Section Seven: Cultivating Concentration in Motion Using the Method of Mental Stilling

1. Question: Using mental stilling to cultivate concentration in motion is indeed a skillful means, yet most people find it difficult to sustain for long periods. Using mental stilling as an entry point, then preventing verbal thoughts from arising in the mind, watching it, maintaining it, and gradually training—this way, the duration of mental stilling will lengthen. Is this essentially observing the critical phrase (kàn huàtóu)?

Answer: This state is one devoid of verbal thought. Initially, the entry into this state is brief. Through continuous training, the duration can be extended, concentration deepens, and investigation becomes more effective.

This state is not merely similar to observing the critical phrase; it is actually investigating the critical phrase (cānjiū huàtóu). Investigation involves the function of the mental faculty (manas) in its deliberative aspect, with the conscious mind (manovijñāna) engaging in less analysis or no analysis, cooperating with the deliberation of the mental faculty. The task of deliberation is shifted onto the mental faculty, letting it shoulder some responsibility. Then, at a certain time when conditions ripen, the mental faculty and the conscious mind simultaneously realize the Dharma. If it is not done this way—if the conscious mind thinks and analyzes first and then hands it over to the mental faculty—the mental faculty may not necessarily recognize or acknowledge it. In a short time, the mental faculty absolutely cannot recognize or acknowledge it, because this is not the mental faculty's direct perception (pratyakṣa-pramāṇa), nor has the conscious mind presented all the evidence; it is also not complete direct perception. Therefore, the mental faculty does not correspond with it, and thus realization of the Dharma cannot occur.

Although the mental faculty's wisdom is not strong—much lower than the conscious mind—it is the master consciousness. All dharmas are decided by the mental faculty; nothing counts unless it gives its approval. It is like the head of a household who, though perhaps less wise than other family members, makes the final decisions for the whole family. To get this person to approve and decide something, one must use various convincing reasons and evidence to persuade them. Once they believe, they can make the decision. The best way is to let them personally understand the matter, being present at the scene and seeing with their own eyes. Faced with the facts, they can believe immediately and then readily make the choice, decision, and approval.

2. The Deliberative Nature of the Mental Faculty Within the State of Mental Stilling

Question: Through experience, I've found that the state of mental stilling can be entered anytime, anywhere, with high efficiency. The duration of mental stilling varies, but it's impossible to use the mental faculty to deliberate on Dharma principles. Using mental stilling to deliberate on Dharma principles probably requires an entry point, which is hard to grasp immediately. Therefore, I simply use this method of mental stilling to cultivate concentration. I wonder if this accords with principle?

Answer: If one has not yet discovered the mental faculty, one cannot know that within the state of mental stilling, there is also the deliberative function of the mental faculty. This is because the deliberation of the mental faculty is extremely subtle and hard to detect. One needs to realize the mental faculty and understand its functioning. Even after all six consciousnesses vanish, the mental faculty still has deliberative function, decisiveness, and various mental activities. How much more so when the conscious mind has concentration—there are even more mental activities of the mental faculty. The mental activity of the mental faculty never ceases; it's only a matter of what kind of mental activity it has and what dharmas it is deliberating upon.

Within the state of mental stilling, the mental faculty is deliberating; it is not empty. The key is what the mental faculty is deliberating upon. If you want the mental faculty to deliberate on important Dharma principles, you must first let the conscious mind understand these principles clearly, roughly outline the main points, deeply embed them in the mind, and then hand them over to the mental faculty. After that, the conscious mind should not scatter or grasp at objects; it must fixate tightly on this Dharma principle without wavering, thereby tethering the mental faculty to deliberate upon this principle.

This state of mental stilling also involves the deep, subtle thinking function of the conscious mind. Furthermore, separating the thoughts of the conscious mind from those of the mental faculty is extremely difficult. With prolonged mental stilling, one can deliberate upon a not-too-profound Dharma principle, consider a not-too-difficult problem clearly, without employing verbal thought. Many people have had similar experiences but cannot introspect or summarize them because they do not understand the activity of the mental faculty. Because I can observe the operation of the mental faculty, I can summarize this method of cultivating concentration and thought. If I could not observe the operation of the mental faculty, I would not know that within the state of mental stilling, the mental faculty is also activated—operating, deliberating, deciding—and thus I could not inform or guide others.

Discovering and summarizing experiences is also a crystallization of wisdom. Utilizing the state of mental stilling to cultivate meditative concentration (dhyāna) is also very good, as it provides an easy entry point. Both the conscious mind and the mental faculty must focus intently on a single point without moving. The conscious mind indicates to the mental faculty the content and scope of deliberation, thereby fixing the mental faculty upon a single dharma. In this way, meditative concentration is attained.

3. The Difference Between Mental Stilling, Thoughtlessness, and Spacing Out

Mental stilling means the mental faculty is deeply focused on a certain matter, with attention almost entirely concentrated on the object of focus. The conscious mind has no thoughts, but the mental faculty has very subtle deliberation. It's just that the conscious mind does not generate thoughts. This is deep meditative concentration; its depth depends on how long it can be sustained. With sufficient duration, it can fully resolve a problem, leading easily to sudden understanding, an opening of clarity, and the dispelling of doubts.

Thoughtlessness (yī niàn bù shēng), however, means the conscious mind has no thoughts, and the mental faculty has nothing specific to focus on or deliberate about. Thought is relatively faint, lacking concentration and focus. It belongs to a state where the conscious mind is somewhat vacant. Since there is no problem to ponder, it cannot resolve anything, cannot lead to sudden clarity, cannot produce inspiration, and no wisdom arises.

Mental stilling fixes the mind; the mind has concerns, thoughts, deliberation, consideration—it is not empty. Spacing out (fādāi) sometimes occurs due to certain matters, resembling mental stilling. Sometimes it happens due to idleness, a sense of emptiness in the mind, resembling thoughtlessness.