Date: 06/21/2025 06/22/2025
Location: Star River Meditation Center
Teacher: Yunquan Huang
Sitting Meditation
The Experience of Wisdom Arising from Stillness
“Wisdom arising from profound stillness” refers to the natural emergence of insight when the mind becomes extremely calm, relaxed, and clear.This wisdom is not produced by thinking but appears spontaneously when inner agitation ceases.Understanding this helps practitioners use stillness as fertile ground for insight rather than treating stillness as the final goal.
1.What Is Profound Stillness?
1.A relaxed yet stable body
The body feels effortless, no longer distracting awareness.
2.Soft and subtle breathing
The breath becomes smooth and quiet, supporting mental calm.
3.Very few thoughts
Not due to suppression but natural fading.
4.The mind becomes like still water
Undisturbed by emotions, expectations, or restlessness.
Profound stillness = a state free from effort, disturbance, and agitation.
2.What Does “Wisdom Arising” Mean?
1.Insight emerges naturally
It is not “figured out” but directly known.
2.Clearer perception of impermanence and non-self
One sees:
Everything is arising and passing
No fixed “self” can be found
All phenomena depend on causes
3.Seeing how the mind creates suffering
Mental habits become transparent.
4.Behavior becomes softer and wiser
Actions arise from clarity, not reaction.
3.How Does Stillness Give Rise to Wisdom?
1.Coarse mental noise fades
With fewer distractions, reality becomes visible.
2.Grasping temporarily weakens
Less self-centeredness allows insight to appear.
3.Awareness becomes bright and steady
A steady light reveals what is truly there.
4.Tension dissolves
Openness makes room for understanding.
4.What Does This Experience Feel Like?
1.Sudden mental brightness
Like a clean window letting more light in.
2.Expanded awareness
Spacious, open, unconfined.
3.Effortless insights
You simply know, without thinking.
4.Emotional freedom
Emotions arise but no longer dominate.
5.Softer, wiser reactions
Clarity replaces impulsiveness.
5.Common Misunderstandings
1.Treating stillness as the goal
Stillness is the means; wisdom is the essence.
2.Chasing the experience
Effort destroys stillness.
3.Mistaking “no thoughts” as wisdom
No thoughts is a condition, not insight.
4.Overvaluing short-term clarity
Wisdom requires repeated cultivation.
6.How to Strengthen This Process
1.Maintain posture and natural breathing
They are the foundation of calm.
2.Stay grounded in present awareness
Avoid drifting into memory or imagination.
3.Avoid clinging to pleasant states
Clinging is the enemy of insight.
4.Use stillness to observe inner phenomena
See their impermanence, emptiness, and dependent nature.
Conclusion
Wisdom arises naturally when stillness becomes deep and undisturbed.Stillness itself is not the goal but the condition that reveals insight.With non-clinging and steady practice, clarity and understanding unfold on their own.
