alert is inward looking; it is not that there really is such a thing as looking
inward.
25. What is "listening"? It is the light of the ears spontaneously listening,
the ears only listening inward and not outward. Not listening outward yet
being alert is inward listening; it is not that there really is such a thing as
listening inward.
26. Listening means listening to the soundless; looking means looking at
the formless.
27. When the eyes do not look outside and the ears do not listen outside,
they are closed in and have a tendency to race around inside. Only by
inward looking and listening can you prevent this inner racing as well as
oblivion in between. This is the meaning of sun and moon combining their
vitalities and lights.
1.
When you sink into oblivion and become drowsy, get up and take a walk.
When your spirit has cleared, sit again. It's best to sit for a while in the early
morning when you have free time. After noontime, when there are many
things to do, it's easy to fall into oblivion. Also, there's no need to fix the
length of time of meditation; it is only essential to set aside all involvements
and sit quietly for a while. Eventually you will attain absorption and not
become oblivious or sleepy.
