The Efficacy of the True Fire of Samādhi

Question: For the past three months, I have had a ball of fire in my lower abdomen, which I can feel whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. Some of my chronic illnesses have already recovered, such as chronic pharyngitis, chronic diarrhea, and cervical spondylosis. Another point: after this fire arose, sexual desire disappeared—I have had no urges for nearly two months, and even when I think about erotic things, nothing arises. I am now curious about how this fire came about? Before this ball of fire appeared, I had never learned to meditate; I only occasionally contemplated the white skeleton and the contemplation of impurity, and I did not even follow the standard methods in the books exactly. What I want to ask is: can the samādhi true fire be generated merely through the contemplation of impurity and the white skeleton contemplation? Can the samādhi true fire really cure chronic illnesses and restrain sexual desire and appetite (in the past three months I have also lost nearly 30 jin in weight, and I find hunger fairly easy to endure)? Is my current condition a genuine arising of the samādhi true fire, or merely a false fire?

Answer: "Samādhi true fire" and "qi" are terms and concepts used by Daoists, but they also apply to us Buddhists, because we have the same kind of body and use roughly the same method, namely meditative concentration (samādhi), and the same effects will appear in the body. As long as the mind settles down and the qi channels in the body are unobstructed, they will automatically circulate and regulate the whole body, thus producing a healing effect. At the same time, when the qi channels circulate to the dantian area of the lower abdomen, they will trigger what the Daoists call the samādhi true fire, and fire can burn fat, so the body becomes thinner.

When qi gathers in the lower abdomen, it can suppress the arising of discursive thoughts, the mind becomes purified, and essence, qi, and spirit become abundant. When essence is abundant, one does not think of lust; when qi is abundant, one does not think of food; when spirit is abundant, one does not think of sleep. Speech and thoughts both diminish; one does not like to talk, does not like to think about miscellaneous matters, and the mind is naturally pure. From this we can know that heavy sexual desire is partly due to insufficient essence in the body, a strong appetite is due to insufficient qi, and heavy sleepiness is due to insufficient spirit. The accumulation of these three relies on the cultivation of meditative concentration: when the mind is concentrated, the qi channels are activated, and energy becomes abundant, many changes will occur in the body. For Buddhist practitioners, whether practicing the Mahāyāna or the Hīnayāna, if the mind becomes purified and meditative concentration is triggered, one will inevitably pass through this stage. For a true practitioner, body and mind must transform before one can see the Path. If one has not experienced these phenomena, it indicates that meditative concentration has not appeared, and one cannot see the Path.

Through cultivating the contemplation of impurity and the white skeleton contemplation, meditative concentration can be triggered—this is using wisdom to draw in concentration, the equal cultivation of Samādhi and Prajñā. Sitting in meditation can give rise to meditative concentration, and single-minded contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) can likewise give rise to meditative concentration, with results varying from person to person. That you did not deliberately follow the contemplation of impurity and the white skeleton contemplation as taught in books, yet were able to cultivate results through your own pondering, indicates that you practiced them in a past life and had a certain foundation, so practicing them again in this life yields obvious results. The result of cultivating the contemplation of impurity and the white skeleton contemplation, in terms of the body, is the cessation of lust. This method of practice is the most direct and fastest for the eradication of the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa). If you persist, there will be even greater benefits.