Q&A No. 30 on the Contemplative Practice of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness

Question: Why do I become dull and slow in daily life after meditation?  

Answer: On the one hand, meditative concentration (samādhi) can slow down the activities of the mind-consciousness, dispelling some restlessness and impetuousness, so that one no longer applies the mind to unimportant matters, and certainly will not curry favor with the powerful. On the other hand, meditative concentration can concentrate the mind-consciousness, making thought deep and subtle, and responses keen. At first, speech and actions may appear clumsy and one's capacity for action weak, but one's power of observation becomes deep and penetrating, the mind is fine and agile, and one's perception of people and affairs will be more precise and detailed than before. In important matters one is not easily deceived; it is a bit like appearing foolish while possessing great wisdom—in reality the mind is simply not applied to trivial matters, and true wisdom is gradually increasing.

Question: When the fixed meditation time arrives, I want to take my seat on the cushion. Does this mean I have become habituated to meditation? 

Answer: Meditating at a fixed time and place, over a long period, forms a habit. Once the habit is formed, one no longer fears noisy disturbances from the surrounding environment, and the mind can be emptied. Habit is the inertia of the manas. The manas is rather attached; for things done frequently, it acts according to routine without deliberation. Habits have a bad side and also a good side. Make good use of habits and cultivate good habits, and then results will be achieved with half the effort. 

Question: For a person with deficient qi and blood, will the bodily emptiness in meditation make the qi and blood more deficient, or will it improve? 

Answer: Meditation itself has the function of regulating qi and blood and improving physical constitution. If there is illness in the body, meditation will make the qi channels run in a regular pattern, invigorating the qi and blood, and the illnesses within the body will be expelled outward through the surface of the body. It may look as if the illness has become more serious, but in reality the illness inside has been expelled to the outside, and the symptoms of the illness become more obvious. After meditating for a long time, all illnesses in the body will improve, and physical fitness will be enhanced.  

Question: I feel I have encountered difficulties in my meditation so far—my mind is very scattered. What should I do? 

Answer: When one cultivates to a certain point, karmic obstructions will come out to block the way; this is the result of diligent practice. At this time one needs to eliminate karma. How does one eliminate karma? Confess before the Buddha the karmic offenses committed over beginningless kalpas; it is enough to repent according to the confession texts in the morning and evening liturgy books. Reveal the offenses of this life before the Buddha and vow never to commit them again, and part of the karmic seeds can be eliminated, reducing the obstructions to one's cultivation. One may also recite the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra and dedicate the merit to the creditors of karmic grievances and to family members and relatives from beginningless kalpas; reciting the Śūraṅgama Mantra can also eliminate karma.