Basic breathing method from Jiang Weiqiao's material.

[sillybearhappyhoneyeater]

Recently seeing how many people are coming here with the problems they have collected from incorrect practices of many kinds, I have decided to translate a section of "Yinshizi's complete meditation method," in hopes that it can be of help to our friends who are either starting their path of meditation or have been doing it for a long time, but need some help to adjust their practice in the right direction.

I am also leaving a few notes below the translation to shed some light on the background of the document.

 

 

呼吸的練習

The practice of breath:

上面說到人們的生命寄託於呼吸，呼吸習靜法就在對準呼吸下手，那麼呼吸的練習很是重要，應該詳細談談。
Above I have already said that breathing is requires to live. Breathing is the place from which .meditation method begins. Because breathing is so important, we should discuss it with special attention.
一般人的呼吸往往短而淺，不能盡肺部張縮的力量，因此也不能儘量吸入氧氣吐出炭酸氣，以致血液不清，易致疾病。這裏舉出練習方法如下：
一、呼吸氣息的出入，應該極輕極細，連自己的耳朵也聽不見出入的聲音。
Some people breathe in a shallow and short way, because of this the breath doesn't fully enter the lung and isn't fully converted to carbon dioxide. The blood can't become purified and it is easy to get sick. This is where we need to start the practice from:
1: the way to commence breathing in and out ought to emphasize extremely light and extremely slender breaths. If you listen with you ears, you ought not to hear its sound.
二、氣息應該慢慢的加長，叫它達到小腹；但要純乎自然，不可用力。耐心練習，久後就能夠達到。
The breath should slowly lengthen, directing it toward the lower abdomen. You must focus on being totally natural, you must not use strength. If you are patient, after a long time of practice, you will get it to be sufficient.
三、人們胸中，在肺的下面，胃的上面，有橫膈膜（也叫隔肌）。開始練習呼吸的人，往往會覺得胸中氣悶，這因為沒有推動膈肌的緣故。推動的方法，是吸氣時候 從鼻中徐徐吸進新鮮空氣，使肺底舒張，膈肌下降；呼氣的時候，吐出濁氣，下腹部收縮，使隔肌向上升，這樣一上一下地膈肌的運動就會靈活，於是覺得胸部空 松，一點也不氣悶了。
In the centre of the torso, under the lungs and above the stomach is the diaphragm (also called diaphragmatic muscle). When people start to train the breath, they often feel their breath is blocked off in the centre. This is because they haven't articulated the diaphragm. The method to practice this is to start breathing gently through the nose and let in fresh air, causing the lungs to naturally open to their base. The diaphragm moves down and when you breathe out, when you breathe out the dirty air, the stomach will naturally contract and the diaphragm will naturally move up. When this occurs, the torso will relax and won't even be slightly closed off.
四、腹中的大小腸，最為柔軟，血液容易到此滯留，呼吸的氣，漸漸深而且長，達到小腹，腹部就有彈力，能夠把滯留在腹腔內的鬱血逼出去，達於四肢。
4: in the centre of the belly, the small intestine is the very softest and much blood accumulates there. When you breathe, gradually let it move deeper and let it move to the centre of the abdomen has elastic power and can let the away powerfully from the centre, making it to the four limbs.
五、呼吸的氣，必須從鼻腔出入，不可用口；為什麼呢？因為鼻子是專司呼吸的器官，鼻孔裏有毛，可以阻止灰塵和微生物進入呼吸道，倘呼吸的時候，把嘴張開，一則侵奪鼻子的功用；二則灰塵和微生物容易入口，發生疾病，所以不但靜坐時候要閉口，在平常動作時也以閉口為合宜。
5: when you breathe, you must do it from the nose. You should not use the mouth. Why is this? Because the apperatus of the nose is responsible for breathing. The inner nose has hairs, they can obstruct dust and microorganisms from entering the breathing passage. If you leave the mouth open when you breathe, firstly, it defeats the purpose of breathing through the nose, secondly it it allows dust and microorganisms to enter the mouth, and you can become sick. So when you meditate you should close the mouth and pay attention to how making the movement (breathing) is more comfortable with mouth closed.

-jiang weiqiao,
因是子靜坐法正篇
Yin shizi complete meditation method.

 

 

 

 

notes:

Jiang Weiqiao was a master of both Daoism and Buddhism and in 1914, when we was 42 years of age, wrote a seminal treatise on meditation and its relationship with the human body.  He borrowed from multiple sources including western science and Japanese writings on the subject of modern meditation methods.   Jiang applied Daoist and Buddhist ideas to issues as diverse as the flow of blood in the body, the nervous system, cardiac function and much more.   His practice is very straight forward and it is easier to understand than ancient Daoist texts, which are written in code usually.   If you are just starting out in meditation, Jiang's writings are clear and easy to master.  If you have been meditating for a long time and understand the classics, you will find important modern explanations to show why certain aspects of meditation work in the way they do.   Jiang obviously wrote his books from the point of view of a person dedicated to the happiness and success of others, so with that intention in mind, I present a portion of it here.

 

[lifeforce]

Nice post. Simple, clear and to the point.

[Jox]

Thank you sillybearhappyhoneyeater ...  

Edited February 4, 2016 by Jox