Questions and Answers on the Contemplative Practice of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, No. 32

Question: Why does the phenomenon of qi-mechanism arising occur during sitting meditation?  

Answer: During sitting meditation, the dharmas that serve as the object of attention are few, so the mind easily becomes empty and meditative concentration (samādhi) arises quickly; whereas during activity, the dharmas that serve as objects of attention are many, so meditative concentration does not easily arise or be maintained, and the qi-mechanism also does not easily be activated. Only when meditative concentration during sitting meditation has become very firm and the activation of the qi-mechanism has lasted a long time will, due to the effect of habituation, meditative concentration appear during activity, and the qi-mechanism may also appear. If meditative concentration during sitting meditation is not firm, then during activity meditative concentration will not easily appear, let alone the phenomenon of the qi-mechanism being activated; the body's qi channels will be very difficult to open through, and the mind will not easily become empty.

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 it is activated, the deeper the meditative absorption. A person obstructed by afflictive obstruction (kleśāvaraṇa) will not 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 also be a similar phenomenon of the qi-mechanism being activated; the emptier the mind and the lighter the afflictive obstruction, the faster and more deeply the qi-mechanism is activated, the more it can pervade the whole body, the longer it can persist, and the deeper and more enduring the meditative concentration will be. What is called afflictive obstruction (kleśāvaraṇa) means that the mind has the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion and clinging thoughts, clings to the body and clings to self, the mind attends to many dharmas, engages in ceaseless grasping, and takes all worldly dharmas as real, unwilling to let them go. 

Question: I follow the breath in and out, with the mind consciousness on the breath—how do I manage to contemplate 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 attention must be single-pointed and sustained, so that both meditative concentration and wisdom can arise; otherwise there will be distraction, contemplative wisdom will not arise, and it will be no different from not contemplating at all. Contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) is observing facts—observe whatever there is, know things as they really are; what does not exist need not be imagined. One must respect the facts; only on dharmas of direct perception can wisdom of direct perception arise, and whatever is imagined is not it. Contemplative practice is first just training the concentration of attention—it is not difficult.