FORMS OF PRACTICE: SITTING, WALKING, PROSTRATING
To begin our practice, we put our hands together, palm to palm in front of our heart. Fingers are also placed together, without any space between them. Elbows are slightly bent. Eyes are focused on the tips of the middle fingers and the head is tilted slightly down. This position is used to express respect and is called hezang in Chinese. Besides being used to symbolize a mind without wandering thoughts, it is also used to express the oneness of the true nature.
It is traditional to begin practice with a simple ceremony that includes bowing to the Buddha. Bowing, also called prostrating, is another way of showing respect and can serve to purify the three karmas of body, speech, and mind when it is combined with chanting. Since this practice can be physically difficult for people who are unaccustomed to the movements, it is acceptable to do a bow instead of a prostration.
When ready to begin a practice session, do one bow, three prostrations, and another bow. With doing this, we pay respect to the Buddha and mentally prepare to begin our chanting. Having done this, we may next light an incense stick if conditions allow, and then take up our position.
Assume a comfortable position on a meditation cushion or stool, or on a chair. When sitting on the floor or on a chair, use a cushion that is slanted so the back of the cushion is slightly higher than the front. Ergonomic chair cushions are ideal for this. This will incline your pelvis forward and provide better support. When sitting on the floor with a cushion, you may do so in a full or partial lotus position. If this is painful or too difficult, you may cross your legs or use a meditation stool or higher cushion. Sitting on the stool and placing one’s legs under it in a simulated kneeling position is the usual position.
If these positions are still too difficult, you may simply sit on a chair, preferably one that has a straight back, and which provides good support. Place the soles of both feet on the floor about a foot apart.
To sit in a lotus position, sit on the cushion and try to place the top of your left
foot on your right thigh. Next, place your right foot on your left thigh to form
a stable seat. The back and shoulders should be erect but relaxed. If this is too
difficult, as it is for many people, try the half lotus position, in which you raise
only one foot onto a thigh, and rest the other under the opposite thigh. Or, sit
cross-
Put your hands on your lap with the back of the right hand resting on the palm of the left hand, and with thumb tips slightly raised and lightly touching. Eyes may be lightly closed or slightly open. If you feel drowsy when your eyes are closed, open them slightly. Posture is very important, so sit upright comfortably without slumping or leaning forward. Hold the head at a slight downward tilt with the chin pulled in just a little. In this position, begin chanting "Amituofo" aloud or silently.
Breathe in through the nose, pulling the air down into the deepest part of the lungs while distending the diaphragm and then slowly breathe out through the nose. Breathing should be natural. Try to use your diaphragm to pull the air deeper into your abdomen instead of breathing shallowly. In silent chanting, the tip of the tongue lightly touches the back of the upper teeth, and teeth and lips are held as usual. Shoulders are level and elbows are held slightly away from your sides.
If you are not yet accustomed to such practice and experience discomfort such as leg cramps, slowly move your legs into a position in which you are more comfortable. It is best to keep initial sessions short: ten to fifteen minutes. Sessions may be gradually lengthened as you become more used to the practice. It is better to chant for a short period than not chant at all. You may use walking or bowing to calm both mind and body before you begin your sitting, but continue your chanting as you vary the physical forms of practice.
FORMS OF PRACTICE
SITTING