From the first time we came into contact with the guqin, we hoped to be able to "get in from the heart". Because the purpose of learning the piano is not for practical use, nor purely for aesthetic enjoyment, but to practice the mind.

Learning the piano is a step-by-step process of communicating with the self and with the piano. During the whole process, we are constantly aware of whether our self has returned to our original heart. In the final analysis, we are working on the nature of our heart. In the end, it turned into an act of inaction, an art without art. Such a calm and light touch, naturally can bring a quiet spiritual space to yourself and others.

1. Get rid of the distinction and attachment between right and wrong

In teaching the piano, some students will repeatedly ask the teacher: "Is it right to play this way? Is this fingering right?" When he frequently asks this question, it shows that he is just imitating a certain external action rigidly, relying on An external evaluation standard, so that one's own mind is attached to what is not judged, which invisibly constantly increases the psychological burden on oneself, and makes the state of playing the piano tense. In fact, on the basis of mastering the basic points of fingering, students need to further adjust themselves, calm down to feel whether the movements are comfortable, and subtly understand whether the qi of the limbs is smooth.

2. Get rid of the "opposition of the piano people" and achieve the communication of "the integration of the piano people"

When we first learned the qin, we often used the qin as an objectified "instrument thing", and "I" as the main body to operate, to study and play it hard. But this state can easily lead us into the subconscious of the separation of the qin and the human being, and gradually internalize it into a contrived, deliberate, and productive heart of playing the qin. On the contrary, if we step in with the mentality of "being friends with Qin" from the beginning, we will gradually realize the communication and integration of Qin people as one. As a stranger friend, we need to communicate with it step by step to understand its temperament and characteristics.

3. Get rid of the "separation of people and me" to achieve "self-awareness"

We often have different states where we are more comfortable playing the piano and others are nervous when listening to the piano. Because we set ourselves an external environment and object - with or without an audience; at the same time, we also presume an external purpose - for performance or for practice. Therefore, the state of playing the piano will change with the changes of all external factors. Now let's try to turn these thoughts around -- to get rid of the distinction between people and me, not to play the piano for others, nor to be obsessed with playing the piano for ourselves, but just play it naturally, just happen to play it. The ancients said that the qin is a self-cultivating, non-performing musical instrument with "the violin is forbidden". Fundamentally speaking, "forbidden" means to restrain one's heart, not whether there is an audience on the surface, but whether there is a "heart of performance" and "heart of purpose" in the mind of the violin player.

4. From "Always Awareness" to "Natural Harmony"

In our "Guanyin" process, we must also be careful not to fall into the obsession of watching. For example, focus on the feeling of the body, or focus on the point of the sound, or be involved in the awareness of the mind instead. All of these things lose the balance of the whole because they are biased towards specific details. In fact, when xinxing has undergone long-term cultivation, there is no need to deliberately raise awareness, but it will naturally become clear, and at the same time, the mind will remain silent.

Of course, borrowing the qin to train the mind is a long-lasting way of training the mind. We are also on this journey. On the other hand, the enlightenment of xinxing is actually a complete experience, and it does not need to be broken down step by step into a step-by-step practice.