Understanding of Four Postures (catuiriyapatha) on meditating

The main aim of Buddhist meditation is to be purifying the mind held negative tendencies: such as greed, anger and delusion, through mind control. When the mind held all negative tendencies are cleaned up by awakening the four postures: walking, standing, sitting and lying down, it will be free from suffering (Ven. Sujiva (2000) Essentials of Insight Meditation Practice, p.9) This kind of awakening postures meditation also one of most important to keep the mind in the present moment and to see whatever is happening in the mind. 

One in the walking meditation should be mindful on the feet ‘left going thus, right going thus; it can be practiced as three kinds: quick walking, moderate walking, and slow walking. It is the eye that is keep in the downcast while walking meditation, but it is just looking down, not keeping anything. In the basic step of walking meditation, it can note only two: right and left, but in the higher step it is not enough for the walking meditation. So it should keep in mind step by step in order to continue higher level, such as right - left, and lifting - stepping, and lifting – pushing – stepping, and raising – lifting – pushing – stepping, and raising – lifting – pushing – lowering – stepping, and raising – lifting – pushing – lowering – treading – pressing, etc. This is the standing meditation, second of four postures that notes while walking meditation. It means that yogī before starts walking meditation, or after reaches the end of walk should be aware the way of standing meditation. Phra Rājsaddhiñānamongkol suggests the following rules concerning with standing meditation:

• “The mind is simply a point of awareness, it is simply the natural consciousness. We take this point of awareness and direct it over the body, from the crown of the head, slowly down, like the read disk, sliding slowly down. As we direct the awareness down over the body, we note to ourselves, “standing, thus”. We observe from the crown of the bead down to the navel, then stop and breathe out once, the ndirect the awareness once more slowly down from the navel to the feet. This is one cycle. Then we slowly move the awareness up from the feet, noting “standing”, to the navel, then breathe once more, then sweep upwards again, noting “thus”, up to the crown of the head. This is two times. Then we note going down to the feet once more, noting as before. This is the third time. When we sweep once more from the feet up to the crown of the head, this is “four”, and from the crown down to the feet again is “five”. The body is standing and we note it as it is. Our objective is to know things as they occur.” (Phra Rājsaddhiñānamongkol, Tr. Suchitra Ronruen (2000) Advantages of Chanting and How to Practice Vipassanā meditation, p.28)

In this section, one after finished the walking or laying down posture meditation should practice of this sitting posture meditation. it when one have knelt down on the floor in order to practice of posture meditation, should slowly act to the sitting posture meditation and know “sitting” till sitting the body on the floor, and raise the head to face straight forward and slowly close the eye. In addition, one can continues to aware the objects of meditation applied so many kinds of meditation, especially it is suitable for the ānāpānasati (breathing meditation). The last one of four postures meditation practice called form of lying down (sayana) meditation, which can be practiced after sitting posture meditation. The form of laying down meditation can be practiced for long periods without a sleepy and out of mindfulness. In spite of the fact that standing meditation can be practiced a long time, it is normally too uncomfortable for those who goyī practice meditation for long time. When one practice the laying down meditation, he should aware even each small action, lay down body slowly and mindfully, know and mindful whatever doing on the this way of meditation: “thinking to do” “moving” “doing”, etc. in the other word, Be mindful of how the body is lying down; be aware of how the limbs are arranged. Bruce Kumar Frantzis Points out the method of laying down practice as follow:

• “Still lying down, practice Taoist internal breathing to relax the inside of your body and mind to the maximum extent possible, until eventually the whole inside of your body releases fully. At this juncture, your breathing should have beomce completely soft, long, deep, and silent. At the point when you breathing becomes so soft it has seemed to disappear, you will, when you breathe, begin to feel a sense of energy coming into your body. comtiune breathing until you feel your body filling up with a clean, strong sense of energy form head to toe. It is this vibrant sense of energy that will keep your mind totally awake, even if parts of your body “fall asleep”. (Bruce Kumar Frantzis (2001) The Great Stillness: Body awareness, moving meditation and sexual Chi Gung the water method of Taoist meditation, Vol-2, p.90-91)

            Therefore, as regard with the four postures of meditation, the Budhda in the mahāsatipatthāna sutta address the following instructions as brief:

a.       Walking        (gacchanta)

b.      Standing       (ṭhita)

c.       Sitting           (nisinna)

d.      Lying down  (sayana)

“Bhikkhus, a bhikkhu while walking knows ‘I am walking’, while standing, he knows, 

‘I am standing’; while sitting, he knows, ‘I am sitting’; while lying down he knows, 

‘I am lying down’.” (DN 22)

            Consequently posture meditation (iriyapatha) related to walking (gocchanta) is useful to sustain the already developed sati during short walks, as it can be used together with the posture meditation related to the standing (ṭhita) posture. It is useful to develop sati on all postures, to sustain the development of sati obtained through sitting (nisinna) and laying down (sayana). (Arya Keerthi Kumarasena (2010) Discussion on Sathipatthāna, p.82) [Come out research of Eindasara, Srilanka]

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