Breath and Meditative Concentration

Breathing is closely related to our physical health, closely related to meditative concentration (samādhi), and also closely related to lifespan. A person whose physical condition is not good will certainly have rapid or shallow breathing; his breathing passage is short and not unobstructed, and his breath can only reach the throat before being exhaled—otherwise he cannot catch his breath. Some people's breath can only reach the chest before it must be exhaled; their breathing is also very short, and their physical condition is poor.

For a person whose skill in meditative concentration is good, the breath can reach the dantian in the lower abdomen; the breathing passage is very long, and it takes a long time for him to take one breath, without any obstruction in between. His body is certainly healthy. Once the breath can reach the dantian, the mind can settle into tranquility and distracting thoughts diminish—even producing a distracting thought becomes tiring, and one is unwilling to talk much, so the energy consumed is also less. At this time afflictions can be subdued, the mind is relatively pure, thinking about problems is more focused, and contemplation becomes deep, subtle, and thorough, so wisdom easily manifests.

When a person with good skill in meditative concentration reaches the fourth dhyāna, breathing stops, energy consumption becomes extremely small, the body becomes even healthier, and lifespan becomes longer. At this time, if one cultivates supernormal powers, one attains them as one cultivates, without effort. For the sake of physical health, purity of mind, and subduing afflictions, we can also train our breathing in daily life, letting the breath reach the dantian. We can use the method of recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) to train ourselves. Once the breath is properly adjusted, meditative concentration appears, and one feels refreshed and full of energy.

When adjusting the breath during recollection of the Buddha, first exhale the turbid air from the lungs through the mouth; after all the turbid air has been fully exhaled, close the mouth and inhale through the nose, letting the airflow slowly reach the dantian in the abdomen, and it may even go further down and be expelled directly. The longer this passage is, the more diseased energy is expelled, and the better the physical condition. After inhaling to the dantian, pause for a short while, or change the breath, then exhale through the mouth. While exhaling, recite "Amituo" or "Tuofo"—reciting aloud or reciting in the mind are both fine. When the breath reaches the dantian, one can no longer recite aloud, and even the Buddha's name in the mind will stop; at this point one can switch to mindfulness of the Buddha. While exhaling, recite the Buddha's name; when the breath is fully exhaled, pause briefly, 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 completely rely on mindfulness of the Buddha to recollect the Buddha, or contemplate a principle of the Buddha's teaching. The power of concentration at this time can allow you to cultivate toward deeper levels, and attaining the state of single-mindedness is not difficult.