The Great Saint Arya Bodhidarma is the greatest teacher of meditation of the past. He meditated for nine years in a cave in China before he found his successor to carry on the Lineage of Tao according to Tao of Heaven. The questions were asked by serious meditators and below the answers explained by him:
Q1: How can a person know whether he has made progress in his meditation and can meditation be practised anywhere and anytime?
Ans: Meditation is the practice of stillness of the mind and one may try at any place. If one finds that the mind is less and less clouded like a cup of water, then one has made progress on stillness. Do not be over-anxious or too excited at seeing certain things, but let a calm mind progress with practice. As one moves on, one will see different stages. If in doubt, seek the necessary clarification. If illusion is too great, evil may get the better of you. Therefore stillness must first be achieved before practising in any other way.
Q2: Why are there so many types of meditation and how effective are they?
Ans: Why are there so many roads? All lead to a centralized place. The distance and the lighting are different, but all will still lead to the same destination that one wishes to go. But one should not try too many roads at one go or one will lose time. Concentrate on one and be familiar with this very road. Then you will know all its corners and pits.
Q3: What is the prayer for one to meditate?
Ans: Prayers to most people are merely to steady the heart and to feel the protection of the above. If the heart is pure, where will evil come from? One is his own protector and must not always be too dependant. Just like a man who is dying, if he begins to pray, does that mean he will not die?
Q4: When I sit down, close my eyes and stay calm, I tend to see a purple light. May I know whether it is an illusion or a true light. If it is a true light, what is the significance?
Ans: The brilliant light with its beauty can be seen by all. All beings see the light but it depends on whether one knows how to make good use of this light. In a room brightly lit up, upon closing the eyes, one may think that he sees light, but actually it is merely the light seen through the eyelids. Just as one closes the eyes when looking at the Sun, a bright red light seems to fall into sight. As all humans have an inborn nature, all will be able to see this guiding light. If one wishes to seek further into this, try to concentrate on the light that you see with every effort and try to centralize this light together and one day you will feel its presence.
Q5: During meditation, sometimes I feel some movement of heat inside my body. May I know why it is so and whether it is good or bad?
Ans: Meditation does not only aim at controlling the mind to a stillness stage. The breathing that takes place during meditation may control the vitality (Chi). As it moves along the meridian point one may feel certain jerking of the flesh, but when the concentration is not on the breathing, one may not easily feel the movement of the vitality.
Q6: Why are there many images distracting one's mind when one starts to meditate?
Ans: Human, human, even without meditation, your mind is already obstructed by many objects. If a person can really be free from greed, hatred and delusion then man will be free. Objects do not obstruct you but your own illusion is doing the work.
Q7: When a person is in deep meditation, will his body be attacked by evil spirit?
Ans: Whether a person is in deep meditation or not, the evils are always working around him. Given the chance, he will be pulled back. A person who can enter into a deep meditation, has attained stillness to a certain degree. The Heavenly Being dwells in a pure heart and anything can dwell instead in an unsteady heart.
In the teachings of Tao of Heaven, all men are Buddhas and they have the seed, but the seed has not taken root and that is why men are not Buddhas. If one wishes the seed to take root, work hard at it. Cultivate the right seed and plant it in the right soil. Look after it well and let it bloom and it is called the Attainment of Tao.
Author: T.A Chew
T.A Chew, during his practice of Buddhism in 1993 to 1995, spent at least five hours a day on meditation. Upon initiation of Tao and at the end of 1995, Master JiGong joked with him that if there is 36 hours a day, he will meditate 36 hours a day, but he cannot even save one person back to Heaven. Be like Goddess of Mercy, start saving people by propagating Tao. Website: http://www.white-sun.com