it is very conducive to regulating body functions, balancing yin and yang, and dredging meridians; More importantly, in a quiet state, qi can be started and vigorous. People coming down to the abdomen are like a melting pot, and only when they are quiet can they ignite a blazing flame; It is also like a steamer, which can only cause boiling when it is quiet.
For beginners, we must overcome all kinds of distractions in order to achieve the purpose of peace. According to legend, Lv Dongbin, an enlightened immortal in the Tang Dynasty, once said, "People say that I sell ink and fly my sword to get the first prize. I smell it. In fact, there are three swords: one is to break troubles, the other is to break greed, and the third is to break lust. This is my sword. " What he said is not the actual sword, but the power of heart sword, wisdom sword, will and wisdom. In secular society. Everyone is inevitably not tired of all kinds of troubles, greed, lust and suffering from secular desires. These are all kinds of distractions. I don't think so in normal life, but once I sit down and close my eyes, my thoughts are like wild horses running. Then, the practitioner must use the power of will to constantly eliminate other thoughts and finally tame this wild horse. The process of taming this wild horse is also a process of kung fu improvement and good health. Many practitioners lament the difficulty of falling into silence. In fact, this shows that there is still a lot of dust on his mental mirror, which must be wiped with the power of will and killed with the sword of wisdom. The second chapter focuses on the importance of body and mind, which readers can refer to.
First, signs of silence
What kind of state is quiet? It's hard to explain this clearly, because everyone's physical condition and kung fu depth are different, so everyone's experience must be different, but in general, there are-some signs of * * *. Mentally, the yogi is in a state like sleeping but not sleeping, but he is by no means lethargic. Normal thinking is at a standstill, and the only line is bright and brilliant. In other words, thinking is in the stage of feeling. Although I have some feelings about foreign objects, even the sound of an embroidery needle falling to the ground can be heard, but it is just a feeling, without logical thinking, and the level is like a mirror, so I can't make waves. If the yogi feels that he has disappeared, it is a higher stage of silence.
Breathing aspect
The practitioner almost forgot to breathe. Breathing at this time is deeper, slower, more uniform and thinner than usual, like a silk thread, not loose or tight. Sometimes practitioners feel that rest stops and there is fetal interest, that is, people's navel breathing; Or there is skin breathing, when inhaling, the skin feels cold, and when exhaling, it feels hot. In either case, it is not the result of deliberate pursuit. Everything is natural.
Somatic sensory aspect
The most important thing about somatosensory sensation is the sense of aura. The yogi can feel a kind of aura around the whole body, and the true qi is integrated with the qi of heaven and earth. Even if he is in a trance, he has initially entered the silent door. If you continue to practice, the practitioner feels that the body expands infinitely until it disappears. Some people feel that qi and blood are transpiration, the qi in the abdomen is beating and rolling, and the body is hot and glowing. Or feel that your body is floating lightly in the sky, or your body is sinking into the ground.
Deep consciousness
At a deeper level, there are often various scenes of Tianmu point. If you see immortals, insects and birds, strange fragrance and different colors, picturesque scenery, all kinds of beautiful mountains and rivers, pavilions and pavilions can be vividly seen. These are called magic scenes; The yogi must keep his mind steady, turn a blind eye, listen but not hear, and keep his mind open to waves.
Static kung fu is mainly sitting posture, and of course it also includes lying posture. However, prone position is only used when the exerciser is too weak to sit still, and most people try to practice sitting position. There are three ways to sit: sitting flat, sitting scattered, single and double (see figure 1, 2, 3 and 4). These postures also reflect the different depth of kung fu. Beginners should sit flat, so that their limbs are comfortable, and they are not oppressed, which is conducive to silence. With the deepening of kung fu, practitioners must gradually transition to cross-legged, especially when entering high-level practice. They must use two sets of kung fu. Because the biggest advantage of this posture is deterrence, the stability of the footwall is conducive to the movement of qi in thousands of parts of the body, and once the qi is full, the solid resistance of the footwall is also conducive to exercising the strength of qi in the body. No matter what posture, the most important principle is to relax naturally, and the whole body can relax to be quiet. Relaxation is not slack, but requires the whole body to relax when the spine is vertical, which is both calm and not stiff. In Tai Ji Chuan, there is a term called "the spirit is weak". When the head rests on the top, the spine will naturally be vertical. However, for a beginner, it is impossible to care too much, otherwise it will cause tension. In fact, just remember to relax, and then pay attention to adjust the nervous parts of the body at any time to keep the whole body comfortable.
Three, quiet breathing method and quiet method
Breathing into silence, also known as the breathing method, refers to the method that the mind focuses on breathing and goes up and down with breathing to achieve undivided attention instead of thinking all the time. For beginners, breathing into silence is a convenient way. Breathing into silence can only pay attention to inhalation, and exhalation will come out inadvertently, or only pay attention to exhalation, not pay attention to inhalation, or rise and fall with breathing.
With a certain foundation, the yogi can concentrate the skin of the whole body, use the capillary pores of the skin, breathe in the refreshing air between heaven and earth, and exhale the sick air and turbid air of the whole body. With this idea, they can take a good breath for a while, then relax, think nothing, breathe naturally, keep their minds blank, and relax and be comfortable. Once the distractions come up, they can be expelled by skin breathing, which can be done for generations.
This is the most commonly used way to get into peace. The acupoints observed mainly include the upper, middle and lower abdomen, perineum, Mingmen and Yongquan (see Figure 5). The advantage of obeying the law is that it is easy to get angry, and the disadvantage is that it is not easy to master the temperature. The so-called heat refers to the severity of God's intention to acupoints. Caution is generally required, and you can't forget to help, or put it down when exhaling, or put it down when inhaling. Don't be persistent, otherwise the phenomenon of hyperactivity of yang and stagnation of qi will appear, causing discomfort in all aspects of the body, especially dizziness. Generally speaking, it is common to observe the lower abdomen (one inch and five points below the navel), because the lower abdomen is a sea of qi, and generally practicing Zhou Tiangong mainly observes the lower abdomen.
It is best to observe acupoints visually. For specific methods, please refer to Chapter 4 "Zhou Tianfa" and Chapter 9 "Thinking of Watching Movies".
Dynamic static method
After practicing martial arts for a period of time, the whole body meridians are ventilated, and then there are various feelings in the body. Buddhism has the saying of "eight touches", that is, moving, itching, light, heavy, cool, hot, astringent and slippery. A detailed description of this feeling can be found in Chapter 12 Meditation.
In fact, the feeling in the body is not just "eight touches". Everyone will not feel exactly the same. To sum up, the most important feeling is the feeling that qi starts in the body, such as the flow, jumping and beating of qi, the trembling feeling of qi when the whole body is ventilated (similar to the feeling of electrification) and the feeling of gas field, and the heat feeling when qi grows. In short, the yogi can carefully understand these feelings, search them wholeheartedly, and unconsciously eliminate all kinds of distractions, so as to achieve the purpose of silence. According to the author's experience, somatosensory meditation has a better effect. On the one hand, this meditation method is relatively easy, and it will not bring any disadvantages or cause tension. On the one hand, this method can improve the skills of introspection and lay the foundation for future ideas and some higher-order functions.
A calming formula
Every Sect has its own formula, and reciting the formula is a wonderful way to help you get into silence. Language itself has the function of suggestion, especially the formula handed down from generation to generation. After being taught by generations of masters, it has special information and incredible power.
The mouth of each faction must seek its martial arts. Here is a simple formula: "loose one, quiet one, one hole." You can speak softly when practicing, with a long and urgent voice, alternating high and low. Sound waves oscillate from perineum to Baihui when reading Song, from Baihui to perineum when reading Tong, from Baihui to Yongquan when reading acupoints, from Yongquan to Baihui when reading Song, and so on. After proficiency, you can not speak loudly and meditate on the formula, which can also help you calm down and dredge the meridians.
Remembering the teacher's silent image is one of the methods of master Qing, and it is the secret method for teachers to inherit merits and demerits. It plays an important role in quietness, giving full play to one's own functions, and using the skill of the master to help cure diseases.
Specifically, when practicing, first relax, calm down, and then gently meditate on the image of the master. It may be vague at first, but with the deepening of kung fu, you will meditate more clearly gradually. The higher the degree of silence, the clearer the image of the master will be. In the process of silence, don't let the image of the master leave your own ocean. If other people enter your mind, it will be distracting thoughts. If you can't remember the image of the master clearly, you can see the photos of the master clearly and meditate, so the effect of silence is also good.
Meditation is not only a kind of kung fu, but also requires constant cultivation. At the same time, it also requires practitioners to transcend worldly fame and fortune, be kind and virtuous, and seek peace of mind.