Perceiving the Illusory Impermanence of Worldly Affairs in Meditative Concentration

Question: Sometimes in movement, the meditative concentration is clear and tranquil, and the mind feels like a large blank screen, while seeing, hearing, awareness, and knowing are like images and scenes appearing on the screen. Although the blank screen and the images are both states of consciousness, when one is very tranquil, it seems one can sense His arising—mainly at the instant when the blankness turns into a thought arising; later, when the blankness and consciousness coexist, this feeling can also continue. To give an analogy, it is like a person swiftly doodling, stroke by stroke, on a blank screen, tranquil and at ease. This feeling mainly arises in the root-consciousness and mind consciousness generated by the ear faculty and eye faculty; I feel that I am a stream of consciousness that is empty and void, or a physical body. Looking at family members and close relatives, there is a sense of unfamiliarity; the world I am in also feels strange, with a feeling of not belonging to this world, and there is a desire to renounce it. Although the mind is tranquil, it feels empty and hollow, with a desire to leave the world. What is this feeling about?

Answer: This feeling is an insight gained through contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) within meditative concentration. In samādhi, the mind is very pure and very subtle, so contemplative practice and reflection can be very deep and fine, and the cognition of the Dharma can be clear and profound, with understanding reaching its proper place. Therefore, the realization of any Dharma must necessarily be perceived and realized when the mind is free of scattered thoughts and fully concentrated—it is personally verified by the manas. Only when the manas personally perceives and verifies the illusory and impermanent nature of worldly affairs can genuine renunciation arise, no longer pursuing the illusory affairs of the world, and instead advancing to seek the unsurpassed Buddha Way.