Q&A on the Contemplative Practice of the Four Establishments of Mindfulness 2

Question: How exactly should one practice contemplation (vipaśyanā-caryā) of the four foundations of mindfulness? 

Answer: Contemplation means observing, watching, discovering, and detecting. Whatever a thing is like, one should immediately know it as it is, without the mind consciousness processing or embellishing it. In other words, whatever happens, observe that very thing. For example, when contemplating the breath, one should try to observe all conditions related to the breath as much as possible, and ignore everything else—do not analyze, do not try to understand, do not infer, do not judge, do not imagine, do not speculate, do not organize, do not summarize, do not generalize. Do not let the mind consciousness bustle about; just quietly and peacefully observe. Observe things as they truly are, and do not meddle unnecessarily. 

After observation, the manas will naturally face and investigate and deliberate upon things. The mind consciousness cannot substitute for the manas in awakening to all dharmas, so please let the mind consciousness simply maintain pure observation. The great matter should be decided personally by the manas itself; ignorance needs to be personally eradicated by the manas; truth needs to be personally discovered by the manas. If, while contemplating the breath, the phenomena of the breath cannot be observed, it indicates that the power of meditative concentration (samādhi) is insufficient and the mind is still coarse. One needs to strengthen the power of vigilant awareness, concentrate attention, and subdue the scattered mind. One should gradually contemplate deeply and subtly, and contemplate comprehensively, following the original text of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sūtra in one's contemplation; in this way one's power of observation will improve.