Vipassana
meditation is something of a mental
balancing act. You are going to be cultivating two separate
qualities of the mind-mindfulness and concentration. Ideally, these
two work together as a team. They pull in tandem, so to speak.
Therefore it is important to cultivate them side by side and in a
balanced manner. If one of the factors is strengthened at the
expense of the other, the balance of the mind is lost and
meditation becomes impossible.
Concentration and mindfulness are
distinctly different functions. They each have their role to play
in meditation, and the relationship between them is definite and
delicate. Concentration is often called one-pointedness of mind. It
consists of forcing the mind to remain on one static point. Please
note the word force. Concentration is pretty much a forced type of
activity. It can be developed by force, by sheer unremitting
willpower. And once developed, it retains some of that forced
flavor. Mindfulness, on the other hand, is a delicate function
leading to refined sensibilities. These two are partners in the job
of meditation. Mindfulness is the sensitive one. He notices things.
Concentration provides the power. He keeps the attention pinned
down to one item. Ideally, mindfulness is in this relationship.
Mindfulness picks the objects of attention, and notices when the
attention has gone astray. Concentration does the actual work of
holding the attention steady on that chosen object. If either of
these partners is weak, your meditation goes astray.
Concentration could be defined as that
faculty of the mind which focuses singlemindedly on one object
without interruption. It must be emphasized that true concentration
is a wholesome one-pointedness of mind. That is, the state is free
from greed, hatred, and delusion. Unwholesome one-pointedness is
also possible, but it will not lead to liberation. You can be very
single-minded in a state of lust. But that gets you nowhere.
Uninterrupted focus on something that you hate does not help you at
all. In fact, such unwholesome concentration is fairly short-lived
even when it is achieved—especially when it is used to harm others.
True concentration itself is free from such contaminants. It is a
state in which the mind is gathered together and thus gains power
and intensity. We might use the analogy of a lens. Parallel waves
of sunlight falling on a piece of paper will do no more than warm
the surface. But that same amount of light, when focused through a
lens, falls on a single point and the paper bursts into flames.
Concentration is the lens. It produces the burning intensity
necessary to see into the deeper reaches of the mind. Mindfulness
selects the object that the lens will focus on and looks through
the lens to see what is there.
Concentration should be regarded as a tool. Like
any tool, it can be used for good or for ill. A sharp knife can be
used to create a beautiful carving or to harm someone. It is all up
to the one who uses the knife. Concentration is similar. Properly
used, it can assist you toward liberation. But it can also be used
in the service of the ego. It can operate in the framework of
achievement and competition. You can use concentration to dominate
others. You can use it to be selfish. The real problem is that
concentration alone will not give you a perspective on yourself. It
won't throw light on the basic problems of selfishness and the
nature of suffering.
Really deep concentration can only take
place under certain specific conditions. Buddhists go to a lot of
trouble to build meditation halls and monasteries. Their main
purpose is to create a physical environment free of distractions in
which to learn this skill. No noise, no interruptions. Just as
important, however, is the creation of a distraction-free emotional
environment. The development of concentration will be blocked by
the presence of certain mental states which we call the five
hindrances. They are greed for sensual pleasure, hatred, mental
lethargy, restlessness, and mental vacillation.
A monastery is a controlled environment
where this sort of emotional noise is kept to a minimum. No members
of the opposite sex are allowed to live together there. Therefore,
there is less opportunity for lust to arise. No possessions are
allowed. Therefore, no ownership squabbles and less chance for
greed and for coveting. Another hurdle for concentration should
also be mentioned. In really deep concentration, you get so
absorbed in the object of concentration that you forget all about
trifles. Like your body, for instance, and your identity and
everything around you. Here again the monastery is a useful
convenience. It is nice to know that there is someone to take care
of you by watching over all the mundane matters of food and
physical security. Without such assurance, one hesitates to go as
deeply into concentration as one might.
Mindfulness, on the other hand, is not
dependent on any such particular circumstance, physical or
otherwise. It is a pure noticing factor. Thus it is free to notice
whatever comes up—lust, hatred, or noise. Mindfulness is not
limited by any condition. It exists to some extent in every moment,
in every circumstance that arises. Also, mindfulness has no lixed
object of focus. It observes change. Thus, it has an unlimited
number of objects of attention. It just looks at whatever is
passing through the mind and it does not categorize. Distractions
and interruptions are noticed with the same amount or attention as
the formal objects of meditation. In a state of pure mindfulness
your attention just flows along with whatever changes are taking
place in the mind. "Shift. shift. shift. Now this, now this, and
now this."
You can't develop mindfulness by force.
Active teeth-gritting willpower won't do you any good at all. As a
matter of fact, it will hinder progress. Mindfulness cannot be
cultivated by struggle. It grows by realizing, by letting go, by
just settling down in the moment and letting yourself get
comfortable wlth whatever you are experiencing. This does not mean
that mindfulness happens all by itself. Far from it. Energy is
required. Effort is required. But this effort is different from
force. Mindfulness is cultivated by a gentle effort. Persistence
and a light touch are the secrets. Mindfulness is cultivated by
constantly pulling oneself back to a state of awareness, gently,
gently, gently.
In a state of mindfulness, you see yourself
exactly as you are. You see your own selfish behavior. You see your
own suffering. And you see how you create that suffering. You see
how you hurt others. You pierce right through the layer of lies
that you normally tell yourself, and you see what is really there.
Mindfulness leads to wisdom.
Mindfulness is not trying to achieve
anything. It is just looking. Therefore, desire and aversion are
not involved. Competition and struggle for achievement have no
place in the process. Mindfulness does not aim at anything. It just
sees whatever is already there.
Mindfulness is a broader and larger
function than concentration. It is an all-encompassing function.
Concentration is exclusive. It settles down on one item and ignores
everything else. Mindfulness is inclusive. It stands back from the
focus of attention and watches with a broad focus, quiek to notice
any change that occurs. If you have focused the mind on a stone,
concentration will see only the stone. Mindfulness stands back from
this process, aware of the stone, aware of concentration focusing
on the stone, aware of the intensity of that focus and instantly
aware of the shift of attention when concentration is distracted.
It is mindfulness which notices that the distraction has occurred,
and it is mindfulness which redirects the attention to the stone.
Mindfulness is more difficult to cultivate than concentration
because it is a deeper-reaching function. Concentration is merely
focusing the mind, rather like a laser beam. It has the power to
burn its way deep into the mind and illuminate what is there. But
it does not understand what it sees. Mindfulness can examine the
mechanics of selfishness and understand what it sees. Mindfulness
can pierce the mystery of suffering and the mechanism of
discomfort. Mindfulness can make you free.
There is, however, another Catch-22.
Mindfulness does not react to what it sees. It just sees and
understands. Mindfulness is the essence of patience. Therefore,
whatever you see must simply be accepted, acknowledged, and
dispassionately observed. This is not easy, but it is utterly
necessary. We are ignorant. We are selfish and greedy and boastful.
We lust, and we lie. These are facts. Mindfulness means seeing
these facts and being patient with ourselves, accepting ourselves
as we are. That goes against the grain. We don't want to acccpt it.
We want to deny it. Or change it, or justify it. But acceptance is
the essence of mindfulness. If we want to grow in mindfulness we
must accept what mindfulness finds. It may be boredom, irritation,
or fear. It may be weakness, inadequacy, or faults. Whatever it is,
that is the way we are. That is what is real.
Concentration and mindfulness go hand in
hand in the job of meditation. Mindfulness directs the power of
concentration. Mindfulness is the manager of the operation.
Concentration furnishes the power by which mindfulness can
penetrate into the deepest level of mind. Their cooperation results
in insight and understanding. These must be cultivated together in
a balanced manner. Just a bit more emphasis is given to mindfulness
because mindfulness is the center of meditation. The deepest levels
of concentration are not really needed to do the job or liberation.
Still, a balance is essential. Too much awareness without calm to
balance it will result in a wildly over-sensitized state similar to
abusing LSD. Too much concentration without a balancing ratio of
awareness will result in the "Stone Buddha" syndrome. The meditator
gets so tranquilized that he sits there like a rock. Both of these
are to be avoided.
The initial stages of mental cultivation
are especially delicate. Too much emphasis on mindfulness at this
point will actually retard the development of concentration. When
getting started in meditation, one of the first things you will
notice is how incredibly active the mind really is. The Theravada
tradition calls this phenomenon "monkey mind." The Tibetan
tradition likens it to a waterfall of thought. If you emphasize the
awareness function at this point, there will be so much to be aware
of that concentration will be impossible. Don't get discouraged.
This happens to everybody. And there is a simple solution. Put most
of your effort into one-pointedness at the beginning. Just keep
calling the attention from wandering over and over again. Tough it
out. A couple of months down the track and you will have developed
concentration power. Then you can start pumping your energy into
mindfulness. Do not, however, go so far with concentration that you
fmd yourself going into a stupor.
Mindfulness still is the more important of
the two components. It should be built as soon as you can
comfortably do so. Mindfulness provides the needed foundation for
the subsequent development of deeper concentration. Most blunders
in this area of practice will correct themselves in time. Right
concentration develops naturally in the wake of strong mindfulness.
The more you develop the noticing factor, the quicker you will
notice the distraction and the quicker you will pull out of it and
return to the formal object of attention. The natural result is
increased concentration. And as concentration develops, it assists
the development of mindfulness. The more concentration power you
have, the less chance there is of launching off on a long chain of
analysis about the distraction. You simply note the distraction and
return your attention to where it is supposed to be.
Thus the two factors tend to balance and support
each other's growth quite naturally. Just about the only rule you
need to follow at this point is to put your effort on concentration
at the beginning, until the monkey mind phenomenon has cooled down
a bit. After that, emphasize mindfulness. If you find yourself
getting frantic, emphasize concentration. If you find yourself
going into a stupor, emphasize mindfulness.
One of the most difficult things to learn is that
mindfulness is not dependent on any emotional or mental state. We
have certain images of meditation. Meditation is something done in
quiet caves by tranquil people who move slowly. Those are training
conditions. They are set up to foster concentration and to learn
the skill of mindfulness. Once you have learned that skill,
however, you can dispense with the training restrictions, and you
should. You don't need to move at a snail's pace to be mindful. You
don't even need to be calm. You can be mindful while solving
problems in intensive calculus. You can be mindful in the middle of
a football scrimmage. You can even be mindful in the midst of a
raging fury. Mental and physical activities are no bar to
mindfulness. If you find your mind extremely active, then simply
observe the nature and degree of that activity. It is just a part
of the passing show within.