Ending meditation, monitoring meditation and living Zen

1. Ending the meditation session

When we end a session of sitting meditation, we should also follow the necessary steps that increase the benefit and reduce the harm. These steps consist of intentions and movements. The intention at the end of the session, while we have not yet moved at all, is a silent thought in the mind. These are the necessary and wholesome intentions that the Buddha constantly reminded a true bhikkhu to know how to arouse. We should not misunderstand practising meditation to mean absolutely never giving rise to a thought. In fact, wholesome thoughts are a great support for the long-term work of gathering the mind.

When beginning the sitting we also arose three intentions (for lay practitioners) or four (for monastics): absolute reverence for the Buddha, love for all beings, and utmost humility (for monastics, add strictly keeping the precepts). Now, at the end of the session, we make a serious promise to the Buddhas:

For the rest of my life I will be devoted to helping everyone around me find happiness in the true Dharma and in meditative concentration, in concrete ways.

In Buddhism there is no shortage of vows to liberate all beings. But a common shortcoming is that we do not turn those vows into methods and detailed plans that are easy to carry out. In the end the dream is big but little is done. To overcome that weakness, from now on, after each sitting, we will promise the Buddha to carry out the vow of helping beings in a concrete and effective way. Thanks to this promise, we will learn to observe the character of each person, each group and each area in order to make detailed plans for teaching. Shall we go alone or together with fellow practitioners; shall we approach the stubborn person first or the gentle one first; shall we speak about the teaching right away or help with their living first, and so on…

The next steps are gentle, unhurried movements and massage, as follows.

• We lower and raise the head about 5 times.

• Turn the head slowly from side to side, about 5 times each side.

• Move both shoulders in circles, up and down, about 7 times.

• Twist the whole body on the axis of the waist from side to side, about 7 times each side.

• Squeeze the two hands about 5 times.

• Then raise the hands and rub the head, face, both ears, neck and nape until it feels comfortable, about 30 seconds.

• Rub the chest and abdomen for about 30 seconds. Do not skip the two sides of the ribs.

• Rub the lower back, also for about 30 seconds.

• Only now pull the legs out to massage them gently.

After that, we sit still where we are for a moment to be comfortable, and only then stand up and walk slowly (also called walking meditation, kinh hành). The purpose of walking after sitting in meditation is to help us move from a still stage to the active stage of life without abruptness. While walking in this way, we still keep our attention below the abdomen and still try to keep the mind as quiet as in sitting. The breath remains regulated and is not interfered with. We naturally know clearly each footstep touching the ground, though we do not deliberately try to know it. In a little while, as we enter a life full of noise and change, we will not be carried away in blind darkness.

If we have an airy, spacious natural place for walking meditation, that is very good; if not, we can still walk back and forth along a short stretch of path, and that is fine.

2. Meditation monitor

When we first begin practising sitting meditation, it is hard to know for ourselves whether our posture is correct and beautiful, so we greatly need a meditation monitor (Giám thiền) walking back and forth to observe and correct it for the group.

The monitor must be a person with fairly good experience of sitting meditation, who has known their own mistakes and so now knows the mistakes of fellow practitioners and corrects them in good time. The work of a monitor is very tiring, because they must walk back and forth, concentrating on examining one person after another, and cannot sit quietly in meditation while the group sits. If they cannot arrange time to sit later to make up for it, the monitor's health will visibly decline.

The monitor needs to be equipped with a meditation board (thiền bảng) about 1.2 m long, flat in shape, used to remind the meditation students. The monitor must walk back and forth lightly and softly, making no noise.

Whatever faults have been committed, students tend to repeat them again and again, so the monitor must pay attention and correct them many times before they disappear completely.

At the start of the work, the monitor must examine the outward posture before examining the student's inner state. The posture faults students commonly make are:

• Curved back. The monitor must regularly touch the back lightly with the meditation board so the student understands and straightens the back again. But if someone pushes the chest out too much, the monitor must say softly in their ear so that the person relaxes a little.

• Head bowed too low or raised too high. The monitor must use a hand, touching very lightly, to bring the student's head back to the right position.

• Both arms pressed against the hips. Use the meditation board to push them out gently.

• Head turned to one side. Use the hand to turn it gently back.

• Mouth open. Touch the chin lightly with the meditation board.

• Body seeming to turn or lean to one side. Place the two middle fingers on the two shoulders to turn it gently back.

• Eyes wide open looking up, or looking from side to side. Signal with the hand to look downward.

• Not sitting still, often fidgeting. Go close and say softly in the ear, reminding them to try to keep the body motionless.

• Signs of sleepiness. Say softly that the student must know the whole body clearly.

• Signs of stiffening the whole body. Remind softly to let go and keep the body supple.

• Hands not neat, not in the right position. Remind softly to correct them.

• Looking at the face and seeing it is not serene, one knows the student is troubled by many deluded thoughts. Rest the meditation board lightly on the shoulder, then remind softly in the ear, advising them to try not to be led away by deluded thoughts.

• Looking at the face and seeing the eyebrows raised and the eyes tightly shut, as if lost in some other realm. Rest the meditation board on the shoulder and pat lightly a few times.

• Hearing heavy breathing, the chest expanding and contracting very visibly with each breath, the mind uneasy. Rest the meditation board on the shoulder and remind the student softly to adjust the breath so that it is gentle.

• Face deathly green, sweat pouring out, possibly struck by a chill. They should be taken inside for treatment.

• Leg pain so severe that a soft groan escapes and the face grimaces. It may be permitted to place a cloth folded in several layers under the joint of the lowest leg, to take some of the pressure off the tendon there, which is too weak and slack. If the pain is in the upper calf, advise the student to bear it until the end of the session. If they still cannot bear it, let them open the legs and sit quietly in one place waiting for everyone.

Many other unexpected cases occur during observation, in which the monitor must judge for themselves how to correct the student.

The monitor gains great merit and must bear much hardship for the group. Therefore the monitor must constantly cultivate deep compassion in order to have enough love and patience to help the group. It is also good to have the group take turns as monitor so that everyone gains this skill.

3. Living Zen

The practice of sitting meditation and a holy daily life are inseparably related. We can say that Sitting Zen and Living Zen are the two wings of a bird that carry us high into the sky of liberation. Living Zen is defined as living serenely and kindly.

Living serenely means not letting our mind be stirred by the sorrows and joys, ups and downs of life. We know to keep away from lively, exciting, noisy amusements, from competition and excessive sensory stimulation. Life holds many injustices, thorns and rapids, and sometimes also many rewards from past merit. Worldly people are still made to suffer and rejoice by these endless changes. A meditation practitioner must know to keep the mind calm, not suffering when misfortune comes and not elated when something pleasing comes. Only by being unmoved in this way by life's sorrows and joys can we find the happiness of meditative concentration, an unlimited and pure joy. Worldly people spend their whole lives trying to replace a load of suffering with a load of joy. But either load is heavy on the shoulders. A meditator is someone who looks for a way to put that load down and enjoy the joy of no longer having a load on the shoulders.

These are two very different kinds of happiness. We must reflect very carefully so as to resolve to follow the Buddha's path and escape the changes of life.

Life also has many games and entertainments. Although they are called entertainment, in fact each one stirs agitation in the mind. Gambling, drinking, sexual pursuits, drugs, obscene films, competition in the boxing ring, cockfighting arenas… are the most obviously sinful pastimes. How many crimes arise from these dark amusements, burying how many people in a deep pit of ruin. Strict cause and effect will make them repay in full in the three evil realms in the future.

Then there are amusements that seem wholesome but in fact also make the mind uneasy and gradually erode morality. For example, excessive fanaticism in football, violent computer games, couple dancing between men and women, stirring music, revealing clothes… all contribute to gradually corrupting the mind. We thank the Buddha for establishing precepts to protect practitioners from such pastimes that unsettle the mind.

Even sitting down to play chess, which looks intellectual, in fact drains a great deal of mental energy and time. Writing poetry and music is fine if it contributes to spreading morality; otherwise, writing poetry and music to express personal feelings also stirs the mind. In general, a meditator must judge for themselves what takes away serenity and know to avoid it.

For people of a high level, they may attain a mind that is constantly unmoving, which is no longer merely serene.

Living kindly means living with love and responsibility towards life. Although we must guard ourselves from the disturbances and entanglements of life, a meditation practitioner must also actively bring love and kindness to contribute to the world. Living Serenely and Living Kindly are opposite in nature, but both are important elements that make up a genuine Zen life. A meditator must, throughout life, harmonise these two streams of living beautifully.

A meditator is always full of love for all beings; even when doing nothing, that love is fully present in the mind, alongside inner stillness.

And whenever there is an opportunity, a meditator actively helps others, whether in small matters such as fetching someone's sandals, or in large ones such as organising moral education for street children…

A person who lives kindly seldom thinks ill of others, even when there are differences of viewpoint or opinion. When we see others not acting as we would wish, we still try to justify them on their behalf, supposing there must be some reason, rather than hastily condemning one another. Thinking ill of one another and condemning one another too readily is the cause of the sad state of division in Buddhism. To destroy Buddhism, the wicked need only do one thing: make the Sangha think ill of one another. We must be tolerant, rising above that ordinariness, in order to love people.

In short, Living Zen, serene and kind, is the expression of genuine meditative practice.

Question: Speak about your own experience of ending a meditation session, monitoring, and living Zen.