Answers to Questions on the Contemplative Practice (Vipaśyanā-Caryā) of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness 18

Answer: You have entered meditation (samādhi), and the mind consciousness has become faint, so it can no longer observe the breath. If you still wish to continue the contemplative practice, you must pull the mind out of meditative concentration and bring it back to the breath. The mind should still be anchored on the breath, observing the condition of the breath. No matter how faint the breath is, you must persist in observing it, progressing from observing the coarse breath to observing fetal breathing. Do not enter into meditative concentration. Only the equal cultivation of Samādhi and Prajñā can eliminate self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi) and realize the fruits of the path; leaning solely toward concentration is only beneficial for cultivating the body.

Answer: This is the mind consciousness chasing after each thought and being turned by each thought. Thoughts are inherently illusory and cannot be retained even if you try. Monitoring wandering thoughts is useless effort. Ignore the wandering thoughts and let them arise and cease on their own. Apply the mind where it counts and do what is useful. If the mind consciousness does not monitor other wandering thoughts but focuses solely on the breath, why not try it and see whether your meditative concentration (dhyāna) progresses more quickly?