Problems
Real difficulties meditators report — with evidence-classed answers.
Body Feels Very Large During Sitting — What Is That?
A problem page: the body feeling huge, expanded, or boundaryless in stillness — the Zhuangzi's 'heaven and earth were born with me,' the practitioner archives, and the medical boundary.
Breath Stops, or Won't Behave — Should I Worry?
A problem page: when the breath gets shallow, pauses, or feels fought during sitting — the tradition's name for the gentle version (taixi's arrival), its warning about the forced version, and the medical boundary.
Breathing Becomes Very Shallow in Sitting — Problem or Progress?
A problem page: why breath thins out in stillness — the Xiao Zhiguan's breath hierarchy, the slow-breathing research, and the boundary between fine breath and air hunger.
Dizziness During or After Sitting — Breathing, Blood, and the Stop Rule
A problem page: feeling dizzy in sitting — the archive's stop-at-first-dizziness rule, the over-breathing physiology, and the medical boundary.
Falling Asleep During Sitting — What the Tradition Says
A problem page: sleep overtaking stillness — the drowsiness problem's sibling, the archive case, the posture and timing factors, and the medical boundary.
Is Breath Retention Part of Daoist Meditation?
A problem page: whether holding the breath is a Daoist technique — the answer from Baopuzi and the breath manuals, the distinction from taixi, and the safety boundary.
Is restlessness or discomfort in sitting a sign I should stop?
A problem page: physical restlessness and unease during sitting — the Chinese sources' explicit exit conditions (Taiping Jing) and the tradition's stance against forcing.
Is the Breath Stopping Intentional or Spontaneous?
A problem page: whether the breath that seems to stop in deep sitting is something you do or something that arrives — the tradition's answer and the archive case.
Losing Awareness of the Body During Sitting — Named and Expected?
A problem page: body awareness dissolving in stillness — the Zhuangzi's 'dropping the limbs and body,' what forgetting means and does not mean, and the medical boundary.
Pressure or Tightness in the Head During Sitting
A problem page: head pressure in stillness — the archive's blood-pressure reading, the tension-pattern physiology, and the medical boundary.
Seeing Light or Images During Sitting — What Does It Mean?
A problem page: visual phenomena during stillness — the Zhuangzi's 'empty room gives rise to white light,' the tradition's counsel not to grasp, and the medical boundary.
Stillness Feels Uncomfortable — Why Is Quiet Hard?
A problem page: why stillness itself can feel unpleasant early on — the Zhuangzi's 'sitting while galloping,' what discomfort in quiet is and is not, and the boundary.
Thoughts Become Stronger When I Sit — Is That Backwards?
A problem page: why thinking seems louder in stillness — the tradition's answer (you are hearing what was always there), the archives, and the boundary.
Vibrations or Shaking During Sitting — What Does the Tradition Say?
A problem page: vibrations, buzzing, or fine shaking in stillness — qi-movement in the traditional frame, the practitioner archives, the physiological reading, and the medical boundary.
What Does 'Forgetting the Body' Mean in Daoist Texts?
A problem page: the exact meaning of 'dropping the limbs and body' in Zhuangzi ch. 6 — forgetting as quieting of claim, not loss of reality, with the classical commentary.
Why do I get drowsy or fall asleep during sitting — and is that stillness?
A problem page: drowsiness (昏沉) vs stillness (入静) — the manuals' explicit distinction, the named causes, and the remedies, plus the modern fatigue reading.
Why does the mind keep wandering during quiet sitting?
A problem page: mental wandering during sitting is documented across Chinese contemplative sources from the Han chamber method to Zhu Xi's classroom. What the sources say, and what is unknown.