When the Mind Is Empty, No States Arise (2025-07-03)

Ven. Shi Ruyuan: Now I am in control of my meditative concentration states. As soon as I enter a state of meditative concentration, a concentration state manifests, and I feel that the concentration state is no different from dreams or waking reality—all are illusory and unreal, without meaning—so my mind constantly abides in meditative absorption (samādhi), contemplating the interesting dharma meanings that appear in my mind. What I mean is that whenever I sit quietly or recite the Śūraṅgama Mantra—silently or in a low voice—I keep entering samādhi, so I rouse my spirit to avoid entering samādhi and instead contemplate the dharma meanings in my mind.

Assessment: When the mind is empty, no states appear. If states manifest upon entering samādhi, it means there is still something in the mind that has not been emptied. Unless you have expressed yourself incorrectly—that is, in fact, when you enter samādhi no states manifest, something like an empty samādhi—in which case you could not investigate dharma meanings within that empty samādhi. From now on, you need not recite the Śūraṅgama Mantra anymore; just investigate the dharma meanings and contemplate.