When we concentrate and fix our mind on the lower half of the body in order to keep the upper half cool and the lower warm, we shall be able to face reality calmly and readily however harsh it may be.
Hakuin
Yasen Kanna: Health Culture in Zen
Wise people always concentrate on the lower half of their body and try to fill it with mind and energy. When much attention is focused on their lower abdomen and limbs, they will not be afflicted with mental diseases or attacked by physical ones. They will be full of life and neither taste bitter medicine nor experience any pain from medical treatment.
A stupid one always lets one's attention be drawn to surface or trivial matters and thus becomes unbalanced and unstable. If one's attention or mind is fixed on one's head at will, one gets tired or does not feel up to the mark and one's internal organ or organs will be out of order.
Therefore, a sage once said, 'A wise person breathes through the heels and an ordinary person through the throat.' Another sage said, 'While your attention is fixed on the lower half of your body, your breaths are long and deep. When your mind fixed on the upper half of your body, your breaths are short and shallow.'
When we are worrying about something important or urgent, our face is flushed and our limbs feel cold. That fact indicates poor blood circulation. If the trouble is serious or persistent, it will eventually affect the internal organs.
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