WHEN THE MIND IS SCATTERED, THE SOUL IS INCOMPLETE; WHEN THE MIND IS FOCUSED, WISDOM IS COMPLETE
Master Jun Hong Lu: People who practise Meditative Concentration, may eat and sleep the same way as the non-practitioners, but they are different in essence. Why is it so?
The following is the conversation between a Zen Master and a laity.
Once a laity asked a Zen Master, “Master, you are diligent in your meditation practice, is this what spiritual practice is about?”
The Zen Master replied, “Yes, it is”.
The laity asked, “What method do you use?”
The Zen Master explained, “Eat when you are hungry, and sleep when you are sleepy”.
The laity probed, “Everybody does the same! Am I right to say that, just like you, they are also cultivating themselves spiritually?”
The Zen Master replied, “No”.
The laity asked, “Why?”
The Zen Master reasoned, “When they eat, they aren’t truly eating—their minds are preoccupied with countless worries, leaving them confused and unsettled. When they sleep, they aren’t truly resting—they’re caught in dreams, weighed down by their troubles. That’s why they differ from us, who practice meditative concentration and remain present in each moment.”
Buddhist practitioners should have the right thoughts at the right moments. When you eat, eat well. You can do the thinking after the meal. When you sleep, sleep well. Don’t think too much. Otherwise, you won’t sleep well. Some people think of chanting when they eat, think of sleeping when they chant, and be distracted by all their thoughts when they sleep.
They fail in cultivating their minds and their minds are in such a mess that they can’t even have a good night’s sleep.
When the mind is scattered, the soul is incomplete;
When the mind is focused, wisdom is perfected.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 28 August 2017