Q&A: "The Clapping Sound That Ends Meditation Startles Me"

[With English interpretation] Ven. Pomnyun Sunim's (법륜스님) Answer to "The clapping sound that ends meditation startles me". A question chosen from the weekly Sunday meditation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim(법륜스님).

Peace of mind is only one step away.

Transcript

I was immersed into meditation and startled by the clapping sound of the bamboo sticks.

Is this okay?

That happened because you weren't really immersed into the deep meditation.

You were immersed in a dull state of consciousness.

So you were surprised.

So the phenomenon of being surprised happened only because you were in a dull conscious state or you were in a state where you were chasing after a single thought.

So obviously we can't dare to mimic this,

But when they explain or describe Buddha's meditation,

They explain that Buddha was so deep in his meditation that even a thousand storms,

A thousand thunderclaps would not surprise him.

So if you were startled by the clapping sound of bamboo sticks,

It doesn't mean you were actually immersed in meditation.