How to Deal with Issues of the Body's Qi Meridians

When the qi channels cause headaches, toothaches, or eye pain in the head, how should this be resolved?

Yaoling's answer: If the qi really cannot sink down, you may place your attention on the pit of the heart, or on the lumbar spine at the center of the Gate of Life (Mingmen) in the back, contemplating the white bones at the lumbar spine, or place your attention on the big toe of the left foot. In fact, if you truly practice the white bone contemplation, the mind will naturally relax, and the qi will certainly be able to sink down. Beyond that, it is best to hold only the right mindfulness of "All marks are false and illusory," and hold nothing else; then all conditions will naturally be let go, not a single thought arises, and the qi channels will open very quickly. When you completely let go of this body, it will quickly recover on its own.

If you harbor the desire "I want my body to feel more comfortable," it shows that you are clinging to the sensations of the body, discriminating and grasping (upādāna). What you need to do is contemplate "All marks are false and illusory"—these bodily sensations are empty and unobtainable—and then let go of the bodily sensations, no longer clinging to or discriminating them; do not let the mind stick to the sensations of the body. This is what is called letting go of bodily sensations. Likewise, for all other states, such as external sounds, let go of them in the same way; do not let the mind stick to them. At this time, your own mind is still perfectly clear, knowing that you are not sticking to these appearance-marks and giving rise to discrimination. In this way, the qi will quickly sink down, and the body will quickly reach the harmony of water and fire.

Of course, it is best not to skip the contemplation of impurity and the white bone contemplation; otherwise, if you cling to the person beside you as truly existing, then it is impossible for you to let go of your clinging to them. When the mind returns to the source and the qi returns to the source, any state that you take as real will become a demonic obstruction, preventing you from returning to the source. Therefore, you must contemplate "all dharmas are without self" to break through inverted attachments.