Meditation: Balancing Concentration and Mindfulness

If you have ever tried to walk with only one leg, you have discovered, for yourself, the importance of two legs. Likewise, when we meditate, two aspects of meditation are necessary if our practice is to be balanced.

Samadhi (concentration) and Vipassana (mindfulness) are the two aspects that should be practiced hand in hand. Or to put it another way, we alte
ate practicing calmness of mind with practicing disce
ment or investigation watched over by mindfulness.

Concentration meditation consists of a narrow focusing on one aspect, such as our breath, until the mind drops into Samadhi, or complete calmness. There we remain until the mind decides to come out of Samadhi.

Mindfulness meditation, or Vippasana includes a broad investigation of phenomena, such as our thoughts, our feelings, and our emotions.

In practice, when the mind comes out of Samadhi, we then practice Vipassana. And when the mind becomes tired of Vipassana, we then rest it in Samadhi practice again. Thus, the two aspects go hand in hand.

If we only practice one aspect, for example, concentration, we limit our insight because the resulting Samadhi is so peaceful and calm that we hesitate to do anything except abide in this peacefulness. We tend to get lazy. Another aspect of Samadhi is the visions and experiences that arise just before dropping into deep Samadhi. These can be addictive as well and mistakenly give us the impression that we are really making progress, when in truth our progress has stopped exactly at these visions, mystical experiences, and sometimes even powers.

It is difficult to get beyond this stage of deep concentration because we see no need to go further. However, if we go no further, we will remain trapped within existence and be reborn in an existential realm subject to all the vicissitudes we go through now, such as separation from loved ones, disease, and death. What meditation is all about is total freedom, and total freedom cannot come about by only concentration practice; there must be mindfulness and investigation as well.

If, on the other hand, we neglect Samadhi practice and only practice investigation or mindfulness, then the mind has no rest and will have a difficult time understanding both properly and deeply. It's as if one works without ever resting, in which case eventually the quality of the work declines.

Depending on our makeup, we will naturally gravitate toward either concentration practice or mindfulness practice. Those with naturally quiet minds will more easily drop into the calmness of Samadhi where thought disappears. Those with naturally active intellects will naturally investigate phenomena where thought is still utilized. This doesn't mean that one who prefers investigating to calmness runs around like a mad scientist figuring out just surface things. One who uses investigation must get unde
eath the surface and look at his or her tendencies, such as restlessness. n
One must determine why one is restless, and the underlying reason why one cannot remain still. If one does not go deeply such as this, one will never surrender to their constant curiosity. This is because one never gets to the root of the problem. Only the root of the problem will promote eventual calmness where all thought comes to an end safely, both in concentration and mindfulness, without going down the wrong road.n n For others it is easier to sit still in Samadhi for long periods of time than to practice mindfulness, although mindfulness must be used in Samadhi practice as well in order to keep the mind focused. For those who prefer Samadhi practice, the danger is forever sitting like bumps on a log and never really understanding or developing wisdom. Total freedom requires two things, a very calm, collected mind, and then the insight resulting from the observation of phenomena with that calm, collected mind.

For the one who just wants to rest the mind in Samadhi and not investigate, the mind that he or she develops will be like an automobile that looks beautiful but never starts its engine. And if it does start; it goes down the wrong road. Without mindfulness and investigation, Samadhi practice can get way off track and never reach total freedom. Unless the mind understands at profound levels, which involves both investigation and calmness of mind, one will remain trapped in existence.

The end of "self" or the "I" thought must be understood completely by the mind. That is; the mind must understand absolutely that the self is ended. If we merely hide behind a trance, or search about without wisdom, final liberation will not be possible.

Eventually, and regardless of the method used - either concentration or mindfulness - all thought must end naturally without forcing thought to end, and thought can only end when no lingering doubt or questions remain. In other words; when no one is there any longer to question or doubt . And when that happens, practicing concentration and mindfulness is no longer necessary; one's very life experience becomes a constant combination of both, with no effort whatsoever. nn