Toning the Body and Strengthening the Mind – Exercise and Chan

Is it possible to apply the method of Chan meditation while engaging in activities such as running, martial arts, and yoga?

It certainly is possible! As the saying goes, "Keep your mind where your body is." Every moment we breathe, run, bend, and stretch, we should be aware of every movement of our body, and practice the method of Chan anytime and anywhere.

Exercising using Chan methods is a journey of self-discovery, which not only tones our body but also strengthens our mind.


On November 4^th, 2017, Nung Chan Monastery organized a groundbreaking road-running event, in which more than 200 runners went on a 108-minute Chan run around the moon-in-the-water Dharma center. In the drizzling rain and cool breeze, the runners ran lap after lap with a stable mind and body, experiencing their breath and enjoying the moment of running in a relaxed and clear manner.
 
Combining road running and the practice of Chan, this "Moon-in-the-water Chan Run" has received positive feedback from numerous runners, because it turned out that they could run stably and at ease when incorporating the method of Chan into their running. This affirmation made Venerable Guo Yi (果毅法師), Director of Nung Chan Monastery, even more certain that the combination of running and the practice of Chan meditation could indeed help modern people relieve stress, improve their health, and achieve doubly effective results in their studies or work amidst their fast-paced lives.
 
What is the difference between Chan running and regular running?

If you walk around a park or a school playground in the early morning or in the evening, you will find that many people are running with headphones on, mobile phones in their armbands, and heart rate monitors on their wrists, in addition to occasionally chatting with fellow runners around them. Occasionally, they glance at their heart rate monitors to observe changes in their heart rate, mileage, and time, fearing their performance might not be as good as it used to be. Meanwhile, they have to keep up with the tempo of the music. What a busy running session!
 
On the other hand, with Chan running, after adjusting their breath, runners first warm up their bodies through the eight-form moving meditation, familiarizing themselves with the method of Chan in motion: keep your mind where your body is; be clearly aware of the relaxation, and relax the whole body. From specific body parts to the whole body, runners are clearly aware of the sensations of relaxation, stretching, turning, and moving. In every moment of running, runners put aside the idea of competition, winning or losing, and run at a comfortable pace while constantly being aware of the breath and body sensations, simply enjoying the act of running.
 
Chan meditation in motion balances mind and body

Is exercise a form of Chan meditation? Mr. Žarko Andričević, who approached Chan meditation through martial arts and yoga and later became a disciple of Master Sheng Yen, believes that there is a spiritual foundation to physical exercises, whether it is martial arts or yoga. "Martial arts are arguably Chan meditation in motion, while yoga can help people attain the goal of entering a state of cessation (śamatha), through regulating breath or adjusting sitting postures." Many spiritual cultivation systems also emphasize that a well-tuned body serves as a strong foundation for the cultivation of mind.
 
According to Žarko, "If you start with cultivating your mind, you will inevitably have to train your body in order to balance both body and mind; if you start with training your physical body, you will have to work on the mind before you can really solve the problems that stem from the mind. For example, as one's command of martial arts deepens, they would further ask themselves, "Why do I have to defend myself? Who is the 'me' that is defending myself?" This leads to doubts about the matters of life and death.
 

Ms. Lin Li-wen (林麗文), who came into contact with yoga and Chan meditation due to her illness, realized that practicing yoga is a process to "self-discovery." During practice, people must unify their mind and body, slowly sensing and becoming aware of whether each part of the body is soft or stiff, powerful or feeble, relaxed or tense. They will also become aware of their internal feelings, and whether they themselves are resisting or accepting them. Every morning, she awakens her body and mind through doing yoga before starting to meditate because "the harmonization of body and mind through yoga is the best aid for Chan meditation."
 
Hong Jhen-siang (洪禎祥), who has run more than ten thousand kilometers over the past ten years, has also found that "running with the method of Chan is equivalent to sitting meditation. Running with a mind of Chan over the years has become a long-term practice of cessation." The motivation for running is no longer to win or to check the progress, but, rather, to "train the mind through letting go of the attachments from within."
 
Various kinds of physical exercises can serve as a practice to help us raise awareness in motion, including the walking meditation that the Buddha taught his disciples more than 2.5 thousand years ago, which is to walk back and forth within a certain distance under the shade of trees or in an open space; the prostrations to the Three Jewels by Buddhists; the martial arts and incense-period running of Chinese Chan Buddhism; the road running nowadays, etc. As we switch between motion and stillness, these movements allow us to achieve a better balance between the body and mind.
 
Moon-in-the-water Chan Run


In November 2017, Nung Chan Monastery held its first "Moon-in-the-water Chan Run." This running event combined marathon and Chan meditation, where runners ran along the Moon-in-the-Water Dharma Center for 108 minutes. During the period, the runners only needed to do one thing right: to experience "keep your mind where your body is." While focused and relaxed, they ran at their own pace, calmly perceived the scenery and people around them, and accepted their physical and mental changes throughout the whole process.



Related articles:

Toning the Body and Strengthening the Mind – Exercise and Chan

​Adding Chan to Your Exercise: Q&A on Exercise and Chan Practice

Let's Practice Chan Running

Walking with the Method – Chan Walking



Resource: Issue 423 of Humanity  Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Translation: Sinag-ling Li (李祥苓)
Editing: Keith Brown, 可馨