The practitioner must sit on a cushion or mat of at least 80 square centimeters. It is better to sit on a plank set or mattress. But one should not sit on the ground without a cushion or a mat. In the olden days, the patriarchs built private hermitages for meditative sitting. It is better if the practitioner can build a hermitage. But one can still perform meditative sitting in one’s private room. The practitioner should remember that if his or her home has a Buddha’s altar, he or she should burn incense on it. If the altar is not built yet, he or she can practice meditative sitting in his or her private room but should bow three times before praying to the Buddhas.
