Questions and Answers on the Contemplative Practice of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness 32

Question: Why does the phenomenon of qi-mechanism activation arise during sitting meditation?  

Answer: In sitting meditation, the dharmas one takes as object are few, so the mind easily becomes empty and meditative concentration (samādhi) arises quickly; whereas in daily activity, the dharmas one takes as object are many, so meditative concentration does not easily arise or be maintained, and the qi mechanism is also not easily activated. Only when meditative concentration in sitting meditation has become very firm and the qi-mechanism activation has become sustained will concentration appear during activity due to the force of habit, and the qi mechanism may also appear. If meditative concentration in sitting meditation is not firm, it will not easily appear during activity; the phenomenon of qi-mechanism activation is even less likely to occur, the body's qi channels are very hard to open through, and the mind is also not easily emptied.

The emptier the mind, the less obstruction there is to the body, the more easily the qi mechanism is activated, and the faster and longer the activation, the deeper the meditative absorption. A person obstructed by innate afflictive obstruction (kleśāvaraṇa) cannot easily activate the qi mechanism, and even if it arises it will quickly fall away. In the future, when the first dhyāna concentration arises, there will be a similar phenomenon of qi-mechanism activation: the emptier the mind and the lighter the innate afflictive obstruction, the faster and deeper the qi-mechanism activation, the more it can pervade the whole body, the longer it can be sustained, and the deeper and more enduring the meditative concentration. What is called innate afflictive obstruction is that the mind has the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion along with clinging thoughts—clinging to the body and clinging to self, with many dharmas held in mind, ceaseless mental wandering, taking all worldly dharmas as real and refusing to let them go. 

Question: I follow the breath in and out, with my mind consciousness on the breath—how do I practice contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the head? 

Answer: When contemplating the breath, the object of contemplation is always the breath; there is no need to contemplate the head. The object of meditation must be single-pointed and sustained for both concentration and wisdom to arise; otherwise there will be distraction, no contemplative wisdom will arise, and it will be no different from not contemplating at all. Contemplative practice is observing facts: observe whatever is there, know whatever is there as it truly is; what is not there need not be imagined. One must respect the facts—only on dharmas known through direct perception/valid direct cognition can direct-perception wisdom arise, and whatever is imagined is not it. Contemplative practice at first is merely training the attention to be focused; it is not difficult.