Meditative Stillness 禪定 from Collection of Rain Blossoms

Meditation is the art of letting the heart rest free and clear, steady like stone and open like space. Image: Shutterstock.

Meditative stillness, called Chan-Ding (禪定), is a calm and steady mind, unmoved by distraction. It also means the settling of body, speech, and thought. This is the first step in Zen practice.

Why begin here? Because the outside always reflects the inside. When the heart is calm, insight appears. When insight appears, the whole being settles into steadiness. But if the mind is restless, like a flag flapping in the wind, how can true insight take root?

That is why the Buddha spoke of “suchness.” Inside, the mind should be like wood or stone—solid and unmoved. Outside, the body should be like open space—clear, unblocked, without resistance. The first part of suchness is a mind that stays unmoved. The second is a body free and open, like space itself.

And what does it mean to be “like open space”? It means not getting caught up in the body. We came into this world with nothing. Now we wear clothes, but we shouldn’t think, “These are mine,” or worry about what kind they are. When we stop clinging, the body feels free like open space. In that freedom, the heart lets go.

So in practice, this is what the Buddha meant: “Don’t hold on to anything, and the true mind will naturally arise.” (應無所住而生其心)

Letting Go of Time

So then, how do we find this true mind that does not cling? By letting go of the past, the present, and the future.

The past is already gone. If we keep turning it over, the mind only stays stuck there. The present is just what it is. If we cling to it, that becomes attachment. If we let go, the heart stays calm and the mind stays clear. The future has not yet arrived. If we chase it or long for it, the mind only runs ahead and becomes restless.

When the past, present, and future no longer weigh on us, the mind becomes clear and the heart feels at ease. Nothing pulls, nothing blocks. Peace is right here.

Even thoughts of good and bad don’t need to be held onto. The moment we start overthinking, the mind gets restless. Real meditation happens when the mind moves freely, without getting stuck on anything.

This kind of freedom is not new. It has a name in the old teachings: Chan and Ding. Chan (禪) means not being pulled around by what we see outside. Ding (定) means the inside stays steady, unmoved by the outside. Together, they form what we call Chan-Ding, meditative stillness.

Beginning with Not Holding Onto Thoughts

And so, how do we begin? With not holding onto thoughts.

“Not holding” means not clinging to things. “Thoughts” here means chasing after what has already passed. So not holding onto thoughts means: live your daily life, but don’t let it weigh you down. And when it comes to the past—whether good or bad—don’t keep replaying it in your mind.

Why is this so? Because our true nature is like still water. When it is disturbed, emotions rise—joy, anger, sorrow, excitement. The water ripples, the heart grows restless, and the steadiness of meditation slips away.

This is why cultivating Chan-Ding must begin by working with unwholesome thoughts.

At first this is not easy. When working with unwholesome thoughts in the beginning, the mind may not feel pure yet. Images and situations will still appear. But that is not the problem. What matters is how you meet them. For example, going to a concert or a dance isn’t harmful. If your body is there but the true mind does not get caught, it is as if you never went. But if your thoughts keep circling, then even without going, it is as if you had.

That is why the Buddha said: “Let your mind move without clinging.” When thoughts come, let them pass. If there are no thoughts, don’t create new ones.

This is the first and most important step in living with the true mind.

禪定

 雨花集

濟公活佛

禪定,就是一心不動, 止息身、口、意、三業。禪定乃修禪第一步工夫。何以要從禪定修起? 因為人為心之表, 心靜則慧生, 慧生則神定。試問心旌搖搖, 何能生慧? 是故佛法有「如如」之訣。何謂如如? 就是:「內如木石,不動不搖, 外如虛空, 不塞不阻。」第一如, 就是指心無所動, 第二如就是指身如虛空。如虛空三字是叫我們不可在身上著意。身體初來赤裸無物, 今雖有衣蔽體, 但不可生意自以為衣, 更不可研究此是何衣,無所介意, 就謂之身如虛空。

吾人如能修至「如如」,自能得到不住心, 所謂「應無所住而生其心」,就是指此而言。至於如何才能修到無住心呢? 迦業尊者云:世人欲了了識,而得不住之心, 要先求「三世不攝」。所謂三世不攝, 即:過去事已成過去, 切莫思量, 則無過去心, 是則前世心已不攝。現在既為現在, 莫生著心, 著者執著也, 不著則心平, 不所謂不滿現實。能不著, 自無現在心。未來事未至, 不可求, 不可願, 自無將來心。能如此, 則心清神爽, 無牽無礙, 不阻不塞, 如如法境, 當在目前矣。就算善惡都莫思量, 思量便生心, 應無所住而生其心, 始得禪定之真意。

現在再進一步解釋禪定, 禪就是外離一切相, 見境不生境; 定就是內心不亂, 心不住境。此之謂禪定。修禪定應從無念入手。何謂無念? 無是無著其事, 念是念古追昔。故無念就是無目前種種事體之思量, 有其事行若無事, 至於過往事不可生念, 就算好事惡事, 皆不可追憶。何以故? 因為本性入一片寧靜止水, 動不得。如果追念過往, 未免有喜怒哀樂之感。七情一動, 止水之心便生波浪, 漸趨於亂, 一亂便失之於定。因修禪定必先從惡念入手。

其次, 最初修惡念之時, 往往不能乾淨,照例常見有境之時。不過見境不足為害, 最重要者就是見境不住境, 亦不可執著不通。例如舞樹歌壇, 亦未嘗不可去, 身雖處境而心不住境, 無動於中, 等於未去。如果其心住境, 動念不停, 雖其身未去, 亦等於去。所以佛說應無所住而生其心, 就是要我們要無念滅念; 有念要滅念, 無念不可生念。此為修心第一要諦也。

A Personal Reflection

I love the line that says the body feels free like open space. It sounds simple enough as an idea, but what does it actually mean? And how do we go from just understanding it to actually feeling it?

The truth is, the mind has to settle before the body can. The body follows the lead of the mind—when the mind is restless, the body carries that restlessness into action. Think about it: you’re talking to someone, and instead of really listening, you’re already planning your comeback. That restless mind shows up right away in your words and actions—you react instead of giving a more appropriate response. That’s an unsettled body, driven by an unsettled mind.

But when the mind is calm, the body naturally calms down too. In a conversation, that looks like listening fully, trying to understand where the other person is coming from. When you’ve listened all the way through, the more appropriate response usually comes on its own. That’s how a calm body follows a calm mind.

The same thing happens in meditation. To settle the mind, you guide it somewhere wholesome. For many, it starts with the breath. The breath gives the mind a steady anchor, something simple and natural to rest on. Over time, this helps you notice that quiet inner space where the true mind can show up. When the mind is steady, you can see what’s going on inside more clearly. You know when you’re caught up in it, and you know when you’re not.

And when you’re not caught, that’s when the body really does feel like open space. Thoughts still pass through, but they don’t stick. And that feeling—that lightness and freedom—is exactly what this teaching is leading us toward.

This translated text is a chapter from Collection of Rain Blossoms, a scripture written by JiGong Living Buddha in the 1900s through spirit writing. Here the link to the original Chinese source.

If you are interested in other chapters of this book, here is the link to the table of contents.