Biodata of Bro. Teoh Kian Koon

Bro. Teoh graduated from University of Malaya in Civil Engineering in 1979. He has been a spiritual practitioner cum ‘Meditator’ since 1971. Since his retirement in 2001 from his Engineering career, he has been sharing his understanding and experiences with those who are keen in their search for true happiness, peace and liberation from birth and death and all mental suffering so that they can be more virtuous, nobler and wiser human beings. He gives Dharma talks and holds meditation classes & retreats and weekly Dharma classes at various meditation centers, Buddhist society and places that invite him.

For more details of Bro. Teoh’s dharma activities and his Kalyāṇamittaship grouping please login to his dharma website at: http://broteoh.com

For those who want to listen to the recording they can download the talk at this below link: http://broteoh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Understanding-Lying-Down-Meditation.mp3

Understanding Lying Down Meditation

Dated: 6th September 2015

Venue: WPCS Buddhist Vihāra No.4, Jalan 11/8, PJ

Extracted from 9TH Sixth Patriarch’s Platform Sutra Class

Conducted by Bro. Teoh Kian Koon

Session 2 - Report on Meditation followed by Q & A session

Question by Sister Susan: Brother Teoh regarding my meditation, I am aware that when I am in the lying down posture I am definitely more relaxed when compared to my sitting. During sitting I am aware that there is more tension. So should I just continue to lie down every time I want to do the sitting meditation?

Bro. Teoh: It is up to you because there are times to sit and time to lie down. If you want to train your mind it is easier to do it while in the sitting posture because in the sitting posture you can maintain awareness or mindfulness of the in and out breath (ānāpānasati) better. Initially the sitting posture is usually more conducive but later on as you develop the ability to have this meditative mind that is already so quiet, so peaceful, so clear and so tranquil – which means you have developed the ability to go into stillness of mind (which is passaddhi) rather easily then when that happens, if you continue with the sitting posture you will find it very difficult to go into a relax state of a free mind to maintain this state of tranquility and stillness of mind unless you know how to relax very well. When you have the ability to relax so well, the whole of your body and mind will be in the state of complete relax even while in the sitting posture but because of your crossed legged posture there will be energy built up without you realizing it. Then this energy built up, actually restrict the flow of chi and that is why during that time you are not so relax and if you can, you should try meditating with the lying down posture. Then the mind that has the ability to become so quiet and so still will become a free mind that is naturally relaxed.

Initially the mindfulness or awareness is at the ānāpānasati (or in and out breath) region, until it becomes very subtle then finally one day it will dropped down to the heart or mind-base then you just stay there because that is the location which is very near the ‘gateway’ to your Nature. From there, if you continue to relax and silent your mind, then one day that silent and still pure awareness that is without thought and craving will be able to detect the ‘gateway’ and go in. The lying down posture is the most relaxed posture as you have found out on your own. This is a very important posture because in the lying down posture you do not create any restriction or constriction in your flow of chi then chances of going into concentration is much lower because this energy cannot build up. If you are in a crossed legged position all of your energy field and chi (they) will be building up without you knowing it, then from your spine it can go up to the brain then you can push it up to develop all the jhāna. But if you are in the lying down posture and if you know how to relax into it, all these energy fields they will not build up. The moment you relax into it, it will stabilize. Then after that, it will become very quiet and very still until you are very sensitive. During that time you will come to understand that the lying down posture is the best posture. If you can detect the ‘gateway’ after you have become very quiet and very still then all your yin and yang energies which you have developed and stored up earlier on (whether via mindfulness or energy fields training from your chi qong, tai chi, dan tian, yoga, Wai dan qong or whatever energy field related practices) they will all melt into the ‘gateway’ and during that time the ‘meditator’ or the ‘cultivator’ which is the form and mind that is in that state will understand because all these yin and yang energies as it goes through the gateway will be transformed and purified into pure energy. This is the pure energy that is already intelligent. This one is not thought based because there is no thought behind; you just silent, relax and aware and the last support is ‘trust’. You just silent and don’t do anything, no thought invoked then the pure energy will develop the internal movements which most people cannot understand because they have never done it before. That is the real ‘opening’ of all the nadis and chakras within your internal bodily movements. All these will happen without any thought, without any directive or effort via mental intention from the thought – which means there is no will, effort or mental intention involved and there is also nobody doing. So this is the reason why J Krishnamuti via his understanding said, ‘wherever there is a meditator there is no meditation and wherever there is effort there is also no meditation.’ All these, the cultivator will come to understand them clearly.

When this transformation happens your mind will become very still, very quiet and very tranquil very fast, then after that you can even maintain this state of awareness or mindfulness in the midst of your daily life very easily. The reason being by the time you can detect the ‘gateway’ you must have already progressed very far in your meditation and you must have already touched your nature; you already like Hui Ning and the other great beings, understood what the true mind is.

So the key to understanding meditation is: posture is not critical. You can use any posture. Even in the Satipaṭṭhāna or four foundations of mindfulness Sutta, it is stated that all the four postures, standing, sitting, walking and lying down you can use them to meditate. But the real wisdom or insight comes from meditation in daily life. After you have developed all these abilities to be peaceful, to be quiet, to be aware and to be heedful then you will have to come out into life and apply this mind state, which is the awareness or mindfulness to insight into phenomena, to insight into the three universal characteristics of impermanence, suffering state and non-self via the direct seeing to penetrate the dhamma. And later on to reflect and contemplate via the 2nd turnings of the 4 noble truth to prepare the base for receiving truth; then after that any of the 3 turnings, (either 1st turning, 2nd turning or 3rd turning) they can awaken your nature because by then most of the time you are aware, silent and heedful - then it can trigger off the awakening any time. After you have this initial wisdom, only then can you cultivate the real noble 8-fold path and 4 foundation of mindfulness in a more refined and deeper manner.

After you have developed all these understanding borne of daily mindfulness, you can lie down and do your meditation again. By then it will be very different because during that time you will understand very clearly and you will know what to do. Then you will understand that the lying down meditation has its purpose and function because to realize the more stable Nibbāna you need a formal posture and the lying down posture is the most conducive. There are two types of awakening: the 1st type is via the sainthood way in daily life whereby the realization of Nibbāna is just a glimpse or a moment of cessation of form and mind – those realized by the sotāpan (the 1st stage of sainthood) and the sakadāgāmī (the second stage of sainthood); then there is a 2nd type of awakening that is more stable and last longer – those realized by the anāgāmī (3rd stage of sainthood), the arahants (the 4th stage of sainthood) and the other great beings. For the first two stages of sainthoods the cessation happens only for a moment, or momentarily for one moment of cessation only but that’s good enough because that itself is the realization of Nibbāna; that moment is enough to awaken especially the sotāpannaship and sakadāgāmīship sainthood ways and this can happen in the daily life while cultivating the daily mindfulness. One doesn’t need to be in a formal meditation posture. But for anāgāmī and arahants onward usually they will have to go into cessation for longer period. To realize this 2nd type of awakening one need to be in a more stable formal meditative posture. During the early days, most of them do it in their daily life via the 1st and 2nd turnings of the 4 Noble Truths. That is via hearing the sutta followed by contemplation, reflection and inquiries into what the Buddha had proclaimed or taught. Then there are some who develop Samatha meditation first via going into jhāna and that is the reason why they like the sitting posture which is more conducive but later on they still have to release their energy field and return to normal awareness and go into daily mindfulness to develop the initial wisdom via insight into the 3 universal characteristics of nature to realize the enlightenment. Then after that they will sit again or go into the formal meditation to realize the more stable cessation. Then sitting can also awaken them.

During the time of the Buddha a lot of his disciples does it in the sitting posture but later on those who understand they will come to understand that the lying down posture is in fact more conducive. That is also the reason why later on the Buddha during his parinibbāna, he was in the lying down posture. Then whenever he rest, he was also in the lying down posture. This lying down posture was seldom taught because most living being don’t have the ability to meditate that way. If they are not trained they tend to fall asleep very fast then it becomes ‘sleeping’ meditation and not lying down meditation anymore. That’s the reason why it was not taught because very few people can do it. And because of that it was hardly taught. But for those who understand they will know, the moment you can do the lying down meditation you are already a very good and advance cultivator. Lying down posture has its purpose – it is needed when you are developing the 2nd type of awakening, when you go into this so called cessation of form and mind to realize Nibbāna. In the lying posture you can develop it much more easily, you can go into it very fast and you can stay there for quite a while. Then it depends - if you are ready and about to do it, you have to develop some form of tactfulness because you have to let those who are around you, understand what you are doing otherwise they may think you already dead when you go into this cessation. You are really like a dead person, the only difference between you and a dead person is you won’t become very cold, you won’t become like the dead corpse, your body will not rot, your body will not emit those foul smell but you really got no heart beat, the brain activities and everything else also ceased - no more activity, no more consciousness, nothing, the whole body and mind is like no different from a dead person except that the stillness’s pure energy of Nibbāna, they are still within the form. And because that being is in that state, so in order to prevent any confusion it is advisable to let people know so that when you go into it, people will understand. But as far as I know you don’t have to worry so much because it is not easy to go into that state for long period of time. It depend on your past cultivation, it depend on your understanding and it also it depends on how skillful you are and most of these cultivators when they go in this cessation they will know how to come out. It is automatic but you cannot predict when to come out because it is the un-conditioned. You can only come out at the time when the conditions are there for it to come out.

So all these are parts and parcels of lying down meditation and lying down meditation is only to be done after you have trained your mind very well. After you have developed the passaddhi enlightenment factor, until your mind is very stabled and very still and after your daily mindfulness had stabilized. Then you will come to understand why this lying down posture is the most relax, conducive or appropriate, and then you can do it.

Especially at night when you are at home you have to learn to meditate in the lying down posture so that you can rest very well, so that when you arise the next day you can become very fresh and mindful. The other reason is because human beings spend almost 1/3 of their time sleeping. If you sleep 8 hours a day it is exactly 1/3; if you sleep even 6 hours a day it is ¼ of the day’s time. So the lying down posture meditation if you can understand and develop the ability to meditate in that posture it will help you a lot. It can help speed up your cultivation. This type of formal meditation can be done any time even when you are resting.

And finally if you want to understand: what is 24 hour meditation? You have to be skillful in the lying down meditation first, and then you will come to realize that you can be mindful throughout the day and 24 hour meditation is possible. I can share this with you all because this nature of mine had done it before during the early days of its cultivation. So it is all up to you. Don’t worry about the posture. Whichever posture that is more conducive to you, use it. You only need to understand your meditation focus by inquiring: ‘Do you still need to train your mind?’ If you had already stabilized and no need to train your mind anymore then by all means, whatever posture will also be suitable for you because by then your spiritual faculties are already established. Since you had already trained your mind hence you can meditate via a relaxed mind, you can silent your mind easily, and then you can develop whatever understanding you want. Then you will understand very clearly what this form and mind is all about? It is for you to use so use it to live life, to meditate, to develop understanding and to cultivate, and it is all up to you.

Then whatever posture that is the most suitable and conducive you will also come to know, because by then very likely - throughout the day you are already heedful and mindful, so there is no difference between standing, walking, sitting or lying down, no difference at all. Then meditation become like a part of your nature, you are in that state of heedfulness or awareness throughout the day, you don’t have to rely on anything else to be mindful, you don’t need an object of meditation anymore, then you will come to realize that all these methods and techniques or objects of meditation are only initial skillful mean used by cultivators to train their mind and it has nothing to do with meditation. It is just to train the heedless mind to be mindful, to be heedful and a lot of people cannot understand this very important point.

That’s why that day I forwarded one email regarding this to you all recently – u all saw it isn’t it? It was written by a monk from SBS by the name of Bhante Kumara. According to that email he said he has been asked many time at many places about what method or technique of meditation he teaches? He said he don’t know how to answer them and every time he answer them he finds his answer not so clear and inadequate, then he came out with one answer which he thought was very good. I will try to get it from the email and read it to you so that we can discuss it. This may be good because this can help clear up a lot of things.

That’s why even monks and cultivators they are also not sure or are not clear about all these like what is the meditation as taught by the Buddha? And what are methods and techniques or objects of meditation for? So when I read the email I felt I should send it out to our Kalyāṇamitta for them to develop the reflection and contemplation, so that hopefully they can understand better. Let me try to look it up. Okay I have got it. According to him he said:

“From time to time, I've been asked this question, ‘Bhante, what method do you teach?’ and I keep having trouble answering it properly. They want me to name it, and I don't have one for it. Usually, I resort to saying I teach this and I teach that. In that way, it can seem like I've a muddled way of teaching. Some time ago, it dawned upon me: I don't teach a method. I'm not interested in that. Instead, I teach people. I show them how to free themselves from suffering, in the best way I know for them at that time. Every experienced teacher knows that every student is different. To think that one method fits all is unreasonable. Sometimes I conveniently fall back on some sort of standard method too, and that's when I'm not operating at my best, that's when I'm not using discernment, and the results aren't so good. Results are the best when I drop all ideas of method, pay full attention to the person, and let wisdom decide. So, I don't want to use any specific method, but whatever method that is suitable, even if I've never used it before, i.e., one that occurs spontaneously to me. So, next time, I know how to answer the question of what method I teach. I try not to. I teach people.” Posted by: Kumara Bhikkhu

So with this we can open for discussion. What are your views and understanding on this basing on your cultivation’s understanding? What are methods and what are techniques? Do you know why he has a problem or not? If I am not wrong he studied Byron Katie’s teaching and he also used Byron Katie’s technique or the work basing on the 4 lines of questionings to teach. And he also shared a bit of the ‘Power of the Now’ – a best seller book written by Eckhart Tolle. And because of that his students asked him, ‘So what is your teaching? What method do you teach? He can’t describe them because those teaching are neither a method nor a technique. It is more of an inquiry.

With this I hope you all can have a better understanding of the above topic.

Appendix - What is the Work?

The Work is a simple yet powerful process of inquiry that teaches you to identify and question the thoughts that cause all the suffering in the world. It’s a way to understand what’s hurting you, and to address the cause of your problems with clarity. In its most basic form, The Work consists of four questions and the turnarounds.

Ask the Four Questions

The Work is meditation. It’s about opening to your heart, not about trying to change your thoughts. Ask the questions, then go inside and wait for the deeper answers to surface. Investigate each of your statements from these four questions:

1. Is it true? (Yes or no. If no, move to 3.)

2. Can you absolutely know that it's true? (Yes or no.)

3. How do you react or what happens, when you believe that thought?

4. Who would you be without the thought?

“I discovered that when I believed my thoughts, I suffered, but that when I didn't believe them, I didn't suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Freedom is as simple as that. I found that suffering is optional. I found a joy within me that has never disappeared, not for a single moment. That joy is in everyone, always.” —Byron Katie

People who do The Work as an ongoing practice commonly report:

- Alleviation of depression: Find resolution, even happiness, in situations that were once debilitating.

- Decreased stress: Live with less anxiety or fear.

- Improved relationships: Experience deeper connection and intimacy with your partner, your parents, your children, your friends, and yourself.

- Reduced anger and fear: Understand what makes you angry and

- Increased mental clarity: Live and work more intelligently and effectively, with integrity.

- More energy: Experience a new sense of ongoing vigor and well-being.

- More peace: Discover how to become “a lover of what is (the reality).”

Table of Contents

Biodata of Bro. Teoh Kian Koon

Understanding Lying Down Meditation

Session 2 - Report on Meditation followed by Q & A session

Ask the Four Questions