Q18: Venerable Sir, why do you instruct yogis to start their practice with noting “rising and falling”?

问18：尊者，为什么你教禅修者从观照“起与伏”开始禅修？

It will take time to develop concentration if you note an obiect too varied, or too subtle, while it can be aroused faster if you observe an obvious and limited object. That is why we instruct yogis to start their practice with watching the abdomen characterized by stiffness, pressure, vibration, which are identical with vayo-dhātu, the air-element.

如果观照过于变化多端或太微细的所缘，需要花很长时间才能培养出定力，而当你观照明显和有限的所缘，能较快地生起定力。这就是为什么我们教导禅修者从观照腹部开始禅修，其紧绷、挤压、振动的特征正是风元素。