Cultivation of Concentration and Chan Meditation for Realization of the Way (Part 1)

Section 4: The Relationship Between Breathing and Meditative Concentration

1. How to Adjust the Breath Before Cultivating Meditative Concentration?

Breathing is closely related to our physical health; it is also closely related to meditative concentration (dhyāna-samādhi), and closely related to lifespan as well. A person whose physical condition is not very good will certainly have hurried or short breathing; his breathing passage is very short and not smooth, and his breath can only reach the opening of the throat before being exhaled, otherwise he cannot catch his breath. For some people, the breath can only reach the pit of the chest before it must be exhaled; their breathing is also very short, and their physical condition is poor.

A person whose skill in cultivating meditative concentration is good can have the breath reach the dantian in the lower abdomen; the breathing passage is very long, and it takes a long time for him to draw a single breath, with no obstruction in between; his body must be healthy. Once the breath can reach the dantian, the mind can settle down and become calm, deluded thoughts decrease—even entertaining a single deluded thought feels exhausting—one is unwilling to talk much, and thus the energy consumed is also less. At this time the afflictions can be suppressed, the mind is relatively pure (viśuddha), thinking about problems is more focused, contemplation is deep, subtle, and thorough, and wisdom easily manifests.

When a person skilled in meditative concentration reaches the fourth dhyāna, breathing will cease, the energy consumed is extremely little, his body is even healthier, and his lifespan is longer. At this time, if one cultivates supernatural powers, they are obtained as soon as one cultivates them, without expending any effort. For the sake of physical health, purity of mind, and subduing afflictions, in daily life we can also train our own breathing, letting the breath reach the dantian. One can use the method of recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) to train oneself; once the breath is well adjusted, meditative concentration arises, and one feels refreshed in spirit and full of energy.

When adjusting the breathing during recollection of the Buddha, at the beginning one should first use the mouth to exhale the turbid air from the lungs and viscera; after all the turbid air has been completely exhaled, close the mouth and inhale through the nose, letting the airflow slowly reach all the way down to the abdominal dantian, and it can even go further down and be directly expelled. The longer this passage is, the more diseased qi is expelled, and the better the condition of the body becomes. After inhaling to the dantian, pause for a short while, or change to a fresh breath, and then exhale through the mouth. When exhaling, recite "A-mi" or "tuo-fo" (the two halves of "Amituofo"); vocal recitation or mental recitation are both fine. When the breath reaches the dantian, one can no longer recite aloud, and even the Buddha's name within the mind will cease; at this point one can switch to holding the Buddha in mind. Recollect the Buddha while exhaling; when the breath is fully exhaled, pause for a moment, then close the mouth and inhale through the nose. Training like this for ten minutes or a few minutes, the mind can become still. At this time one can entirely use the method of holding the Buddha in mind to recollect the Buddha, or contemplate a principle of the Buddha-dharma. The power of meditative concentration at this time can allow you to cultivate toward more profound levels, and attaining the state of single-mindedness will not be difficult either.

2. How to Adjust the Breath Well Before Formal Practice

Before cultivating meditative concentration or engaging in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and contemplation, one should adjust the breath well, and the mind can quickly become still. First use the mouth to exhale the turbid air in the chest cavity, taking a longer time—exhaling it completely is best—then close the mouth and inhale through the nose, letting the airflow enter all the way into the abdominal dantian. Breathing like this a few times, the mind can become quiet. Afterwards, one may sit in meditation or prostrate to the Buddha, or contemplate the Buddha-dharma, engage in contemplative practice on the principle of the Four Noble Truths and cultivate the contemplation of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, or recite sutras, recollect the Buddha, or recite mantras. When one has cultivated to a certain degree of meditative concentration, the mind is tranquil, and the qi channels within the body begin to circulate. When the qi channels circulate from below upward to the chest cavity, the sensation inside the chest is extremely comfortable, as if a misty haze were expanding the chest; the breath is extremely subtle and fine, and even both shoulders feel light and floating.

Especially within the first dhyāna, the five viscera and six bowels seem as if they do not exist; the breath is soft and slow, as if about to cease; the body is extremely light and nimble, and within the mind, apart from comfort, pleasantness, and joy, there is not the slightest unpleasant feeling. When sitting in meditation, once the breath has been well regulated, the qi channels can immediately begin to circulate; as soon as the qi reaches the dantian, delusive thoughts diminish or disappear, and one no longer wishes to speak. When prostrating to the Buddha in daily practice, each time one raises the head, one should exhale the breath out of the body; then the airflow will surge against the chest cavity, the sensation is very good, the body is relaxed, and the power of meditative concentration arises quickly.

3. How to Sink the Qi to the Dantian and Open the Ren Meridian (Conception Vessel)

Using the method of deep breathing to adjust the breath aids sitting meditation and the cultivation of meditative concentration, and makes it easy to calm the mind. The method is to first exhale the turbid air in the chest cavity; once it has been exhaled clean and one can exhale no more, with the belly drawn in and flat, remain still without moving; then inhale through the nose; when one has inhaled to the full and can inhale no more, with the belly bulging, stop and remain still. With each exhalation and inhalation, the turbid air is eliminated and the clear air rises; the qi channels will circulate up to the shoulders or the head, the mind becomes clear and lucid, the body will feel light and at ease (praśrabdhi), and the mind will become still.

After deep breathing, if for some people the mind is still not calm, use the method of breathing with recollection of the Buddha to regulate the body and mind. The method of breathing with recollection of the Buddha mainly remedies the problem of an uncalm mind caused by blockage of the Ren meridian. After the turbid air has been exhaled, inhale to the full; when exhaling, recite the two syllables "A-mi," using a deep resonant tone from the back of the throat, letting the sound current vibrate the five viscera and six bowels and open up their qi channels. On the next exhalation, recite the two syllables "tuo-fo." Recollect the Buddha while exhaling and do not recite while inhaling; after practicing for a period of time, the breathing passage becomes longer, and the longer it is, the healthier the body and the calmer the mind.

Eventually the breath will rise to the shoulders and the head; the spirit is clear and refreshed, and the mind is tranquil (praśama). The sound current enters from the mouth into the throat and then the lungs, then to the chest cavity and down to the dantian, and from the dantian back out through the mouth. Practicing repeatedly in this way, the chest cavity vibrates, and the Ren meridian is opened through. Generally speaking, when the qi reaches the dantian, one becomes quite calm, with very few deluded thoughts, and can attain calm abiding (śamatha); when meditative concentration deepens, deluded thoughts can disappear. Once the power of meditative concentration has been developed, one can visualize the course of the qi channels and can guide the qi channels downward from the dantian to exit through the soles of the feet; this depends on one's individual power of visualization and the endurance of one's breath.