The Merit of Meditative Concentration

Ru Zhao's contemplative practice journal: Today I sat in half-lotus on the left leg for half an hour, and half-lotus on the right leg for half an hour. After sitting down, I first recited the Śūraṅgama Mantra once. Then I settled my mind and calmed my breath, observing the breathing. Before long, my whole body continuously grew warm, there was sweat on my limbs and face, and saliva kept secreting in my mouth. I did not feel heat in the dantian, but each breath was drawn in very deeply, and my lower abdomen would naturally expand; as the observation deepened, the inhalation seemed to go even deeper. The bodily sensations and the amount of air inhaled through the nostrils seemed to differ between left-leg and right-leg half-lotus, and the bodily feelings were not entirely the same either. For me at present, with left-leg half-lotus the mind settles more easily and I can observe for longer. In daily life I am very dull and slow; most things do not enter my mind, and I cannot remember many trivial matters. Sometimes when I should be using my brain, it seems to suddenly freeze, and I don't know what is on my mind. When talking with people, I can know what they want to express and vent, but I cannot bring out words of agreement, or even don't want to open my mouth. When oneself or others experience painful feelings, I contemplate the origin of those painful feelings, wanting to thoroughly cease their accumulation and end suffering. 

Summary: The more concentrated the mental thoughts, the more concentrated the qi in the body, the more concentrated the energy, which will cause the qi mechanism to activate and the whole body to grow warm. A person whose meditative concentration (samādhi) is very deep is insensitive to cold and heat in the body — in winter there is no need to wear much, and in summer wearing more does not feel hot; one robe through winter and summer, no need to keep changing clothes.

Meditative concentration can eliminate some restless, flighty energy; one no longer applies the mind to unimportant matters, let alone fawns on the powerful. At first one's speech and movements appear clumsy, with weak capacity for action but deep and penetrating observational power; the mind is fine and sensitive, and one sees people and affairs more accurately and carefully than before, is not easily deceived — somewhat like "great wisdom appearing as foolishness." In reality, the mind is simply not applied to trivial matters, and true wisdom is slowly rising.