Factors Affecting Meditation

Question: I feel that my meditation hasn't been very effective lately, and the depth of tranquility isn't as profound as before. Is it because after the winter solstice, the body's yang energy reaches its lowest point of the year, so if one's qi and blood aren't sufficiently abundant, it affects the quality of meditation? Also, changing living environments—does a shift in the surrounding energy field affect meditation outcomes?

Answer: In winter, yang energy turns inward, drawing into the body, which reduces the energy released externally. Because energy isn't being expended outward but stored within, the body becomes more stable and settled, making it more conducive to meditation and cultivating stillness. However, if the external temperature is too low and the body feels cold, causing qi and blood to not flow smoothly, various blockages can occur within the body. This makes it difficult for the qi mechanism to activate, thereby affecting meditative absorption. Changing to a different living environment alters the surrounding magnetic field, which can unsettle the mind and create apprehensions. This inevitably impacts the body and can lead to a decline in the quality of meditative absorption.

If one seeks to unblock qi and blood through certain methods, some approaches may seem to facilitate the flow of qi and blood on the surface. However, this is achieved by converting primordial qi. Converting too much depletes the primordial qi, shaking the body's foundation, which not only affects health but also shortens lifespan. For example, radishes are known to facilitate the movement of qi; consuming them can make qi circulate. However, this qi isn't supplemented from the outside—it's mobilized by converting the body's internal primordial qi, thereby reducing primordial qi. Similarly, ginger and certain diaphoretic herbs can promote qi circulation and invigorate blood, but they don't supplement qi from external sources. Instead, they draw from the body's stored reserves, depleting the treasury of primordial qi. While such methods can be used for emergencies, long-term use damages the foundation, affecting health and longevity. Fasting operates on the same principle: it mobilizes nutrients from within to be used by the body's surface functions. Essentially, it's robbing Peter to pay Paul—feasible in the short term but unsustainable long-term.

This is like having no money in your pocket and then taking money out of your treasury to spend. Using it excessively may make the surface appear comfortable and glamorous, but the treasury becomes empty. When money is needed again in the future, there will be nowhere to borrow from. All the daily activities of sentient beings—eating, drinking, excretion—are drawn from their own treasury, the Tathāgatagarbha. Using it too much depletes the treasury's reserves, leaving the person devoid of blessings. Consequently, they will encounter continuous misfortunes and disasters, with suffering following them like a shadow, arriving one after another.