釋禪波羅蜜次第法門 2.125

2.125

Answer: This also occurs. As for the mark of a tense mind: it arises because during sitting one constricts the mind, grasping with thoughts in the hope of attainment, and seeking to enter concentration thereby; consequently the breath rushes upward, causing acute chest pain. One should relax the mind and visualize the breath flowing downward, and the affliction will naturally clear up. As for the mark of a lax mind: one senses the mind roaming aimlessly, the body tends to slump, or saliva drools from the mouth, or the mind occasionally becomes dark and dull. At that time, one should pull the body together and tauten mindfulness, keeping the mind abiding in its object of focus, holding the physical body upright; use this as the remedy. That the mind has marks of sluggishness and slipperiness can be known by inference. This is the method for regulating the mind upon initial entry into concentration. When one wishes to enter concentration, it is fundamentally a transition from the coarse to the subtle; therefore, since the body is coarse, the breath occupies the middle, and the mind is the most subtle, by using skillful expedient means one regulates the coarse to approach the subtle, making the mind peaceful and tranquil. This, then, is the initial expedient means for entering concentration.