Phenomena Arising in the Body during Qi Channel Regulation

Ru Chun: Last night when I sat down to meditate, I kept feeling as if something inside was about to burst forth from within. The soles of my feet felt hot, and my muscles all over my body would twitch here and there from time to time. I was sweating all over, especially from the head; I could feel the pleasant sensation of beads of sweat emerging one by one from my scalp. Later on, my throat felt very dry, as if all the moisture in my body had been burned away. Recently I have been sweating constantly—sweating while reciting sutras, while meditating, and while eating. My weight has dropped by nearly 10 jin (about 5 kg), and my hands and legs feel much lighter.

Not long after falling asleep last night, a stream of breath surged up from my chest, and I involuntarily opened my mouth, letting that breath out long and heavy. After exhaling, I felt thoroughly relaxed and comfortable throughout my body. That breath was completely different from ordinary deep breathing or exhaling—ordinary breathing is like a gentle breeze, whereas that breath in my dream was like a tornado, mighty and imposing. Recently this kind of exhaling in dreams has happened several times; each time I exhaled, I felt my chest become a bit more empty and unobstructed. I wonder whether this exhaling has any connection with the dream of vomiting blood?

Assessment: Because of frequent meditation, the flow of the qi channels was stirred up, driving the cold and damp qi out of the body, which produced the phenomenon of sweating. The more dampness there was, the more was expelled, so the weight naturally dropped. During sleep, because the mind was calm, the qi channels continued to move, adjusting the chest cavity and expelling some of the turbid qi. From this we can see that spiritual practice is truly wonderful: not only can it regulate the body during the day, but even while asleep at night it continues to regulate the body, eliminating karmic obstructions, so there is no need to run to the hospital for treatment.