Is Visualizing Tranquility Helpful For Meditation?

[With English interpretation] Ven. Pomnyun Sunim's (법륜스님) Answer to “Is visualizing tranquility helpful for meditation?”
A question chosen from the weekly Sunday meditation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim(법륜스님).

Peace of mind is only one step away.

Transcript

Sometimes when I relax,

I think about a quiet scene such as a field of flowers or the view from a mountaintop.

Should I do this during meditation or is this counterproductive?

Well,

It depends on the type of meditation you want to use.

I think about a quiet scene such as a field of flowers or the view from a mountaintop.

Should I do this during meditation or is this counterproductive?

I think about a quiet scene such as a field of flowers or the view from a mountaintop.

Well,

It depends on the type of meditation you want to engage in.

If it's meditation designed to kind of help you relax,

Then this would help.

However,

If the objective of the meditation is to heal your traumas and to really get you into a state of mind and certain awakenings so that you can lead to a happier life,

This doesn't really help.

Because the objective of meditation is that you have to arrive at that state in which no thought occurs.

Or at a state rather that thoughts occur but you can let them go and not chase after them and keep your focus on the breath.

To truly be awake to the here and now.

But if you're thinking about the sceneries,

Then you're placing yourself in the midst of some type of projection or imagination.

But if you're thinking about the sceneries,

Then you're placing yourself in the midst of some type of projection or imagination.

Then your mind is no longer here in the here and now.

It's already somewhere out there in the past.

Then your mind is no longer here in the here and now.

It's already somewhere out there in the past.

And to imagine thus,

It becomes an obstacle for you to be awake,

To be really focused in the here and now.

So in a way,

To bring an analogy is that the purpose of meditation we do is to wake up from a dream,

From a sleep.

However,

What you're suggesting is to linger in your sleep and dream a very beautiful dream.