Questions and Answers on Attaining Meditative Concentration

Question: If the qi channels have not been opened, can one still attain samādhi? 

Answer: As long as the qi channels do not present major obstructions, one can attain samādhi; it is not necessarily the case that one must be in good physical condition to attain samādhi. Attaining samādhi results from a combination of factors, not from a single cause. 

Question: What kind of state is excessive blankness in preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi)? 

Answer: The state of excessive blankness in preparatory concentration occurs when one has cultivated to the stage of preparatory concentration, where the mind is without thought and without conception, and one has cultivated an empty samādhi; as a result, one enters samādhi without any thoughts for a long time within preparatory concentration, even remaining in samādhi for several days or over ten days. This is pure meditative concentration, without deliberation or contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), and without questioning doubt, so it has nothing to do with wisdom.