At our
meditation retreats, yogis practice mindfulness in four
different postures. They practice mindfulness when
walking, when standing, when sitting, and when lying
down. They must sustain mindfulness at all times in
whatever position they are in. The primary posture for
mindfulness meditation is sitting with legs crossed, but
because the human body cannot tolerate this position for
many hours without changing, we alternate periods of
sitting meditation with periods of walking meditation.
Since walking meditation is very important, I would like
to discuss its nature, its significance, and the
benefits derived from its practice.
The practice
of mindfulness meditation can be compared to boiling
water. If one wants to boil water, one puts the water in
a kettle, puts the kettle on a stove, and then turns the
heat on. But if the heat is turned off, even for an
instant, the water will not boil, even though the heat
is turned on again later. If one continues to turn the
heat on and off again, the water will never boil. In the
same way, if there are gaps between the moments of
mindfulness, one cannot gain momentum, and so one cannot
attain concentration. That is why yogis at our retreats
are instructed to practice mindfulness all the time that
they are awake, from the moment they wake up in the
morning until they fall asleep at night. Consequently,
walking meditation is integral to the continuous
development of mindfulness.
Unfortunately, I have heard people criticize walking
meditation, claiming that they cannot derive any
benefits or good results from it. But it was the Buddha
himself who first taught walking meditation. In the
Great Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness,
the Buddha taught walking meditation two times. In the
section called "Postures," he said that a monk knows "I
am walking" when he is walking, knows "I am standing"
when he is standing, knows "I am sitting" when he is
sitting, and knows "I am lying down" when he is lying
down. In another section called "Clear Comprehension,"
the Buddha said, "A monk applies clear comprehension in
going forward and in going back." Clear comprehension
means the correct understanding of what one observes. To
correctly understand what is observed, a yogi must gain
concentration, and in order to gain concentration, he
must apply mindfulness. Therefore, when the Buddha said,
"Monks, apply clear comprehension," we must understood
that not only clear comprehension must be applied, but
also mindfulness and concentration. Thus the Buddha was
instructing meditators to apply mindfulness,
concentration, and clear comprehension while walking,
while "going forward and back." Walking meditation is
thus an important part of this process.
Although it
is not recorded in this sutta that the Buddha gave
detailed and specific instructions for walking
meditation, we believe that he must have given such
instructions at some time. Those instructions must have
been learned by the Buddha's disciples and passed on
through successive generations. In addition, teachers of
ancient times must have formulated instructions based on
their own practice. At the present time, we have a very
detailed set of instructions on how to practice walking
meditation.
Let us now
talk specifically about the practice of walking
meditation. If you are a complete beginner, the teacher
may instruct you to be mindful of only one thing during
walking meditation: to be mindful of the act of stepping
while you make a note silently in the mind, "stepping,
stepping, stepping," or "left, right, left, right." You
may walk at a slower speed than normal during this
practice.
After a few
hours, or after a day or two of meditation, you may be
instructed to be mindful of two occurrences: (i)
stepping, and (ii) putting down the foot, while making
the mental note "stepping, putting down." You will try
to be mindful of two stages in the step: "stepping,
putting down; stepping, putting down." Later, you may be
instructed to be mindful of three stages: (i) lifting
the foot; (ii) moving or pushing the foot forward; and
(iii) putting the foot down. Still later, you would be
instructed to be mindful of four stages in each step:
(i) lifting the foot; (ii) moving it forward; (iii)
putting it down; and (iv) touching or pressing the foot
on the ground. You would be instructed to be completely
mindful and to make a mental note of these four stages
of the foot's movement: "lifting, moving forward,
putting down, pressing the ground."
At first
yogis may find it difficult to slow down, but as they
are instructed to pay close attention to all of the
movements involved, and as they actually pay closer and
closer attention, they will automatically slow down.
They do not have to slow down deliberately, but as they
pay closer attention, slowing down comes to them
automatically. When driving on the freeway, one may be
driving at sixty or seventy or even eighty miles per
hour. Driving at that speed, one will not be able to
read some of the signs on the road. If one wants to read
those signs, it is necessary to slow down. Nobody has to
say, "Slow down!" but the driver will automatically slow
down in order to see the signs. In the same way, if
yogis want to pay closer attention to the movements of
lifting, moving forward, putting down, and pressing the
ground, they will automatically slow down. Only when
they slow down can they be truly mindful and fully aware
of these movements.
Although
yogis pay close attention and slow down, they may not
see all of the movements and stages clearly. The stages
may not yet be well-defined in the mind, and they may
seem to constitute only one continuous movement. As
concentration grows stronger, yogis will observe more
and more clearly these different stages in one step; the
four stages at least will be easier to distinguish.
Yogis will know distinctly that the lifting movement is
not mixed with the moving forward movement, and they
will know that the moving forward movement is not mixed
with either the lifting movement or the putting down
movement. They will understand all movements clearly and
distinctly. Whatever they are mindful and aware of will
be very clear in their minds.
As yogis
carry on the practice, they will observe much more. When
they lift their foot, they will experience the lightness
of the foot. When they push the foot forward, they will
notice the movement from one place to another. When they
put the foot down, they will feel the heaviness of the
foot, because the foot becomes heavier and heavier as it
descends. When they put the foot on the ground, they
will feel the touch of the heel of the foot on the
ground. Therefore, along with observing lifting, moving
forward, putting down, and pressing the ground, yogis
will also perceive the lightness of the rising foot, the
motion of the foot, the heaviness of the descending
foot, and then the touching of the foot, which is the
hardness or softness of the foot on the ground. When
yogis perceive these processes, they are perceiving the
four essential elements (in Pali, dhatu). The
four essential elements are: the element of earth, the
element of water, the element of fire, and the element
of air. By paying close attention to these four stages
of walking meditation, the four elements in their true
essence are perceived, not merely as concepts, but as
actual processes, as ultimate realities.
Let us go
into a little more detail about the characteristics of
the elements in walking meditation. In the first
movement, that is, the lifting of the foot, yogis
perceive lightness, and when they perceive lightness,
they virtually perceive the fire element. One aspect of
the fire element is that of making things lighter, and
as things become lighter, they rise. In the perception
of the lightness in the upward movement of the foot,
yogis perceive the essence of the fire element. But in
the lifting of the foot there is also, besides
lightness, movement. Movement is one aspect of the air
element. But lightness, the fire element, is dominant,
so we can say that in the stage of lifting the fire
element is primary, and the air element is secondary.
These two elements are perceived by yogis when they pay
close attention to the lifting of the foot.
The next
stage is moving the foot forward. In moving the foot
forward, the dominant element is the air element,
because motion is one of the primary characteristics of
the air element. So, when they pay close attention to
the moving forward of the foot in walking meditation,
yogis are virtually perceiving the essence of the air
element.
The next
stage is the movement of putting the foot down. When
yogis put their foot down, there is a kind of heaviness
in the foot. Heaviness is a characteristic of the water
element, as is trickling and oozing. When liquid is
heavy, it oozes. So when yogis perceive the heaviness of
the foot, they virtually perceive the water element.
In pressing
the foot on the ground, yogis will perceive the hardness
or softness of the foot on the ground. This pertains to
the nature of the earth element. By paying close
attention to the pressing of the foot against the
ground, yogis virtually perceive the nature of the earth
element.
Thus we see
that in just one step, yogis can perceive many
processes. They can perceive the four elements and the
nature of the four elements. Only those who practice can
ever hope to see these things.
As yogis
continue to practice walking meditation, they will come
to realize that, with every movement, there is also the
noting mind, the awareness of the movement. There is the
lifting movement and also the mind that is aware of that
lifting. In the next moment, there is the moving forward
movement and also the mind that is aware of the
movement. Moreover, yogis will realize that both the
movement and the awareness arise and disappear in that
moment. In the next moment, there is the putting down
movement and so also the awareness of the movement, and
both arise and disappear in that moment of putting the
foot down on the ground. The same process occurs with
the pressing of the foot: there is the pressing and the
awareness of pressing. In this way, yogis understand
that along with the movement of the foot, there are also
the moments of awareness. The moments of awareness are
called, in Pali, nama, mind, and the movement of
the foot is called rupa, matter. So yogis will
perceive mind and matter rising and disappearing at
every moment. At one moment there is the lifting of the
foot and the awareness of the lifting, and at the next
moment there is the movement forward and the awareness
of that movement, and so on. These can be understood as
a pair, mind and matter, which arise and disappear at
every moment. Thus yogis advance to the perception of
the pairwise occurrence of mind and matter at every
moment of observation, that is, if they pay close
attention.
Another
thing that yogis will discover is the role of intention
in effecting each movement. They will realize that they
lift their foot because they want to, move the foot
forward because they want to, put it down because they
want to, press the foot against the ground because they
want to. That is, they realize that an intention
precedes every movement. After the intention to lift,
lifting occurs. They come to understand the
conditionality of all of these occurrences — these
movements never occur by themselves, without conditions.
These movements are not created by any deity or any
authority, and these movements never happen without a
cause. There is a cause or condition for every movement,
and that condition is the intention preceding each
movement. This is another discovery yogis make when they
pay close attention.
When yogis
understand the conditionality of all movements, and that
these movements are not created by any authority or any
god, then they will understand that they are created by
intention. They will understand that intention is the
condition for the movement to occur. Thus the
relationship of conditioning and conditioned, of cause
and effect, is understood. On the basis of this
understanding, yogis can remove doubt about nama
and rupa by understanding that nama and
rupa do not arise without conditions. With the clear
understanding of the conditionality of things, and with
the transcendence of doubt about nama and
rupa, a yogi is said to reach the stage of a "lesser
sotapanna. "
A
sotapanna is a "stream-enterer," a person who has
reached the first stage of enlightenment. A "lesser
sotapanna" is not a true stream-enterer but is said
to be assured of rebirth in a happy realm of existence,
such as in the realms of human beings and devas.
That is, a lesser sotapanna cannot be reborn in
one of the four woeful states, in one of the hells or
animal realms. This state of lesser sotapanna can
be reached just by practicing walking meditation, just
by paying close attention to the movements involved in a
step. This is the great benefit of practicing walking
meditation. This stage is not easy to reach, but once
yogis reach it, they can be assured that they will be
reborn in a happy state, unless, of course, they fall
from that stage.
When yogis
comprehend mind and matter arising and disappearing at
every moment, then they will come to comprehend the
impermanence of the processes of lifting the foot, and
they will also comprehend the impermanence of the
awareness of that lifting. The occurrence of
disappearing after arising is a mark or characteristic
by which we understand that something is impermanent. If
we want to determine whether something is impermanent or
permanent, we must try to see, through the power of
meditation, whether or not that thing is subject to the
process of coming into being and then disappearing. If
our meditation is powerful enough to enable us to see
the arising and disappearing of phenomena, then we can
decide that the phenomena observed are impermanent. In
this way, yogis observe that there is the lifting
movement and awareness of that movement, and then that
sequence disappears, giving way to the pushing forward
movement and the awareness of pushing forward. These
movements simply arise and disappear, arise and
disappear, and this process yogis can comprehend by
themselves — they do not have to accept this on trust
from any external authority, nor do they have to believe
in the report of another person.
When yogis
comprehend that mind and matter arise and disappear,
they understand that mind and matter are impermanent.
When they see that they are impermanent, they next
understand that they are unsatisfactory because they are
always oppressed by constant arising and disappearing.
After comprehending impermanence and the unsatisfactory
nature of things, they observe that there can be no
mastery over these things; that is, yogis realize that
there is no self or soul within that can order them to
be permanent. Things just arise and disappear according
to natural law. By comprehending this, yogis comprehend
the third characteristic of conditioned phenomena, the
characteristic of anatta, the characteristic that
things have no self. One of the meanings of anatta
is no mastery — meaning that nothing, no entity, no
soul, no power, has mastery over the nature of things.
Thus, by this time, yogis have comprehended the three
characteristics of all conditioned phenomena:
impermanence, suffering, and the non-self nature of
things — in Pali, anicca, dukkha, and
anatta.
Yogis can
comprehend these three characteristics by observing
closely the mere lifting of the foot and the awareness
of the lifting of the foot. By paying close attention to
the movements, they see things arising and disappearing,
and consequently they see for themselves the
impermanent, unsatisfactory, and non-self nature of all
conditioned phenomena.
Now let us
examine in more detail the movements of walking
meditation. Suppose one were to take a moving picture of
the lifting of the foot. Suppose further that the
lifting of the foot takes one second, and let us say
that the camera can take thirty-six frames per second.
After taking the picture, if we were to look at the
separate frames, we would realize that within what we
thought was one lifting movement, there are actually
thirty-six movements. The image in each frame is
slightly different from the images in the other frames,
though the difference will usually be so slight that we
can barely notice it. But what if the camera could take
one thousand frames per second? Then there would be one
thousand movements in just one lifting movement,
although the movements would be almost impossible to
differentiate. If the camera could take one million
frames per second — which may be impossible now, but
someday may happen — then there would be one million
movements in what we thought to be only one movement.
Our effort
in walking meditation is to see our movements as closely
as the camera sees them, frame by frame. We also want to
observe the awareness and intention preceding each
movement. We can also appreciate the power of the
Buddha's wisdom and insight, by which he actually saw
all of the movements. When we use the word "see" or
"observe" to refer to our own situation, we mean that we
see directly and also by inference; we may not be able
to see directly all of the millions of movements as did
the Buddha.
Before yogis
begin practicing walking meditation, they may have
thought that a step is just one movement. After
meditation on that movement, they observe that there are
at least four movements, and if they go deeper, they
will understand that even one of these four movements
consists of millions of tiny movements. They see nama
and rupa, mind and matter, arising and
disappearing, as impermanent. By our ordinary
perception, we are not able to see the impermanence of
things because impermanence is hidden by the illusion of
continuity. We think that we see only one continuous
movement, but if we look closely we will see that the
illusion of continuity can be broken. It can be broken
by the direct observation of physical phenomena bit by
bit, segment by segment, as they originate and
disintegrate. The value of meditation lies in our
ability to remove the cloak of continuity in order to
discover the real nature of impermanence. Yogis can
discover the nature of impermanence directly through
their own effort.
After
realizing that things are composed of segments, that
they occur in bits, and after observing these segments
one by one, yogis will realize that there is really
nothing in this world to be attached to, nothing to
crave for. If we see that something which we once
thought beautiful has holes, that it is decaying and
disintegrating, we will lose interest in it. For
example, we may see a beautiful painting on a canvas. We
think of the paint and canvas conceptually as a whole,
solid thing. But if we were to put the painting under a
powerful microscope, we would see that the picture is
not solid — it has many holes and spaces. After seeing
the picture as composed largely of spaces, we would lose
interest in it and we would cease being attached to it.
Modern physicists know this idea well. They have
observed, with powerful instruments, that matter is just
a vibration of particles and energy constantly changing
— there is nothing substantial to it at all. By the
realization of this endless impermanence, yogis
understand that there is really nothing to crave for,
nothing to hold on to in the entire world of phenomena.
Now we can
understand the reasons for practicing meditation. We
practice meditation because we want to remove attachment
and craving for objects. It is by comprehending the
three characteristics of existence — impermanence,
suffering, and the non-self nature of things — that we
remove craving. We want to remove craving because we do
not want to suffer. As long as there is craving and
attachment, there will always be suffering. If we do not
want to suffer, we must remove craving and attachment.
We must comprehend that all things are just mind and
matter arising and disappearing, that things are
insubstantial. Once we realize this, we will be able to
remove attachment to things. As long as we do not
realize this, however much we read books or attend talks
or talk about removing attachment, we will not be able
to get rid of attachment. It is necessary to have the
direct experience that all conditioned things are marked
by the three characteristics.
Hence we
must pay close attention when we are walking, just as we
do when we are sitting or lying down. I am not trying to
say that walking meditation alone can give us ultimate
realization and the ability to remove attachment
entirely, but it is nevertheless as valid a practice as
sitting meditation or any other kind of vipassana
(insight) meditation. Walking meditation is conducive to
spiritual development. It is as powerful as mindfulness
of breathing or mindfulness of the rising and falling of
the abdomen. It is an efficient tool to help us remove
mental defilements. Walking meditation can help us gain
insight into the nature of things, and we should
practice it as diligently as we practice sitting
meditation or any other kind of meditation. By the
practice of vipassana meditation in all postures,
including the walking posture, may you and all yogis be
able to attain total purification in this very life!
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Bodhi Leaves
No. B 137
Copyright ©
1995 Buddhist Publication Society
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