A balanced diet and lifestyle are essential for health. Is there a way for us to obtain lasting health and mitigate serious affliction? The answer is yes. How powerful is this method? Not only does it clear our thinking, it boosts metabolism and enhances appearance.
Let’s listen to Meditation Grandmaster JinBodhi share his wisdom on the way to preserve health.
During these days of practice, are you feeling tired or relaxed? (Relaxed.) People on this side feel relaxed. People on the other side don’t talk. It seems that those on the other side have not practiced well, while people on my left hand side might have practiced more diligently. I am not sure about your response. Your applause looks fake. People on this side practiced diligently, too; because of their diligent practice, they feel at ease. (Got it.)
To those who have practiced well, don’t be cocky. You are still far from being good. Many people come to Bodhi because of health issues. Even if you have practiced diligently, you have still not achieved satisfactory health improvement. It may be an ongoing issue. As a living being, illness will arise as long as one lives. The causes of illnesses are extensive. Genes are inherited over millions of years. Our ancestors could get all kinds of illnesses. They varied in looks, from not good-looking to beautiful. There are a multitude of human generations. A multitude of illnesses have been passed down to us. Often, our elders told us not to laugh at others, say, those born disabled, seniors with curved backs, or those with less beautiful body shapes. The rich shouldn’t laugh at the poor; people in power shouldn’t laugh at ordinary folks. Because of the genetics of our ancestors, these conditions are all normal. In every family or individual, it is possible to have all kinds of illness.
Practicing here, we start learning about the concept of illness. We may inherit numerous illnesses from birth. Causes of illness may vary from person to person. Thus, to me, upon reaching a certain age, say, age 40, especially age 50, we should take care to preserve our health. We must keep fit, have a healthy diet, a healthy lifestyle, and a daily schedule, i.e., time allotted for work, exercise, sleep, and even for watching movies or making friends, a reasonable schedule. Otherwise, if we don’t maintain our body, it could fail us at any time.
So, let me give you a reminder: Don’t always be busy with daily life, making money, or other illusionary things. You must take care to preserve your health. Young people must go ahead and attempt success in life. Upon reaching age 50, most people have experienced hardship; they are jaded about love or they let love go. These topics stir up everyone’s emotions. What has been done is done. So, let go of what has passed.
A philosopher said that the young live with addition, constantly accumulating. Upon reaching a certain age, perhaps age 50, we live with subtraction, right? We subtract greed or desire for sex, emotion, love, and hot-spring baths, too! Is there anyone who bathes in hot springs at least once a year? Many people, right? Many have a love for hot springs, especially some Japanese. Once I chatted with two Japanese. Of course, they knew some Chinese. I asked them, “What’s your biggest wish?” One was a merchant, and the other was an office clerk. They both said, “If we have holidays, we will bathe in hot springs.” Wow! Bathing in hot springs is thought to be beautiful. I really don’t think so.
Upon reaching a certain age, we live with subtraction. What else do we need to reduce? At a certain age, we should eat less meat in our diet. Some say, “Subtract oil. Eat less oil.” Do you agree? Raise your hand if you agree. Anyway, I don’t agree. I tried not including oil in my diet for a long period. I am telling you that now I cannot let go of oil. I remember that for about two years, I didn’t eat oil. You can try this. Usually ladies have the say at home on what to eat, right? Cook with no oil and without any meat. The whole family becomes vegetarian. No matter how you cook, without a drop of oil, I believe that in a month, you will go crazy – crazy for oil! For two years, I didn’t eat a drop of oil. As a result, I did something that still makes me feel happy.
I lived in a farmer’s home in a mountainous area. I played hide-and-seek with his grandson. I couldn’t find him. I was desperate; I couldn’t find him anywhere. I wondered if he had hidden himself under the water vat. I moved the vat, which held a little water. There was a hole under it. I climbed in through the hole and found the grandson hiding there. I quickly found a flashlight to see what was inside. Northerners call this a root cellar, where vegetables are stored in winter. At one corner, the soil was loose. I thought something was buried there. I started digging. There I found two bottles of cooking oil. It was their oil, and since the grandson was there, I didn’t dare touch it. I asked him, “What’s this?”
Trying to trick him, I said, “Is it vinegar?”
The grandson said, “Maybe it is cooking oil.”
I said, “It must be vinegar.” I encouraged him to try it.
He said, “Let me taste it. It is cooking oil.”
I said, “It must be vinegar.”
He said, “Try it.”
I said, “Wonderful.” I gulped down one-third of a bottle.
Seeing me drinking, the grandson said, “Brother, let me drink some.”
I said, “OK. It belongs to your family. Go ahead.” I passed him the bottle. He drank the rest.
After a while, he said, “Brother, I have to go up.”
I said, “What’s the matter?”
“It is very urgent.” I helped him get out. I could see drops of oil dripping out of his bottom. Every farmer has an outhouse. Wow, oil was leaking out of his bottom. That leaked oil couldn’t be used. Originally, the oil was liquid, but what came out wasn’t only liquid. Nothing happened to me, since I practiced well, right? His grandpa found out and gave us a beating. It was unforgettable. It was worth it, even though we were beaten. Because I finally tasted oil! I discovered that uncooked oil is edible. It is very effective for chronic constipation.
At a certain age, we reduce many things in our life. We just cannot afford not to. Our physical health requires us to do so. Do we need to reduce salt in the diet? Our grandmas are diet experts. They would never say no to “wood, rice, oil, salt, sauces, vinegar, and tea.” When our living conditions became better, what we ate became extensive, right? The micronutrients in our diet are adequate. We use wood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. If we were to take away some of these things, what is the first to subtract? Tea can be taken away. If we are short of money, tea can be omitted. The second is sauces. The third is vinegar. Can you do without vinegar? (Yes.) Sure. If one is really poor, one can do without vinegar. If you can afford sourness, you are not poor. There are two meanings in what I say. One is vinegar; the other is being sour grapes or jealous. Those two things exist when one is not so poor. They are by-products of wealth. When one is truly poor, one has no energy to even think of those things. One cannot be jealous, as you are preoccupied with other things. What else to take away? Oil can be taken away, but not salt. So, we know salt is important. A diet of varied foods is healthy. But that doesn’t mean it includes everything, such as eating everything you can find. Should all be eaten? It may not be good for your health. A diet which is too inclusive may cause illness, as many foods cannot be eaten together. Eating them together is poisonous. Also, overeating is a problem. Too much salt is not good, right? Neither is too much vinegar. Can we eat too much cooking oil? I just gave you an example. It is bad to eat too much of it. If you do, you will not be healthy. Too much oil will block your brain vessels. I felt unhealthy after I drank the oil. Thus, overeating is not good.
Another reminder is that an excess of spices is not good either. Oil, salt, pepper, aniseed … What else? Chili, star anise, and garlic. Spices cannot be eaten as a main course. If you are not convinced, try it tonight. Start with one spice. Choose it yourself. Tonight, only eat pepper, OK? I guess within an hour an ambulance will arrive to take you to the hospital. One cannot stand it. Spices or anything shouldn’t be overeaten. They are meant to flavor your food, not to be eaten as a main course. Too much spice results in side effects. Overeating is not good. For many things, less is more. For some things, smelling it is enough. This is all about quantity. When we reach a certain age, all things need to be reduced to the proper amount. A moderate amount is best.
It is important to take some time off and practice. Does anyone own a car? After one year of driving, some parts need servicing. If it is driven four years, it needs a major servicing. Every four years, tires need to be changed. Air filters need to be replaced. Many parts should be replaced. Otherwise, the car would not work anymore. You have used your body for 40 years. Have you done a checkup, renewal, and repair? No! Sometimes, when you feel extreme discomfort, you get checked at a hospital. Sometimes, it is really sad. When you look at your medical report, you realize you are going to permanent sleep. This is most pathetic. I hope all of you can do some maintenance on yourself and live a bit longer.
A Balanced, Healthy Diet and Lifestyle Preserves Health
We shouldn’t be picky about foods. With a balanced diet, we can be healthy. I find that many people, male and female, drink only a little teacup of water, about the amount taken by sparrows. But sparrows eat only a little. In contrast, a human eats a lot. With so little water, food in the stomach cannot digest normally. The food expands like popcorn popping because there’s too much heat in the stomach. Such a diet is not balanced. Our diet consists of both food and drink. When you drink too little and eat too much, the food is heated up like popcorn. Excretion becomes difficult. Some people only have a bowel movement once a week. This is problematic. It causes one to put on weight. For people who want to lose weight, I gave a tip last time. It is to drink a cup of water first thing in the morning.
“Anyone tried it?” (Yes.)
“Any effect?” (Yes.)
“That’s right.”
If there isn’t, I have a second trick. If the first one works, you don’t need a second trick. For weight loss, I have piles of tips, and you don’t need to spend a dime. The second one is no eating. Just joking, you would starve to death. Of course, you must eat. I am not an extremist. Before meals, drink a cup of water. This is the second tip for overweight people. Please remember. People with poor digestion, with internal heat like a “popcorn explosion”, will find this tip effective in seven days. Digestion will be smooth with this method. If you still have constipation, put some uncooked oil in the water. I have experienced the effectiveness. After drinking a few mouthfuls of oil, one cannot run to the bathroom fast enough. It is very effective. We can also put some salt in the water. Just a bit of table salt will do, not too much.
People who wish to lose weight should eat more fresh raw vegetables such as celery. Western celery with thicker stalk. The Chinese celery stalk is thinner. People just call it tang-qin (Chinese celery). It originated in China, very slim. What I am talking about is Western celery. What is it called in Taiwan? Western celery. It is the same in Vancouver.
Things That We Should Be Cautious to Eat
Any other kinds of green vegetables that are both nutritious and good for excretion? Sweet potatoes are good. But I have to remind you, according to the latest information I have, it is better to eat less sweet potato leaves and the vegetables that grow in water, as they can encourage contagious diseases. For example, water chestnuts fall into such a category. It has brown-colored skin; it is crispy and sweet. Eat less of this, as it encourages liver infection. Also, don’t eat river snails in rice fields. The potential that they transmit liver diseases is huge. In addition, don’t eat frogs. They also transmit diseases. The illness transmitted by frogs goes up to the brain; parasites from frogs attack the brain. A frog, when skinned, looks like a human body. All things that look like humans shouldn’t be eaten. Those illnesses are incurable. Therefore, no monkey meat or brain for you. You may not know about this, and that’s why I am telling you, don’t eat those things.
Let’s list the green vegetables that are good for health. Overseas, I learned to eat lettuce. After washing it, eat it raw. What else? Chinese cabbage. Baby cucumbers are good. If you think there is pesticide on the skin, peel it. When it is big and fleshy, we can peel it. But how can we peel sweet potato leaves? Due to pesticides, choose leafy vegetables carefully. Pesticides kill worms and other creatures. You are also a creature. Try to eat less leaves. Pesticides harm the nervous system, causing all kinds of disorders. Vegetarians may be prone to nervous system disorders if they consume too much pesticide. Pesticides harm the liver and kidneys. They especially concentrate in the kidneys; it is horrible. Broccoli is another green vegetable to eat. Westerners dip it in salad dressing and eat it raw. Eating it raw is OK if you wash it clean. Since Chinese are used to cooked food, we may put it in boiling water for a while to kill bacteria. The right cooking method involves using less oil. You may add a bit of soy sauce. Use less salt. That’s it. If you like black sesame, you can add some, or a little bit of spices you like. That should be very delicious.
Learn to eat simple food and to savor its flavor. Start slowly, don’t rush. Many kids and teenagers think Chinese congee is tasteless. The Chinese kids who grow up overseas think the same. What we want is to find it delicious despite its tastelessness. This is a mental state, isn’t it? When we eat simple food, we should learn to savor its original taste. This is also a mental state. It is healthy and good.
Using Food Nature to Balance a Diet and Eating Foods in Season is Conducive to Health
Also, all bitter food eliminates internal heat in our body. When you feel your tongue is a bit stiff and has a white coating, or you feel internal heat, eat something bitter. The most obvious example is bitter melon. What else? Mustard greens. Also, winter melon. Winter melon eliminates internal heat. Western celery also eliminates internal heat. Don’t wait until your body overheats. It will be useless. This is the therapy of a balanced diet. When you feel internal heat, just eat some green vegetables, and it will be regulated. When there’s severe internal heat, eating very cold stuff may cause two negative effects. One is the internal heat, and the other, even worse, is the harm of icy cold. Be the person male or female, eating overly cold food harms the reproductive system and kidney circulation. So, don’t wait for the body to get overheated or too cold before you do something about it.
Sometimes, our subconscious mind reminds us to eat certain foods at certain times. Say, someone may get a craving for watermelon. Their desire for watermelon indicates their body has internal dryness or heat. It may be related to hot weather. So, they need to eat watermelon to cool down. There is vinegar made with plums or apples in Taiwan, right? Some may be craving this vinegar these days. That’s good news. It is a cooling method to regulate the spleen and stomach. You may eat some. Plums are cold and cooling in nature. Cooling foods help to release the heat. A fellow practitioner gave me a bottle of plum vinegar that is thick and was brewed for a few years. One day, I tried the plum – not too sour, quite tasty. That helps vent internal heat. Heating foods should be eaten in moderation. All spices that make dishes delicious are hot, such as pepper, chili, or star anise. All things that make dishes delicious are warm, fiery, hot, and dry. They shouldn’t be eaten too much.
In contrast, most fruits are cooling, balancing the heat in the body. Fruits that grow in the hottest climate tend to dispel heat. Apples are harvested in autumn. Which is cooler, apples or pears? They are harvested in the hottest season. Therefore, they counter the hot weather. Nature is a wonder and a perfection. Local produce balances our body. Eating local fruits and vegetables in season is a diet conforming to the season. It is a good method. Foods that cause us illness are those that are not in season. For example, if in Taiwan’s winter, one eats excessive watermelon and plums, there tends to be harm to the body. Try to eat less food and fruit not in season. Nowadays, greenhouses can produce crops in any season. But the human body has to conform to Nature. Better eat food that is in season. Ask the older generation who knows best, our mother or grandmother. Their dietary habit of following the season is healthy. If not, we will get ill.
I have read American health studies for the past 10 years. The second and third generations of Asian immigrants have high rates of heart diseases, obesity, and diabetes. When Asian children are fed the same food that Westerners eat, they tend to become obese. Huge hamburgers are put in the small Asian stomach. They enjoy them but eat so much that they feel like throwing up. When these calories are not burned, obesity is the result. They tend to contract illnesses related to obesity. Their ancestors’ diet consisted of vegetables and soups, but they eat hamburgers. It is a shock to the body. Most immigrants who have heart disease and diabetes are Chinese, especially the second generation. I have seen many obese children. When I came to Taiwan, I discovered Taiwanese girls all have slim waists. I was disappointed in the West, as the girls’ waists are thicker than mine. Many Chinese girls in the West are thick-waisted. On the bright side, when I walk with them, I feel protected and safe! But sadly, it is the unhealthy diet. They don’t know about a healthy diet. Their grandmas offer them congee, but they don’t want it. They want Western food, but their stomachs cannot handle it. So they tend to put on weight. Whose kids are overseas? Ask them to return to lose weight. Let her practice to get a slim shape. Diet affects our health most.
Meditation Results in Healing Sensations
The most important point about the methods I teach is that I hope everyone obtains health. It is not like what some expect: Practice doesn’t give them spiritual powers or huge external physical changes. But the energy you gain cannot be gained through medicines or tonics. With regard to tonics, Iet me remind you that many people’s bodies are not suited to certain tonics. As I mentioned, an appropriate diet, one that balances cold and heat in the body, keeps one basically healthy. Balancing cold and heat means eating food of both hot and cold nature. When you feel tired, don’t hurry to buy ginseng drinks and get overheated then eat winter melon to cool off. You might even want to put it on your head! Without it, you would feel overheated. But tonics are unnecessary. Any tonic is harmful. All medicines are poisonous to a certain extent.
It only takes three days for you to feel the effects of meditation. Some people feel it in one day. What are these sensations? Pay attention to what I say. The first one is tiredness, as you are not used to practice. Let me give you a “checkup”: Can you stand for 20 minutes? Many start feeling discomfort. I saw a 30-year-old young man who sweated all over after standing for five minutes. He told me that he couldn’t stand anymore after ten minutes. He had to lean on something and his back was soaked. He was so tired, as he was very weak. I believe when all of you first came, you were also very tired after standing for 20 minutes. I also believe: If you have practiced for a month, you will not feel tired after standing for two hours. If you have practiced for a year, it will not be a problem standing for four hours. Only your feet may be a bit tired. This is the physical change you get.
What I stress is health, as I was unhealthy when I was young. I studied and learned many methods. The calmest method is most effective. As I am a Buddhist, I want to teach this method for health to everyone. So the first sensation is tiredness. What else? Heat and cold. You got it. If not, please raise your hand to ask. Tiredness, heat, cold, numbness, soreness, pain, and twitching. What else? (Itchiness.) Itchiness. There is also smoothness. When you rub your hands, you will wonder why they are so smooth. You feel your face becoming smooth too, don’t you? Has anyone had these sensations? (Yes.) Your skin is smooth. Your smoothness is not because of lotions. Smoothness. What else? But, if we keep practicing, it will be the opposite, rough. You still keep practicing, yet your skin becomes rough. It shows that you are getting better; the roughness is a sign. Some may be disappointed, thinking, “I will not practice, as my skin is not smooth anymore.” It is just your perception. In fact, your state is elevated. Later, your skin will become smooth again. Also, there is a fragrance of flowers or sweetness. You feel extremely joyful spontaneously. Say, in the past, you had many worries, but after practicing for a while, you feel joyful and at ease. Anyone feel joyful during these days of practice? (Yes.) See, you have already felt it. Even if you got $10,000, you were not this joyful. Now, you are happy from the bottom of your heart.
Meditation Unblocks One Physically and Mentally
Also, during this joyful period of time, you don’t explode with negative emotions. Many get angry without any reason, especially at family. They are like exploding bombs, right? When you exploded, the other was injured. Through meditation, you get gentler. Your words are mellow, easily accepted by family and colleagues because of your happy mood. Facing the same family and work you hated before, why are you feeling happy now? Do you know? Because your mind has been unblocked. Why is this? There is an indicator. When you practice, have you shed tears? (Yes.) That’s right. Shedding tears indicates the draining pipe in the brain is unblocked. Tears have certain properties. They aren’t pure water. If you don’t clean them, when they are dry, have a look in the mirror – there are two white streaks. A fellow practitioner did an experiment. He was a scientist. He asked me, “May I collect the tears?” I said, “Sure.” First, he collected the teardrops; second, he waited till the tears dried up then scraped the powder into a glass bottle for testing. I didn’t understand about the chemical indexes. But maybe tears contain something else apart from what we already know, negative emotions, such as stress, anger, afflictions, and depression caused by breakups, unemployment, and injuries. These mental negativities block your body, making it unable to move. If the blockage is in the brain, one has no wisdom. Thus, this person will get angry out of the blue. When you speak, it is like a machine gun. See who behaves this way in your family. On this side are mostly girls. You don’t answer, right? It is you!
When some women become mothers, they tend to be angry without any reason. They feel that they have contributed a lot by giving birth. They feel powerful having a subordinate. Some who have three or four kids are terrible, thinking that they are the top boss with several enforcers. They think they have power, and they can say anything. Plus their brain is blocked, so they get angry with everyone they talk to, right? It is even more terrible when they enter menopause. After age 45, they are worse. Why don’t their husbands come home after work? They are afraid of coming home. For the husbands, coming home is like climbing the steepest mountain. It is like a journey that will cost them their lives. They have no choice but to go home. It is like a journey to death, but they go anyway. Male practitioners all have such feelings, right? You are still far from that stage. When you are young, you fly home after work, right? Your youthful wife is lovely, and anything she says sounds pleasant to you. But during menopause, she is like a dangerous tigress waiting at home. I’d better stop here. I will cause people, who don’t want to get married, to be against marriage even more. I will stop. Generally, marriage is good. Though there is a tigress at home, it is better than nothing. At least, you have someone to nag you. You don’t have that if you live alone. That’s loneliness.
We should bring our family happiness and joy. But when our brain is blocked, we hurt others like psychopaths, without remorse. When a person is mentally ill, their behaviors aren’t reasonable. Even if you reason with them, their brain is confused. As the brain is blocked, there’s no wisdom. The person’s behavior is not reasonable or rational, unless they become compassionate from reading, meditating, and constant self-improvement. If self-awareness and cultivation is not strong, and our brain is blocked, all our actions are almost always wrong, especially in the way they express ourselves. When they should be happy, they aren’t. At home, they question others’ normal behavior, being suspicious and depressed. Being angry, their words are biting and sharp. They bicker with others without any reason. These behaviors indicate brain blockage.
In the first 30 days of practice, most people usually keep shedding tears. Anyone who didn’t shed tears? Please raise your hand. It could be for a few reasons. One is the hurt is too much to bear. A light blockage is like some soil in a sink, which can be easily cleared with water. Heavy blockage is like cement that cannot be easily scoured. Your emotional knot is still tied. More practice and tear shedding can clear the blockage. Another reason is: They aren’t being expelled through eyes, but other parts. Some keep going to the bathroom.
Also, some blockages are expelled through sweat. Some people’s hands and feet don’t sweat at all. Are there such people? Your hands and feet don’t sweat. Anyone? Raise your hand. I guarantee that within a month, fifty percent of those whose hands and feet don’t sweat will perspire. Do you think it is a good thing if one’s hands and feet don’t sweat? Now, you know it is because of blockages. Normal perspiration shows good metabolism without blockages. Our skin can breathe well. Maybe we are unsure whether it can breathe or not, but we can see whether it perspires or not. Some people’s hands, feet, legs, or arms don’t perspire, which shows meridians are blocked. It is an unhealthy or ill state. You probably don’t know about it. Hands and feet should perspire in a hot Taiwanese summer, right? After doing some household chores or physical labor, hands and feet should perspire. If they don’t, the hand and foot meridians are blocked. If the meridians in the hands and feet are blocked, one or two sections or all of the spinal nerves are blocked. They are easily blocked.
At the place where you work or sleep, old drafts blow into your back, shoulders, and elbows. As described in martial arts novels, if your enemy pokes you at a certain acupoint, you could lose your speech, laugh nonstop, or even die. If a certain acupoint is chilled, some of the spinal nerves can be blocked. Your hands and feet don’t perspire. As everything is interconnected, no perspiration means other parts have problems. If your hands don’t perspire, it is not just a hand problem, there’s something wrong with your organs. The five fingers represent the five organs, plus the palms, they represent all internal organs. No hand perspiration indicates excessive coldness in the body. A cold constitution means illness. Such people may have insomnia, depression, and mania. They create troubles out of nothing, as their brain is blocked. If internal organs are blocked, the energy cannot be released. Energy that should flow normally is disordered and reversed. Our brain cannot function properly. It is disordered, and its processing is messed up.
If one’s emotions are out of control, one’s behavior is out of control, one can easily get mental illness, and the internal organs are also disordered. So you need to practice meditation, and when your hands and feet perspire, it is good news. It means energy has been unblocked. Our respiratory and excretory systems are not the only systems that breathe and excrete. Other body parts also breathe and excrete. If the body cannot do these, we are in trouble!
Do some research online: those whose skin has been burned suffer a lot. They have deep suffering. We have healthy skin that breathes, so we cannot understand their suffering. You may wonder: Is the breathing of the skin important? Do online research: If half the body has been burned, the toxins arising from internal heat could cause any kind of incurable illness. Many illnesses could arise from this. Burnt skin cannot breathe, and this causes such suffering that some burnt victims would like to cut off the burnt part. It is that serious. If we start perspiring during practice, it indicates being unblocked and the skin is breathing freely. It is good news. Besides being smooth, our skin feels nourished. Calluses, scaly patches, or hard, old skin softens and sheds. If you are a laborer, you often do heavy manual work, so your hands will have calluses. It is natural. But if you don’t do manual work, and your hands still have calluses, what does that mean? What organ problems does hard skin on your palms represent? The respiratory system may have issues.
Miraculously, through practice, our appearance changes. If one practices well, one’s crooked nose will straighten. After your passport photo is taken, which is usually standard and clear, you may use a pencil and a ruler to see if your nose is centered between your brows or if your cheeks are the same size. Most people have one cheek bigger than the other. And the nose grows askew to one side. This can be seen in a photo. Most people’s crooked nose can be seen right away. It could be caused by negative energy or injuries sustained at a young age. When we practice, the blockages are cleared. When the energy of your cheeks is balanced, the nose will center. Also, if one eye is big and the other is small, it indicates illness or injury. After practice, the energy can be free-flowing, and so your eyes can become the same size.
Meditation Detoxifies and Improves the Health of Body and Mind
Meditation brings us many benefits. Just now I mentioned unblocking, which leads to balanced, free-flowing energy. When our whole body is unblocked, it is relatively balanced. We need to control our emotions. There is no better way. Since we are mentally blocked, we cannot adjust our emotions. Plus, we have no idea how to awaken our wisdom. But meditation practice can truly awaken our wisdom. Believe it or not, it is up to you.
Practicing here, you will become happy. Somehow, your body expels so many unexpected things. You are not sad, but you are shedding tears all the time. You are expelling illnesses. In Mainland China, we experimented with this. When we practiced, we didn’t wear shoes. Shoes had to be left outside. Everyone got newspapers. So we used them to cover the ground, as it cost nothing. Everyone stood on it with or without socks, it didn’t matter. About one-third of the people, after a few days of practicing The Meditation of Greater Illumination, found they left wet footprints. You may think it was sweat making the newspaper a bit wet, right? But if five layers of newspaper were soaked with water, plus, there were big droplets on their foreheads, that’s not perspiration. What’s that? Excretion. What was expelled? Unknown. Not just coldness and water but also toxins. As I said, unexpected things are excreted. Much of what we expel is emotional, dietary, and genetic, things that shouldn’t be in the body. What is expelled is visible with the naked eye. Sometimes it is liquid, such as tears. At other times during practice, you may think that nothing was expelled. But your lower-back pain is gone. How is that pain gone without you expelling anything? I have mentioned that you may have used the bathroom more often lately? Our body also breathes; plus, our mouth is an organ of excretion that constantly connects with energy. Thus, many illnesses disappear by themselves during practice. Ways, methods, and channels of departure are unknown. It is miraculous.
Ancient practitioners discovered this secret. As the methods were transmitted to students, many dharmas were lost as masters were not respected. So, the masters decided to stop teaching them. Thus, we don’t know them. Some methods were passed down, but others weren’t. Then, we don’t know about them. You start getting good practice methods. You are benefited shortly. If you practice for a longer time, you will gain more benefits. Our energy or essence and spirit are enhanced. These days, has anyone not felt sleepy in the afternoon? Anyone? Raise your hand please. Before you practice, after lunch, you will feel sleepy in the afternoon. Now you are energetic. This is a benefit meditation has brought us, which can be seen. When I was young and teaching dharma, I worked every day, teaching and blessing, for more than 15 hours a day. All the novice practitioners who served me were exhausted. After I left, they slept for three days. I worked like this every day. The effects of meditation practice are beyond imagination.
