Q&A on the Contemplative Practice of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (35)

Answer: Soreness, numbness, and swelling in the arms indicate that there are places of blockage where the qi and blood cannot easily pass through. When you are not sitting in meditation, the qi circulates poorly and you do not feel anything; once the qi becomes abundant, when it encounters a place of blockage, there will be a reaction, and the obstruction of illness will appear. Once the blockage is opened through, the obstruction of illness will disappear. The feeling of pressure on the body and the inability to move show that the qi is abundant; the more abundant the qi, the easier it is to open through the body and both arms. If you can persist, then persist—most likely the channels in your arms will be opened through very soon. Know that any phenomenon arising in the body during meditation is a matter of the qi channels and the circulation of qi and blood. No matter what phenomena appear in the body again, there is no need to be surprised or puzzled. Regulate it slowly and everything will be fine. Do not pay too much attention to these matters. 

Answer: That means the qi that has arisen is abundant and powerful, and at the same time there is an obstruction in the head so the qi mechanism cannot yet pass through. If there were no obstruction and the qi channels were unobstructed, there would be no such thing as a qi mechanism. At this time, endure it if you can; when you cannot endure it, contemplate the qi going out from the Baihui point at the crown of the head, or get off the cushion and pat the head to disperse the qi. But even after it disperses, it will still strike at the head; only when it is completely opened through will the problem be solved. Even if it is not completely opened through, the qi mechanism will eventually pass through or dissipate, and then it will circulate to the front along the Conception Vessel (Ren Mai), from the Conception Vessel to the Governing Vessel (Du Mai), and then to the crown of the head. Until it enters the central channel (avadhūtī) and goes out from the crown of the head, the qi channels of the whole body will be completely opened through, and the body will have no more obstructions. From then on, the practice of meditative concentration (dhyāna) will proceed without hindrance. 

Once the qi channels in the head are opened through and the circulation of qi and blood is good, thinking will be extremely clear and energy abundant; wisdom can be opened, and even opening through only a part of them is quite good. When the qi channels are opened through and the mind is pure, the body will emit a fragrance—very fragrant—and the mood will be joyful, happy, and free of worry. All of these are conditioned dharmas subject to arising and ceasing; do not be attached to them. Now that meditative concentration has already arisen, it is enough to be able to engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā). Do not pay too much attention to matters of the qi channels—just let them be.