A Brief Guide to Taoist Empty Mind Meditation

[Aaron]

I previously posted this in my personal practice section, but only received thirteen views, which led me to the conclusion that not a lot of people actually view the personal practice section. With that said I'm re-posting it here. Not really looking for critiques... if you do it differently great, just posting my own experience and success using this method of meditation.

 

So one of the questions a lot of people ask me when they hear I meditate is how to do it. If I was snarky I could just say close your eyes and don't think, but that's not really the best answer, and I'm normally not that snarky, so instead I thought I'd give a brief explanation of how to practice empty mind meditation, as I've learned it as well as some of the pitfalls people fall into and how to deal with them, so to begin I'll explain how I got into empty mind meditation, what it actually is, and why I practice it, still to this day, over twenty years later.

 

How It Began

 

 

Years ago, when I was still a fairly innocent whelp of 21 I decided that Christianity wasn't for me and began searching for alternatives. My first choice was Shamanism, but I had issues with all the spirits and such and decided to look for something that didn't require so much faith to practice. I read up on Buddhism, but I had issues with the whole suffering thing, so that was set on the shelf as well. A friend of mine recommended I read up on Taoism so I bought a little book of the Tao Te Ching translated by John C. H. Wu. I lucked out in that regard because Wu's translation is considered one of the most accurate out there. I read the entire book as soon as I got it, that took about two hours, then I started to take the time to read it. At first I had a hard time understanding a lot of what was being talked about, so I started to read Watt's "The Watercourse Way", but to be honest, that confused me more. I got about three chapters in and stopped. I decided at one point to practice Tai Chi and bought a book about it. The book was an eye opener for me, not because I ended up practicing Tai Chi, I gave up on that almost as soon as I started, but rather because it spoke in detail about the northern school of Taoism's practice of empty mind meditation. Years later I'd learn that this form of meditation was heavily influenced by Confucianism and Buddhism, but luckily at that time I was ignorant of these facts and was able to begin my practice with little to no questions or baggage involved in it.

 

What It Is

 

 

Empty mind meditation or "meditation upon emptiness" is a form of meditation that is based upon the principle of emptying one's mind in order to achieve complete stillness and from that stillness a fundamental understanding of the nature of reality and one's self. It requires one to devote years of practice in order to attain all it's benefits, but one can start achieving the benefits of this form of meditation almost as soon as they start. In practice it is almost identical to Zazen, or the Zen Buddhist form of sitting meditation, so if you are familiar with that form of meditation, then you'll have a better understanding of what Empty Mind Meditation entails.

 

How To Do It

 

 

This is where it gets tricky, because what works for some people, doesn't work for others, so what I'll do is explain how I do it and also offer some advice on how to overcome some issues you might run up against while practicing.

 

First, the most important thing to do when starting out is to find a quiet, comfortable place to meditate, with few, if no distractions. What you'll find as you start is that those places you thought were free from distractions actually have quite a few of them, but part of learning to meditate is clearing your mind of these as well. The second most important thing to consider is how you want to sit when you meditate. I have knee problems, which stem from an accident I had in my twenties, so I can't sit in a full lotus position, instead I sit in the Burmese position, which requires you to have your legs crossed, one calf in front of the other, your spine should be straight and your chin should not be tilted downward, but straight ahead. The important thing when sitting is finding a position that allows you to balance and doesn't place too much stress on your back. You can research these positions online to get a better understanding of what is most comfortable for you. Keep in mind that you can use any position you like, even laying down on your back, but the important thing to do is not fall asleep while meditating, which is why I prefer to sit in the Burmese position rather than a chair position or laying down.

 

Once you've found a comfortable position set a timer for however long you want to spend meditating. To begin with twenty to thirty minutes is a good amount of time to start. My recommendation for those who are not desiring a monastic life of meditating six to eight hours a day is to take it easy at first, baby steps so to speak.

 

When the timer is set take a few deep breaths, each one a bit deeper than the previous. Take these breaths in slowly, but comfortably, filling the lungs up as full as you can, after you feel your lungs expand as full as possible close your eyes and begin to breathe in through your nose slowly and then out through your nose. Concentrate on your breath, letting all other thoughts go. Just concentrate on breathing in, feeling your lungs catch, then breathing out. Continue to do this until the only thought you have in your mind is your breathing, once you've achieved this, then let that go as well. Sounds easy doesn't it? Well it's not, so don't get discouraged. It takes most people months of practice to achieve even a small smattering of time when their thoughts are completely gone and they've achieved a period of complete silence, or emptiness, in their mind. Even then, when one begins to achieve this emptiness of mind, you'll start to realize it's not real emptiness, that there is still a part of you aware of this emptiness and then the trick begins to be how to be rid of that part as well, to reach a state where nothing is aware of YOU. Does that sound scary? Maybe, but don't be afraid. I've yet to hear of anyone who's died from empty mind meditation.

 

One warning though, if you suffer from depression, anxiety, or any form of mental disorder, it is essential that you consult a medical professional before beginning meditating. Meditation can stir up some deep seated emotions and memories that may exacerbate your condition. If at any time during meditation you feel strong emotions or mood swings that persist after meditation, take a break from meditating, talk to your medical practitioner and take it easy. There is no need to overdo it.

 

With that warning out of the way, I will give you some helpful tips that have aided me in achieving a state of emptiness.

 

First, don't take it too seriously! Meditation is first and foremost for your benefit, so don't stress out about your progress or lack of progress, just keep practicing and let it all come naturally.

 

Second, ask questions! Don't be afraid to talk to others if you experience something strange and don't know how to deal with it. You can always PM me, but there are lots of other smart and intelligent people out there with a lot of experience with meditation.

 

Third, it's not easy being empty! The one thing you learn as you begin practicing is that your mind is working, even when you don't think it is. You'll reach a level of emptiness that you haven't before and a part of you will realize that a part of you is still there! This is one of the things that troubles people the most, because they see this as a sort of failure, but it isn't, in fact it's the natural progression of meditating. The key is letting this awareness and subconscious thoughts go, so that you can achieve an even deeper state of emptiness. What I can tell you is that if you are diligent and maintain a regular schedule of meditation, you will achieve results.

 

Finally, take it easy! Don't overdo it. We sometimes have this desire to go all out when we start meditating, believing that spending more time will allow us to progress faster, what I've found is that you waste a lot of time meditating this way. As I stated before, when you begin meditating, your first few months you will most likely achieve a state of emptiness for about five to ten minutes. And that's not a consecutive five to ten minutes, but over the course of that time. After awhile you will begin to achieve a few minutes each sitting, and eventually five to ten minutes and later perhaps ten minutes each sitting. After twenty years I can achieve a state of emptiness almost immediately after sitting. I can also remain in a state of emptiness for much of my time meditating, but that took a long time to achieve and it isn't something you just do.

 

Okay, so now you have the basics, where do you go from there? Well in my first year I progressed from meditating 30 minutes a day to an hour each day. I would meditate twice a day to begin with, once in the morning after I woke up (and before I had any stimulants) and once at night about an hour before bedtime. Later I went on to just meditating an hour each day straight, but that can be very difficult if you're just beginning and it's very important to remember to not sit too long in the same position as this can cause you actual physical damage, including sores, strained muscles, etc.

 

So that's it. If you need a strict disciplined regiment, this is what I suggest.

 

Weeks one to two- Twenty minutes a day, mid-day (i.e. after work, but at least four hours prior to bedtime).

Weeks two to four- Thirty minutes a day, mid-day.

Second to sixth month- Thirty minutes in the morning. Make sure you go to the bathroom first. It's okay to drink water or orange juice, but avoid caffeine.

Seventh month to one year- Thirty minutes in the morning and thirty minutes in the afternoon. Try to meditate at least an hour before bedtime.

 

Somethings to keep in mind while you meditate. Keep a journal. Make some friends that meditate so you can share your experiences. Look for instructors if you feel it is necessary.

 

I encourage secular meditation, which is essentially clearing the mind of everything you've been taught is you, so that you can eventually see who you really are. When you practice a religious form of meditation this essentially means you're learning who you are according to that religions ideology. I started out as a Taoist, but now I'm not affiliated with any tradition or philosophy, rather I am an Aaron-ist. You don't have to do this, it's entirely up to you.

 

Anyways, that's all I have to say about this for right now. If you have questions you can PM me or ask me here in this thread. I hope this helps and if anyone can think of anything I might've missed, please feel free to share. This thread isn't meant to debate my philosophy, so please keep on the topic of empty mind meditation.

 

Aaron

[Humble]

Very helpful. Thanks!

[templarmonk]

Very useful Aaron. Thanks for sharing.

[Tibetan_Ice]

Hi Aaron,

I have some questions, if you don't mind.

 

What are the benefits of practicing this form of meditation?

 

I've read in so many places that just sitting in emptiness is not a good thing to do as it does not cultivate insight. How is this practice different from that? Do you go through the four form jhanas (bliss, joy, happiness, equanimity) and the four formless jhanas: infinity of space, infinity of consciousness, No-thingness, Neither perception nor non-perception and finally Cessation?

 

I'm thinking that your definition of 'emptiness' is not the classic interpretation of Buddhist Emptiness. Stillness is not the realization of emptiness. In my interpretation of the realization of the Buddhist 'emptiness', the realization of emptiness is the same as when you realize that you are in a dream, that you can fly, walk through walls, create objects or do anything you can think of or desire. The realization of emptiness in real-life is exactly the same.

 

What are the effects on your regular daily life? Do you have satori moments afterwards? Have you gained any siddhis or powers?

 

After you discovered that emptiness is not true emptiness because there is the "I" that is watching, have you ever turned your attention around and tried to dwell in the "I"? For that is the only way to not have an "I". If 'you' are watching something, then it is still dualistic. And if you did reverse the flow of attention backwards to the "I", does the journey which brings you closer to the "I" bring you through the heat sheath, the bliss layer, the golden light, the nonconceptual stage and finally the infinite expanse that is the "I" which seems solid as a rock?

 

Just curious..

 

TI

Edited August 19, 2012 by Tibetan_Ice

[Aaron]

Hello Tibetan Ice,

 

I'm more than happy to answer your questions regarding Taoist Empty Mind Meditation. Again this is from my own experience and it may not necessarily be from the Taoist canon.

 

What are the benefits? Well I think first and foremost you begin to understand who and what you actually are on a deeper level. I hesitate to explain this too deeply, because I don't want to influence someone's experience meditating. Meditation in my opinion should be about personal exploration, so rather than explain what to expect, I would rather have someone experience something then, if they have questions, give my opinion about the experience.

 

What is Taoist Emptiness? Emptiness in the Taoist sense is tricky to define. You hear people use words like silence, void, space between heaven and earth, etc. but really unless one experiences it for themselves, no description or definition can suffice. Again, although in the past I have tried to describe this experience, I have recently come to the realization that it's impossible to do so, so instead of describing it, I aspire to help others experience it through their own meditative practice. In this way I can be sure that it is a genuine experience for them and not something subconsciously guided by my own beliefs.

 

What experiences do you have while practicing Taoist Empty Mind Meditation? As I stated before you experience many emotions and sensations during meditation, including bliss, sadness, joy, grief, astonishment, boredom, etc. The difference is that you can become more acutely aware of these emotions. Also meditation increases your awareness of self. The more one practices the greater this awareness becomes. In the end the destination is dependent on the person, which is one reason I do not want to tell someone what to expect in this regard, I'd rather it be an authentic experience of awakening for them.

 

With that said, I have experienced Emptiness. It hasn't made me supernatural, nor do I have any powers. If I practice on a regular basis and meditate, I find that I am much more in tune with the world around me. For lack of a better way to describe it, I surrender to the world around me, rather than expect the world to surrender to me.

 

In regards to True Emptiness, I will only say, what is true and false? Are they not the same thing? To one something is true, to another false. Is it not better to examine what something is, to experience it as it is, rather than to define it's value based on belief?

 

I hope this helps.

 

Aaron

[Diamond Spectrum]

...

Edited August 21, 2012 by Diamond Spectrum

[eye_of_the_storm]

What are you thinking Diamond?

[Tibetan_Ice]

Hi Aaron,

Thank you for your response.

I must admit, I are more inclined to read the map before going on a journey, rather than set out driving with no goal in mind.

 

However, I do have one question. In your instructions you said:

 

When the timer is set take a few deep breaths, each one a bit deeper than the previous. Take these breaths in slowly, but comfortably, filling the lungs up as full as you can, after you feel your lungs expand as full as possible close your eyes and begin to breathe in through your nose slowly and then out through your nose. Concentrate on your breath, letting all other thoughts go. Just concentrate on breathing in, feeling your lungs catch, then breathing out. Continue to do this until the only thought you have in your mind is your breathing, once you've achieved this, then let that go as well.

 

For the first part of your instructions you say to breathe in slowly. That is, you are controlling your breathing, slowing it down by elongating the breaths. Then you say to "breathe in through your nose slowly and then out through your nose".

There is no mention of dropping control of the breathing, so I am assuming that you continue to breath in and out slowly (volitional control) while concentrating on breathing in and out.

 

Is that correct? Or, while concentrating, do you release control of the breathing and let it assume it's natural rhythm?

 

And one last question, is the practice to have pauses in between the in-breath and out-breath, or none? Is this practice referred to as the "One Breath"?

 

Thanks.

TI

[Aaron]

Hi Aaron,

Thank you for your response.

I must admit, I are more inclined to read the map before going on a journey, rather than set out driving with no goal in mind.

 

However, I do have one question. In your instructions you said:

 

 

 

For the first part of your instructions you say to breathe in slowly. That is, you are controlling your breathing, slowing it down by elongating the breaths. Then you say to "breathe in through your nose slowly and then out through your nose".

There is no mention of dropping control of the breathing, so I am assuming that you continue to breath in and out slowly (volitional control) while concentrating on breathing in and out.

 

Is that correct? Or, while concentrating, do you release control of the breathing and let it assume it's natural rhythm?

 

And one last question, is the practice to have pauses in between the in-breath and out-breath, or none? Is this practice referred to as the "One Breath"?

 

Thanks.

TI

 

Hello TI,

 

Perhaps I should explain the reason why I advocate concentrating on your breath, it's simply because focusing on one thing helps you to remove the distraction of the mind and all it's thoughts. Breathing is an automated process, but oftentimes we will get excited and breath quickly, which can cause us to get anxious or agitated, by slowing down the breathing at the beginning of meditation, we allow ourselves to enter the state calmly. As you find that you are able to pay attention to your breathing and that you have let everything else go, you let your awareness of your breathing go as well, in other words you no longer try to control it. What I find is that when people get to this point their breathing remains slow and even and they continue to take full breaths without even realizing it. They have essentially returned to their natural breathing.

 

I think "one breath" is different from what I advocate, but the goal may be similar, in that I believe that breathing is our primary connection to what we see and don't see around us. It allows the sensations that exists within the world to come inside of us and for us to remove the negative sensations that exists within as well. Full breaths within a calm and serene location tend to fill us with the calm and serene sensations that surrounds us, without us even knowing.

 

In my practice I often use breathing during meditation (which is different from what I am explaining here) to help me control pain, heal the body, and experience what can't be seen or felt. Using your breath during meditation requires one to focus on their breath and to consciously focus the body's natural abilities to heal, but it is not as beneficial (in my experience) as empty mind meditation when it comes to gaining a greater awareness of who we are. Keep in mind that in my own experience the body and mind are not separate, but the same thing, so when one becomes aware of this fully, not just philosophically, but experientially, they can begin to sense their body's needs more acutely.

 

When it comes to road maps, I ask the question, why does one need a map, when they are where they should be already? One needs not seek outside of one's self, when it is within. This is the first and most basic teaching of Empty Mind meditation.

 

Aaron

 

edit- Keep in mind that knowledge is the great offender in regards to Empty Mind Meditation. If one enters meditation with a preconceived notion of what they will experience, then they will, more often than not, experience it. That's why it's essential, in my opinion, to be free of all of our preconceived notions. It is only when we can do this, when we can allow what is us to arise and then let go of it, that we can see the reality of who we are without being tainted by morality, religiosity, and philosophy. Who we are lies, not with words and thoughts, but within us. It is only when we can let go of how we've been taught to view ourselves, that we can begin to see who we really are. Even then we may find that the "I" that we believe existed, doesn't exist at all, but the real "I" is something more than what we could've ever imagined.

Edited August 24, 2012 by Aaron