The Contemplative Practice of Cultivating the Mind and Cultivating the Body

Regarding brainwaves, each neuron in the brain possesses a neural nucleus, and every neural nucleus continuously emits brainwaves outward. This is the fundamental reason why our mental activities consume our own energy. Moreover, when the six sense faculties contact the six sense objects, and the consciousness engages in mental exertion, analysis, reasoning, and judgment, it releases a large amount of brainwaves. When the consciousness is engaged in thought, brainwaves are emitted outward most intensely, consuming the most energy. Therefore, when practitioners of concentration turn their attention inward and refrain from chasing after external objects, their energy consumption becomes very minimal.

All the neural tissues throughout the body ultimately converge at the brain. The internal six sense objects manifest within the brain, and the seventh consciousness also operates there. Once the seventh consciousness becomes active, its movement affects the brain's neural tissue system, which then transmits signals throughout the entire body. Thus, various activities and reactions of the conscious mind can trigger changes in the physical body, influencing its respiration, heartbeat, pulse, blood circulation, internal organs, and even the skin. This leads to the conclusion: Cultivating the mind is cultivating the body. Another conclusion follows: Cultivating the body can also nurture the mind. This conclusion is left for everyone to infer and demonstrate the underlying principles.

The Dharma is the most rigorous science, the most advanced science. However, without sufficient merit, without meditative concentration, and without wisdom, it cannot be realized. Insufficient concentration power leads to inadequate logical thinking ability, resulting in insufficiently meticulous thought, and thus wisdom fails to develop. Many people enjoy pursuing theoretical knowledge everywhere but are unwilling to spend time cultivating concentration and contemplating the Dharma. Consequently, what they learn remains merely theoretical knowledge, utterly useless to their own body and mind. Afflictions persist as afflictions, ignorance remains ignorance, arrogance stays arrogance, and the sense of self endures unchanged—they gain not the slightest experience of liberation for body and mind.