Q&A on the Contemplative Practice of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness 17

Question: After practicing diligently, my mind has started to show a reversal phenomenon. What is going on? 

Answer: When one practices very diligently, karmic forces will manifest. The mind is focused on practice rather than on worldly dharmas, running contrary to one's former habitual tendencies. The manas comes under great suppression and cannot keep up with the pace of practice, so one feels distressed inside and does not want to practice—this is the reversal phenomenon. It means the manas is rebelling; He does not want to be too diligent, does not want the difference from before to be too great, too contrary to His own will. The mind consciousness cannot suppress the manas, so laziness and slackness appear in one's behavior, or one becomes agitated and restless. When this happens, one should observe one's own mental state and search out the real underlying cause, then apply the right remedy. One can reason with oneself inwardly again, contemplating the suffering of the world and the importance of practice; or one can temporarily go along with the manas and relax a bit, not keeping one's nerves too taut. Practice is like playing the qin (zither): the strings must not always be kept taut—if they are too tight, they will snap. When body and mind cannot keep up with the pace of practice, one should relax a little. Rather than letting the strings snap and taking a long time to recover, it is better to loosen them temporarily. Playing the qin requires just the right balance of tension and relaxation for the music to be beautiful. The Buddha discussed this issue in the sūtras, so we should constantly monitor the condition of our body and mind, and see whether we can bear it. When we cannot bear it any longer, we should slow down. Diligence is a good phenomenon, but one must grasp the proper degree.