Questions and Answers on the Contemplative Practice of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness, 34

Question: How should one counteract distraction during contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā)? 

Answer: If the mind has not yet settled down and the power of meditative concentration is insufficient, contemplation will not have much effect. At such a time, one should contemplate few dharmas or not contemplate at all. If one contemplates too many dharmas, the mind will become even more easily distracted, causing meditative concentration to stall. In contemplative practice of śamatha and vipaśyanā, one must grasp the proper measure; only as the power of concentration strengthens can contemplative practice grow ever deeper, and only then can the content of contemplation increase. If you find the mind becoming distracted, you should reduce the object of attention (ālambana), focus on a single content, or practice only śamatha without vipaśyanā. If the mind is not distracted and becomes increasingly concentrated, you can engage in deeper contemplative practice, ever more refined contemplative practice. Fix the mind on one point without moving, until the power of concentration is very deep; based on this experience, then add another point, gradually increasing and expanding the objects of attention. In this way, meditative concentration and wisdom deepen and grow together. 

Question: When I usually sit in meditation, I fix my mind on one point; when adding another object of attention, is the mind attending to two points simultaneously? 

Answer: Adding an object of attention means that at the beginning, when the power of concentration is not yet strong, it is enough to simply observe the phenomenon of the breath flowing at the nostrils. After the power of concentration has strengthened, then follow the movement of the breath and keep observing, observing how the breath enters the windpipe, the chest cavity, the dantian, and other locations. When the power of concentration has strengthened, you can lengthen this channel of contemplative practice a bit, letting the attention follow the breath. If the power of concentration strengthens further, then wherever the breath goes, you observe to there, while also observing and knowing the condition of every part of the body; when the breath disperses, contemplate in the same way. This is progressive contemplative practice, depending on the state of your concentration. If the power of concentration is insufficient, just observe the breath within the nasal cavity; you should increase or decrease the objects of contemplative practice according to the strength or weakness of your own concentration.