Editor’s Note
Practice is inseparable from daily living. Daily living is inseparable from the Four decorum, whether we are walking, standing, sitting or lying down, we should strive to attain the state of the Four decorum. To employ mindfulness in the four decorum is to maintain awareness in the four postures and not be entangled in mental afflictions. There is no excuse for saying we have no time for practice.

The basic requirement of practice is to maintain awareness, whether in the narrow meaning of just sitting cross-legged or in the broader sense of all sitting positions. This is a more meticulous requirement in practice, to practice till we can sit as stable as a bell without being alarmed by anything, it means that we have cultivated our awareness like a bell, we do not move even when sitting. This means fearlessness and courage, once we employ it, we are able to overcome all difficulties.

(The four decorum refers to the practice to restrain our body and mind through the four types of body posture of walking, standing, sitting and lying down, so as to meet the goal of cultivating the Buddhist conduct. In doing so, externally we display solemnness and dignity, and internally we remedy such afflictions as heedlessness, forgetfulness, laziness, restlessness, lethargy and distraction. If a practitioner manages to carry out the four decorum of walking, standing, sitting down and lying down, it indicates that the period his mind is associated with liberation exceeds the period it is associated with afflictions. It is an important stage in the cultivation of practice. The Bodhisattva Charya Nirdesha states the following: “One who cultivates the Buddhist conduct achieves his goal by not allowing his mind to go heedless, and always subduing his mind whether during walking or sitting. He would endure the sufferings of walking or sitting for a long period of time, and would not stop doing so or lie down when the time is not right. During standing or lying down, he would abide by the principles of the truth and maintain right mindfulness. The four decorum refers to the conduct of these four types of body posture properly and in good manners.” On the four decorum of walking, standing, sitting and lying down, the sages offer a metaphor of walking like the wind, standing (remain stationary) like pine, sitting like a bell and lying like a bow. It means walking like the wind without coming into contact with anything, standing like a pine tree which stands erect, sitting like a bell which is as steady as a rock, and lying like a bow which is inwardly prepared and always ready.)

Among the four decorum, “sitting” comes after “standing” and before “lying”. It is a very important decorum on the stationary state for the practice of concentration. In the narrow sense, the word “sitting” refers to sitting cross-legged on the ground (adopting the postures of half lotus – single cross-legged, full lotus – double cross-legged or Burmese pose – loosely cross-legged), generally referred to as sitting meditation. The triangular sitting pose creates a very stable posture. “Sitting” in the broad sense however refers to all sitting postures.

When we meditate by adopting the full lotus posture, we rest our gaze with lowered eyelids (but not to close our eyes completely to avoid the feeling of lethargy and to reduce having strayed thoughts, taking in only 10-20% of the sight), and with both arms close to the body, one hand on top of the other and both thumbs touching one another, feel the inhaling and exhaling breath through our upper lip (or the tip of the nose). After sitting meditation and before leaving the seat, we can move our body and adopt a different sitting posture. This is the time to practise the broad sense of “sitting”. This is a very important phase, as the connection of our awareness through each different body posture has a grave impact on the nurturing and maintenance of our awareness.

In relation to “standing”, it is easier to develop the power of concentration through “sitting”. In relation to “lying”, it is less prone to fall into lethargy through “sitting”. Hence, a practitioner may choose to practise whichever of the four decorum depending on the state of his body conditions.

“Sitting like a bell” is the metaphoric description of “sitting” by ancient sages. The steadiness of a bell brings to practitioners the perception of being steady, still and fearless. It may appear ordinary when silent, but it can take the world by storm given a single stroke. Like the bell, our awareness is steady, still and fearless.

It remains ordinary without activation, but once applied, endless possibilities are created.