In the Collected Works of the Cheng Brothers,[10] there are numerous accounts of the Chengs and their father’s practice of quiet-sitting meditation. Some of these accounts were given by students, while others were self-reported or shared among family members. 

Cheng Yi wrote about his father Cheng Xiang, “After retiring, my father often engaged in silent-sitting (默坐). When asked if he felt bored from quiet-sitting (靜坐) for extended periods, he smiled and replied, ‘I am not bored.’” Cheng Xiang also advised his sons that “the joy of mountain sightseeing pales in comparison to what I felt in quiet-sitting.”[11]

Cheng Hao regularly engaged in quiet-sitting meditation and encouraged his students to do the same as evidenced by the following instances:

Cheng Hao appears like a molded statue when seated yet exudes an amiable warmth in his interactions with others.[12]

When serving in an administrative role, Cheng Hao had the phrase “Treat the people carefully as if they were injured” (視民如傷) displayed in all the places where he sat（凡坐處). He often said, “I, Hao, am constantly ashamed of these words.”[13]

One day, Cheng Hao told a student seeking to learn from him, “You’ve come here to learn my words and phrases, but your heart and speech do not align. Why don’t you try doing something about it?” When the student asked what to do, Cheng Hao replied, “Just sit in quiet” (且靜坐).[14]

In comparison, the evidence of Cheng Yi’s practice of quiet-sitting meditation is even more plentiful: 

When You Zuo and Yang Shi first met Cheng Yi, Cheng Yi sat with his eyes closed (瞑目而坐), and the two young men stood by his side. When Cheng Yi became aware of their presence, he turned to them and asked, “Are you gentlemen still here? It’s getting late, let’s rest for now.” As they left, they discovered that the snow outside the door had accumulated to a depth of one foot.[15]

Whenever Cheng Yi saw someone sitting in quiet (靜坐), he would sigh and praise their dedication to learning.[16]

In addition, Cheng Yi would also engage in quiet-sitting with his students, providing instructions based on the meditative practice:

On a day of leisure, Cheng Yi sat in quiet, with He Jing, Meng Dunfu, and Zhang Sishu in attendance. Pointing to a basin of water in front of him, Cheng Yi remarked, “To what is pure and tranquil (清淨), nothing can infiltrate. Once something infiltrates, it will be disturbed.”[17]

Someone asked, “During leisure time, if one’s body appears lazy and slack but their heartmind (心)[18] is not insolent, is this acceptable?” Cheng Yi answered, “How can one sit on the floor with legs stretched out (箕踞) and not be insolent in heartmind? Once, Lv Dalin (呂大臨, 1044–1091 CE) visited Ms. Gou in the middle of June. During his leisure time, whenever I looked in, he sat upright (危坐) with great solemnity, demonstrating his dedication to learning. However, scholars must remain deferential and reverent (恭敬), without feeling constrained as such constraints make it difficult to sustain one’s learning.”[19]

[While commenting Mengzi’s (372–289 BCE) words “what is primordial is based upon what happens beneficially” (故者以利為本) (4B26.2),[20]] Cheng Yi says, “If a person does not have any benefits, they cannot survive. How can one not seek benefits? For instance, sitting on a chair (椅子) can provide calmness (坐此便安), which is a benefit. However, if someone continues to pursue comfort by demanding more blankets for warmth and even goes so far as to take them away from their ruler or father, this is the harm that comes from chasing benefits. People always need benefits, but they pursue them in different ways.”[21]

After a lifetime devoted to quiet-sitting meditation and self-cultivation, Cheng Yi attained a high spiritual state in his old age as demonstrated by the following event that occurred when he was 64 years old:[22]

Cheng Yi was demoted to Fu Zhou, and while crossing the Han River, the boat nearly capsized in the middle of the stream. The people on board cried out in terror, but Cheng Yi sat calmly with his collar properly arranged as usual (正襟安坐如常). Upon reaching the shore, an old man on the boat asked him why he was able to sit right (正坐) and remain composed during the perilous situation. Cheng Yi replied, “I simply maintained a sincere and reverent heart” (心存誠敬).[23]

Nevertheless, despite the ample evidence of Cheng Yi’s favorable attitude toward quiet-sitting, not all his views about the practice were positive as demonstrated in the following example:

Sitting quietly alone (靜坐獨處) is not difficult, but living in the broad dwelling of the whole world and dealing with all things under heaven is a challenge.[24]

Feng Li, who called himself Donggao Jushi (居士, a title for a lay Buddhist), said, “I’ve been attending to your teachings for twenty years, and now I’ve experienced a peculiar event.” Cheng Yi asked, “What happened?” Li said, “While sitting at ease (宴坐) at night, there was a light in the room.” Cheng Yi said, “I too have had a peculiar experience.” Li asked to hear about it, and Cheng Yi said, “I always eat until I am not hungry.”[25]

The term “sitting at ease” (宴坐) is used in Chinese Buddhist texts[26] to refer specifically to the Buddhist style of cross-legged sitting meditation. These two quotations suggest that Cheng Yi had reservations to this style for two reasons: first, it encourages Buddhist practitioners to talk about miraculous but impractical deeds and events, and second, it detaches meditators from their everyday human affairs. Cheng Yi aimed to distinguish his contemplative practices from Buddhism and Daoism, and we will further analyze how he succeeded in doing so below.