Principles and Objectives of Meditation

For ordinary people, consciousness ceases and becomes intermittent only after falling asleep, when the seeds of consciousness no longer arise; at all other times, consciousness exists continuously, and the seeds of consciousness are never cut off. It is merely that the seeds of consciousness are dispersed across various dharmas and not concentrated, hence the power of discernment is weak, wisdom is poor, and thinking lacks refinement. Cultivating concentration involves directing the flow of the seeds of consciousness toward a few or a single dharma, thereby strengthening the force of discernment and enhancing wisdom. This is one aspect. On the other hand, it also prompts the manas (mental faculty) to engage less in attending to and clinging to other mental objects, fixing it instead on a few mental objects. With attention concentrated, the mind becomes meticulous, contemplation becomes clear, and wisdom can arise, thereby enabling the realization of the Dharma.

For example, when the body faculty moves slowly, consciousness becomes fixed on the activities of the body faculty, and the manas also attends to the activities of the body faculty, thus binding the manas. In this way, the manas focuses intently on the activities of the body faculty, clinging less to other objects, and the Tathagatagarbha (Buddha-nature) rarely manifests other mental objects, preventing the manas from becoming distracted. At this point, the manas and consciousness will discover that the activities of the body faculty are mechanical, like those of a puppet—this is not the self. Being involuntary like this, it fundamentally is not the self. Thus, the view of self regarding the body is severed. In truth, consciousness has long known that the body is not the self; one knows this without cultivating concentration. It is merely that the manas remains uncertain. Cultivating concentration aims to stabilize the manas, enabling it to contemplate single-mindedly the conclusions reached by consciousness. The manas must engage in direct perception to verify the conclusions of consciousness. During the slow movement of the body faculty, the manas finally observes that the mechanical body faculty is not the self and does not belong to the self. Thus, a practitioner of the Hinayana path experiences sudden enlightenment, a profound and immediate awakening.