The Relationship between Meditative Concentration (Samādhi), the Path of Seeing, and Qi Meridians (2025-04-22)

Ru Chun: This morning while meditating, I first contemplated the breath, then switched to recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti). While exhaling, I silently recited Amitābha, letting the syllable "Mi" linger in the chest a little longer, contemplating the vibration of the sound resonating in the chest, and then letting the breath rise upward and out. After a while, a large mass of qi suddenly surged up from the chest, with a boom in my head, and my whole body felt as if a current of electricity had passed through it—tingling and trembling—and it seemed as if a space had been popped open in my mind. I wondered what this was about, but didn't think much of it and continued meditating. Light kept appearing before my eyes; there were no more storylines in my mind, only some images and light. An image of a dragon appeared—a small blue dragon just emerging from its shell, bright in color, curled up.

Assessment: This is a phenomenon of qi meridians surging. The qi meridians rising from the root chakra passed through the chest; the chest was opened, and the qi meridians rushed straight to the head, producing this phenomenon. It is uncertain whether part or all of the heart chakra opened, but this stream of qi indeed rushed to the head, causing the boom in the brain. When the qi reaches the head, the mind naturally becomes tranquil and thoughts diminish. With the obstruction of the supreme faculty (rūpa-prasāda) at the back of the head reduced, light appeared before the eyes, and the mind was also filled with light. The image of the small dragon that appeared foretells that you are not far from seeing the Path and becoming a small dragon—a true small dragon is about to emerge.

Judging from these phenomena, cultivating the Path is inseparable from the movement of the qi meridians of the physical body, and inseparable from a healthy body. Only by cultivating the body can one cultivate the mind; when body and mind have transformed to a considerable degree, one can see the Path. Therefore, one should cultivate the Path early and while young, and not wait until retirement to practice earnestly. By then, bodily functions grow weaker and weaker, making it rather difficult to practice meditative concentration (samādhi), and seeing the Path will not be easy.