The Conditions Arising from Cultivating Profound Meditative Concentration

Question: Recently, for over half a month now, whenever I go out I cannot bear hearing any noise. Whether at home or out, if I'm not careful I get badly startled by sounds. The first two days were especially severe — I felt as if my body were floating, unable to keep my balance, as if my body were out of my control, and the top of my head felt as if there were a hole with wind drilling into it. Usually I dare not go out, fearing I'll be frightened. My daughter says I no longer pay attention to them, and that I look as if my soul has departed, listless. She even took me to the hospital for a checkup, but nothing was found to be wrong. Sitting in meditation and contemplating the Dharma principles in my room at home makes me feel much better, but sometimes my heart feels panicky. This has never happened before. Is something wrong with me?

Answer: You may not understand the matter of the circulation of qi through the body's channels, nor know whether the qi has passed through the Conception Vessel (renmai) at the front of the body and the Governing Vessel (dumai) along the back, and finally, after circulating a full round front and back, entered the Central Channel of the body, with the qi about to burst out from the crown of the head. When the Baihui acupoint at the crown is about to open, the top of the head becomes very soft and sensitive to cold, and one will feel wind pouring into the crown of the head. The feeling of lightness and floating in the body is because meditative concentration (samādhi) transforms the coarse and heavy human four great elements of the body, making them more subtle, approaching the physical body of devas of the desire realm. After the dhyāna of the first jhāna is attained, the body's four great elements become even more subtle, the body even lighter and more floating, approaching the physical body of devas of the form realm. When one cultivates to the dhyāna of the fourth jhāna, because the body's four great elements become extremely subtle and one feels especially light and floating, one can fly up to heaven and descend into the earth, attaining the supernormal power of psychic locomotion; at the same time, the mind also becomes extremely subtle, and the supernormal power of knowing others' minds will appear.

Your present state is one of extreme inner stillness, paying no attention whatsoever to the external world; you can no longer attend to realms outside the mind and outside the body, dwelling only in your inner mental world. Therefore, any movement or sound in the external world startles you. At this time, try not to go out and avoid people so as not to be frightened. After the crown of the head opens, there are still some matters for which you need to avoid people; at such times you must be careful to protect yourself from being startled, and whenever there is something to be done, let others handle it as much as possible.

Your meditative concentration (samādhi) is already very deep, and it will deepen further in the future. As long as you know that these are states of meditative concentration, and the mind does not attach to marks, then just abide in samādhi in accordance with conditions; take nothing to heart, and there will be no problem. It is precisely because you are unclear about these matters and feel uncertain inside that you feel panicky.