Answers to Questions on the Contemplative Practice of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness 12

Question: During sitting meditation, I feel a bloated sensation of gas in my abdomen, but it can't be expelled or dissolved. What should I do? 

Answer: Sitting meditation can regulate the body; the garbage, waste, and toxins in the body will be expelled through gas. If you feel the need to pass gas but cannot, it is because there are still blockages in the body—perhaps some dampness causing obstruction. Eat some calorie-dense food or drink hot water or ginger water to warm the body and dispel the cold, and the gas will be expelled. 

Question: When I sit for about forty minutes, both eyes tear up, with the tears flowing all the way to the corners of my mouth. Previously only one eye would tear up. What should I do about this? 

Answer: The eyes are closely connected to the liver. Tearing eyes are, on the one hand, a phenomenon of expelling liver disease, and on the other hand, when the qi channels pass through the supreme faculty (rūpa-prasāda) at the back of the brain, they expel diseases of the eyes. If there is eye discharge, it means liver fire is being expelled. You may apply remedies according to the specific situation, or you may simply leave it alone and intensify your sitting practice, letting the qi channels run naturally to expel all disease obstructions. 

Question: While sitting, I feel a sensation at the joints where bones connect, like ice melting, or as if melted ice water is slowly flowing from one place, hard to say whether it is a cool refreshing feeling or something else, but it is quite comfortable. What is going on? 

Answer: This is the natural response of the qi and blood regulating the body as they pass through the joints. Originally, the joints may have had cold-dampness stagnation or waste blockages. When the qi and blood circulate to those places, they carry away some cold-dampness and waste, and the joints become unblocked, which is why you feel more comfortable; at the same time, it is mixed with the discomfort brought by the diseased qi. Your body is relatively healthy, and your disease obstructions are not serious. If they were severe, you would feel pain and might even be unable to sit cross-legged.