The state of approaching the emptiness of meditative concentration (samādhi)

Answer: What you are experiencing is a state of mental emptiness, and in terms of practice there is nothing wrong with it. This is a good phenomenon that appears after genuine practice: when the mind becomes empty, it is certainly very pure. This is the result of long-term meditation, the result of contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) of the four foundations of mindfulness, cultivating the white skeleton contemplation, and recollection of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti). Before realizing the Path, the mind is very empty. When meditative concentration (samādhi) is well cultivated, the body also becomes lazy and unwilling to do anything; the mind is empty and the brain is empty, with no interest in anything, and a sense of unfamiliarity and vast emptiness toward all things and people. All of what you describe are good signs of practice—a state approaching meditative absorption (samādhi) before realizing the Path. It shows that you are practicing very diligently; reaching this level is not at all easy. Keep it up.

When a Buddhist practitioner truly applies effort and achieves results, they become completely opposite to worldly people. Worldly people consider their own state of body and mind to be normal, but in fact it is all habitual affliction. If our state of body and mind is different from theirs, that is right; if it were the same, that would be wrong. They cannot understand you, and even if you explain, they won't get it—so don't explain; just keep applying effort yourself. If a practitioner's mind is never empty, sees everything as good and is interested in everything, finds everything familiar and dear, then their meditative skill is still insufficient. Your practice is quite diligent and has produced results. Seeing everything with a sense of unfamiliarity, as if far away from you—that is right. This is called "detachment," the detachment from afflictions and worldly dharmas. Only after detachment can one realize the Path and realize emptiness and non-self.

You now feel that everything is empty—this is a good phenomenon. When your power of meditative concentration strengthens further and your power of wisdom (prajñā-bala) increases, it is possible that you will truly become empty. Others simply cannot understand you and take you for a fool. When we Buddhist practitioners practice well, we become fools; if we are not fools, we are just like worldly people, which means we haven't practiced well. You always think of your father's body in its white-skeleton state, which shows you have an initial attainment in the white skeleton contemplation, or have achieved some success in the four foundations of mindfulness, and your contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) in meditation has borne fruit. We do not look at those worldly signs; we look at the sign that is apart from the worldly—that is called the true sign. The truth is that sentient beings are in fact white skeletons, and in the end the white skeletons also return to emptiness. The material body is empty, all dharmas are empty, and all affairs, people, things, and principles are empty. This is right; you are on the correct path. The results of your practice are quite good. Given your current state, you are not far from attaining meditative absorption (samādhi), and not far from realizing emptiness and non-self. Whichever samādhi arises, it will be related to emptiness. Keep up your efforts.