Contemplative Practice Only Bears Fruit Through Unremitting Perseverance

Lantian's Breath-Observation Diary: In the evening I sat on the cushion and did ten minutes of active deep breathing. Before finishing the deep breathing, I gradually developed a sensation of qi. Afterwards, I observed the breathing at the nose. On the fourth inhalation, I felt the qi mechanism in the dantian stir, and the abdominal muscles began to twitch irregularly. As I slowly inhaled and exhaled, the twitching of the abdominal muscles increased. After one inhalation, I paused and waited in stillness; the abdominal muscles began to contract rhythmically, causing the abdomen to continue expanding, while simultaneously driving the chest and flanks to stretch outward. The airflow kept being drawn in through the nasal cavity until the abdominal muscles felt swollen, and the exhalation came out naturally. In this way I entered deep breathing, while my thoughts continued to focus on the breath at the nose. After about ten minutes, near the end of one inhalation, the muscles of the lower abdomen began to contract, and I felt the airflow surge downward again, as if reaching the very bottom. The chest and abdomen were like an air chamber, with the airflow entering and exiting. This continued until the end of the meditation session. 

During today's deep breathing, the abdomen was much hotter than before. When inhaling, it filled with air; when exhaling, I felt the abdominal muscles draw together, and the abdomen felt very comfortable. During this time there were very few wandering thoughts—unless I deliberately thought about something, no other stray thoughts would flash through my mind. After the meditation ended, I continued sitting on the bed, breathing slowly. At that moment, a fellow practitioner in the group chat initiated a conversation, discussing the feelings of meditation. After talking for a while, I could no longer speak, because while speaking, due to the momentum, the dantian was still inhaling and exhaling intensely, making it impossible to continue speaking, so I rested. 

Assessment: If you persist in observing the breath every day, meditative concentration (samādhi) will get better and better, the mind will become increasingly refined and focused, and observation will become increasingly detailed; and the more detailed the observation, the more focused the mind becomes, and the better the meditative concentration—this is a virtuous cycle. However, once the practice becomes fully proficient, the observed phenomena will no longer show any new changes, and it will feel as if one's cultivation is making no progress, as if it has stagnated. At this point, a divergence will occur: some people will feel bored and that it is meaningless, and gradually a mentality of weariness and regression will arise. In fact, as long as one persists, the practice is constantly improving; in the early stages it is quite obvious, while in the later stages it is merely not obvious. It is like being in shallow water, where everything one does is clearly revealed; but when one walks into deep water, everything one does is no longer apparent. 

Once you understand this principle, you must overcome this feeling of boredom and not give up halfway. The better the practice becomes, the less obvious it is. Do not be concerned with the apparent stagnation—it is merely a moment that tests a person's patience. Only those who have patience and unyielding perseverance can reach the summit.