Superficial Concentration and Profound Concentration

Question: Why is the concentration deeper when focusing on the mental consciousness alone (manas-vijñāna) than when focusing on the objects of the five senses during meditation?

Answer: When focusing on the objects of the five senses, all six consciousnesses are active: the eye consciousness perceives forms, the ear consciousness perceives sounds, the nose consciousness perceives smells, the tongue consciousness perceives tastes, the body consciousness perceives tactile sensations, and the mental consciousness perceives cognitive objects. With such busy activity, it is naturally difficult to attain deep concentration; even if concentration is achieved, it remains shallow. After restraining and binding the five sense consciousnesses, only the perception of the mental consciousness alone remains, enabling more focused discrimination and awareness. Consequently, it becomes easier to enter concentration. Once concentration is attained, it has the potential to become deeper. When even the mental consciousness alone is restrained, the concentration deepens further. The fewer consciousnesses involved, the deeper the concentration; the fewer objects of discrimination present, the deeper the concentration. Therefore, in the deepest state of the cessation of perception and feeling (nirodha-samāpatti), there is no discrimination by the six consciousnesses—only the mental faculty (manas) alone maintains a very subtle discrimination.

When concentration power is insufficient and very shallow, one should refrain from analytical observation (vipassanā), as attempting it will lead to distraction. When analytical observation cannot be sustained, one should focus solely on cultivating concentration (samatha) and temporarily set aside observation. When concentration deepens somewhat, analytical observation can then be undertaken with better results. Meditation methods should be applied flexibly, with specific approaches tailored to individual circumstances; generalizations should be avoided.