The greatest benefit of meditation in the evening is that it can improve the quality of our sleep. Meditation in the morning, applying the right method, can result in a clear and alert mind for the entire day, creating a sense of relaxation and clarity. “Clarity” does not mean that the existing physical pains and ailments will disappear, but rather that you are aware of the state of your body and can calmly deal with it. It is a rather comfortable sensation.
Going to bed around 10 p.m. and getting up around 4 or 5 a.m. is a schedule that aligns well with our biological clock. Most illnesses are mainly caused by irregular routines or diet. Although the focus of meditation is on the clarity of the mind, it relies on a healthy body as the foundation. For beginners, it is not easy to sit calmly when the body is experiencing severe pain or ailments. During meditation, there are what we call the “Five Adjustments” – adjusting diet, adjusting sleep, adjusting the body, adjusting the breath, and adjusting the mind. Among these, the mind is the last to be adjusted, which means that the first four elements need to be well-adjusted before reaching the adjustment of the mind. Adjusting the body, breath, and mind are considered the static practices. Our daily diet and sleep patterns are more dynamic and can be considered as the foundation of Chan meditation practice.
Adjusting sleep requires a bit of effort and motivation, which means being a little strict on yourself. Let’s take participating in an online morning meditation session as an example: If the meditation starts at 5:30 a.m., I might set my alarm for 5:10 a.m. or even 5:00 a.m. I’ll have brushed my teeth, washed my face, and done everything else before I start meditating. When the time comes, I should get up, even if I end up dozing off in front of the computer. It’s okay to nod off during the session, and if I feel embarrassed, I can turn off the camera and sleep in a different position. Gradually, you’ll find it less and less of a struggle, and that’s when your sleep will have been adjusted.
In addition to this, many things require a bit of perseverance or what you might call a spirit of “diligence” because we have so many habitual tendencies, some of which may have developed since childhood or later in life. We need to learn from the spirit of a tiger: fierce and courageous. Why should we be fierce in our practice? It’s not about pushing ourselves to the point of exhaustion, but rather, when facing our habitual tendencies, we should be determined to truly change them. For example, during our daily morning and evening meditation, we need to be a little fierce. We need to get out of bed, fiercely lift the blanket, and say, “I’m going to meditate,” and get up. And then what? If I can be fierce like this every day, then it’s called “diligence.”
