Answers to Questions on the Contemplative Practice (Vipaśyanā-Caryā) of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness 9

Question: When raising the object in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), the mind always has an object of reliance, relying on the breath. However, the flow of the breath is intermittent; moreover, the route of the breath's movement is not clear, and its speed is very fast. I also cannot see clearly the form of the breath's flow—it passes by in an instant. What should be done about this? 

Answer: When the mind relies on the breath, at the beginning an involuntary holding of the breath will occur, and when the breath is held, it feels as if the flow of breath has stopped and been interrupted. When meditative concentration (samādhi) is still insufficient, the mind is still somewhat coarse and cannot observe more numerous and subtler dharmas and phenomena, so one does not know where the breath has traveled to. It is also easy to lose mindfulness and fail to keep up with the speed of the breath's movement. At this time, one needs to continue deepening meditative concentration and the power of contemplative practice. Do not be anxious, and do not rush for results; an impatient mind will become agitated, which will obstruct the arising of meditative concentration. The skill of meditative concentration needs to be gradually fulfilled and grown—only through quantitative change can there be qualitative change. When meditative concentration reaches a certain level, the mind will become somewhat more refined, and the dharmas observed will also become deep and subtle.