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DEALING WITH LAXITY AND EXCITEMENT

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(c)) What to do after you focus on an object of meditation

(1)) What to do when laxity and excitement occur


(a’)) Using the remedy for failing to recognize laxity and excitement


(1’)) The defining characteristics of laxity and excitement

(2’)) The method for developing vigilance that recognizes laxity and excitement


(b’)) Using the remedy for failing to try to eliminate them even when they are recognized

(1’)) Intention and the way it stops laxity and excitement

(2’)) The underlying causes of laxity and excitement

(2)) What to do when laxity and excitement are absent


(c)) What to do after you focus on an object of meditation


This has two sections:

1. What to do when laxity and excitement occur

2. What to do when laxity and excitement are absent


(1)) What to do when laxity and excitement occur This has two parts:


1. Using the remedy for failing to recognize laxity and excitement

2. Using the remedy for failing to try to eliminate them even when they are recognized


(a’)) Using the remedy for failing to recognize laxity and excitement This has two sections:

(1) the defining characteristics of laxity and excitement, and

(2) the method for developing vigilance that recognizes them during meditation.

(1’)) The defining characteristics of laxity and excitement Excitement is defined in Asaºga’s Compendium of Knowledge:114 What is excitement? It is an unquiet state of mind, considered a derivative of attachment, which pursues pleasant objects and acts as an impediment to meditative serenity. There are three aspects to this definition:

(1) Its object is an attractive and pleasant one.

(2) Its subjective aspect is that your mind is unquiet and scattered outward. As it is a derivative of attachment, it engages its object with a sense of craving. (3) Its function is to impede stabilization of your mind on its object. When your attention is inwardly fixed upon its object, excitement—which is attached to form, sound, and so on—pulls your attention helplessly toward these objects and causes distraction. As it says in Candragomin’s Praise of Confession:115 Just as you are focused on meditative serenity, Directing your attention toward it again and again, The noose of the afflictions pulls your

attention Helplessly with the rope of attachment to objects. [515] Question: Is it excitement when there is scattering in which other afflictions distract your mind away from the object—or, for that matter, when there is scattering toward other virtuous objects? Reply: Excitement is a derivative of attachment, so being distracted by other afflictions is not excitement; rather, it is the mental process of distraction which is one of the twenty secondary afflictions.116 Scattering toward virtuous objects may involve any virtuous mind or mental process, so not all scattering is excitement. Many

translations render laxity (bying ba) as “slackness” (zhum pa), but this “slackness” should not be construed as meaning discouragement (zhum pa). As for its definition, most yogis among these snowy peaks seem to consider laxity to be a lethargic state of mind that stays on its object of meditation without scattering elsewhere but lacks limpid clarity. This is incorrect, for lethargy is said to cause laxity, so the two are distinct, as suggested in KamalaŸıla’s second Stages of Meditation:117


If, being oppressed by lethargy and sleepiness, you see your mind become lax, or in danger of laxity…. Also, the SÒtra Unravelling the Intended Meaning says:118 If there is laxity due to lethargy and sleepiness, or if you are afflicted by any secondary afflictions in meditative absorption, it is a case of

internal mental distraction. This states that when your mind becomes lax due to lethargy and sleepiness, it is distracted inwardly. Asaºga’s Compendium of Knowledge also discusses laxity in the context of the secondary affliction of distraction, but distraction as he explains it may also be virtuous, so it is not necessarily afflictive. Of lethargy, then, Asaºga’s Compendium of Knowledge says:119 What is lethargy? An unserviceable state of mind classified as a derivative of delusion, it works to assist all root afflictions and secondary afflictions. So, this derivative of delusion is the heaviness and

unserviceability of body and mind. Vasubandhu’s Treasury of Knowledge Autocommentary (Abhidharma-koŸa-bh›˝ya) says:120 [516] What is lethargy? The heaviness of the body and the heaviness of the mind which are the unserviceability of the body and the unserviceability of the mind. Laxity means that your

mind’s way of apprehending the object of meditation is slack, and it does not apprehend the object with much vividness or firmness. So even if it is limpid, if your mind’s way of apprehending the object is not highly vivid, then laxity has set in. KamalaŸıla’s second Stages of Meditation states:121 When your mind does not see the object vividly—like a person born blind, or a person entering a dark place, or like having one’s eyes shut—then recognize that your mind has become lax. I have not seen a clear presentation of the definition of laxity in the other classic texts. Laxity may be virtuous or ethically

neutral, whereas lethargy is either a nonvirtuous or ethically neutral mental obstruction, and it is invariably a derivative of delusion. Moreover, the classic texts say that to dispel laxity, you must bring to mind pleasant objects such as the body of the Buddha, or meditate on light so as to stimulate your mind. Therefore, you have to stop the object from appearing unclearly, as though darkness were descending on your mind,


and you have to put an end to the quality of attention which has become flaccid. You need both a clear object of meditation and a tight way of apprehending the object. Neither a clear object alone nor transparency of the subject alone is enough. It is easy to recognize excitement, but laxity is hard to

comprehend since it is not clearly identified in the authoritative classic texts. It is also very important because in this case it is a major point of misunderstanding concerning flawless concentration. Therefore, you should experience laxity with an exacting awareness, and on that basis examine it well and identify it in accordance with KamalaŸıla’s Stages of Meditation. [517] (2’))

The method for developing vigilance that recognizes laxity and excitement It is not enough just to have an understanding of laxity and excitement; you have to be able to develop vigilance that accurately detects whether laxity or excitement is present during meditation. Moreover, by gradually developing powerful vigilance, not only must you develop vigilance that recognizes laxity and excitement as soon as they occur, you must also develop a vigilance that

recognizes them when they are on the verge of occurring, before they have actually arisen. This is demonstrated by statements in KamalaŸıla’s last two Stages of Meditation:122 If you see your mind become lax, or in danger of laxity… And: You see your mind become excited or in danger of becoming excited. Until you develop such vigilance, you cannot reliably conclude that you have had flawless meditation—free of laxity and excitement— during a given period

of time. This is because, not having developed powerful vigilance, you cannot be sure whether laxity and excitement have occurred. Likewise, in a passage that begins, “There is recognition of laxity and excitement…,” Maitreya’s Separation of the Middle from the Extremes123 says that you need vigilance in order to recognize laxity and excitement. Accordingly, if you have not developed vigilance such as would preclude any failure to recognize the presence of

laxity or excitement, then even if you try to meditate for a long time you will pass the time under the influence of subtle laxity and excitement, failing to sense laxity and excitement while they are occurring.


Question: How do you develop this vigilance? Reply: Its most important cause is the process of maintaining mindfulness which I explained above.124 If you can develop continual mindfulness, you will be able to avoid forgetting the object of meditation and becoming distracted. Thus, since this prevents a prolonged failure to sense the presence of laxity and excitement, you can easily recognize laxity and excitement. This will be perfectly evident if you examine in terms of your own experience how long it takes to recognize laxity and excitement when mindfulness is impaired and how quickly you recognize

them when it is not impaired. With this in mind, ⁄›ntideva’s Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds states:125 [518] When mindfulness dwells At the gate of your mind for its protection, Then vigilance will appear. And Sthiramati’s Explanation of the “Separation of the Middle from the Extremes”states:126 The statement, “There is recognition of laxity and excitement by vigilance if mindfulness does not lapse,” indicates that mindfulness, when fully present, is

accompanied by vigilance. That is why it says, “if mindfulness does not lapse….” The following cause of vigilance is distinctive to the way to maintain vigilance. Focus your mind on a visualized image of the body of a deity, etc., or focus on a subjective aspect such as the quality of experience being simply luminous and aware. Then, while you stay mindful as explained above, hold your attention on the object while continuously monitoring whether it is scattering elsewhere. Know that this is critical for the maintenance of vigilance. As ⁄›ntideva’s Engaging in the Bodhisattva Deeds says:127 Examining again and again The states of the body and the mind— Just that, in brief, Is what it means to preserve vigilance. Thus, with this method you develop

vigilance that notices laxity and excitement when they are on the verge of arising, while with the method for maintaining mindfulness you prevent forgetfulness in which attention is distracted and slips away. Hence, you have to properly distinguish these two. Otherwise, if you practice as is done nowadays—combining all these awarenesses with no understanding of


their distinctions—I am afraid that the concentration resulting from a muddled cause will itself be muddled. Therefore, it is very important to make a very precise analysis of this in accordance with each of the major authoritative texts, and then to determine it in your practice. Do not place your hopes on sheer determination, for firyaŸÒra’s Compendium of the Perfections says:128 Using only joyous perseverance, you will end up exhausted. If you practice with the aid of wisdom, you will achieve the great goal. [519]


(b’)) Using the remedy for failing to try to eliminate them even when they are recognized As explained above, you develop very powerful mindfulness and vigilance through proper use of the methods for maintaining mindfulness and vigilance. Vigilance is then able to notice even very subtle laxity and

excitement, so there is no problem recognizing the occurrence of laxity and excitement. However, when you make no effort to stop those two as soon as they arise, your complacency or failure to apply yourself constitutes an extremely serious problem for your concentration. For, if you practice in this way,

your mind will form bad habits and then it will be extremely difficult to develop a concentration free of laxity and excitement. Therefore, to remedy a failure to apply yourself to the elimination of laxity and excitement, cultivate the intention called application, or effort. This section has two parts:


(1) intention and the way that it stops laxity and excitement, and

(2) the underlying causes of laxity and excitement.

(1’)) Intention and the way it stops laxity and excitement Asaºga’s Compendium of Knowledge:129 What is intention?


It is the mental activity of applying your mind, having the function of drawing your mind to virtue, nonvirtue, or the ethically neutral. This is how you should understand it. For example, iron filings are compelled to move under the influence of a magnet. Similarly, the mental process of intention moves and stimulates your mind toward virtue, nonvirtue, or the ethically neutral. So it here refers to an intention that applies your mind to the elimination of laxity or excitement when one of them occurs. Question: After you have thus aroused your mind to eliminate laxity and excitement, how do you stop laxity and excitement?


Reply: Mental laxity involves a very excessive inward withdrawal, leading to a slippage in the way you apprehend the object of meditation; so you should direct your mind to delightful things that cause it to expand outward. [520] This should be something like a very beautiful image of the Buddha, not

something delightful that gives rise to afflictions. Or bring to mind an image of light, such as sunlight. When this clears away laxity, immediately tighten the way you apprehend the object and sustain that in meditation. As KamalaŸıla’s first Stages of Meditation explains:130 How? When you are overcome with lethargy and sleepiness, when there is a lack of clarity in your apprehension of the object of meditation and your mind has become lax, then meditate

on the idea of light or bring to mind the most delightful things, such as the qualities of the Buddha. Dispel laxity in this way and firmly hold on to the object of meditation. In this situation, do not meditate on a disenchanting object because disenchantment causes your mind to withdraw inward. When you expand your mind by using discerning wisdom to analyze an object of your choice, this also stops laxity. firyaŸÒra’s Compendium of the Perfections says:131

When slack, your mind is stimulated and inspired By virtue of the energy of striving for insight. Thus laxity, or slackness, is as follows. The state of mind the two terms describe is called “laxity” because there is a decline in the way you apprehend the object of meditation. It is called “slackness” because there is an excessive withdrawal inward. You counteract it by stimulating the way you apprehend the object and by making the object of meditation

extensive, so as to expand your mind. Bh›vaviveka’s Heart of the Middle Way states:132 In the case of slackness, expand your mind By meditating on an extensive object. And: Further, in the case of slackness, inspire yourself By observing the benefits of joyous perseverance. Also, ⁄›ntideva’s Compendium of Trainings (⁄ik˝›-samuccaya) states:133 “If your mind becomes slack, inspire yourself by cultivating delight.” The great scholars and adepts are in agreement on this matter. So here is the most important remedy for stopping laxity: When you reflect on the good qualities of such things as the three jewels,


the benefits of the spirit of enlightenment, and the great significance of attaining leisure,134 it should have a bracing effect on your mind, just as cold water is thrown in the face of a sleeping person. [521] This depends on your having had experience with discerning analytical meditation on these

beneficial topics. If you cultivate a remedy for being accustomed to the underlying causes of laxity—namely, lethargy, sleepiness, and something that induces these two wherein your mind takes on a gloomy aspect—then laxity resulting from these causes will not arise or, if it has arisen, will stop. In

this regard, Asaºga’s ⁄r›vaka Levels suggests such activities as going for a walk; holding an image of brightness in your mind and familiarizing yourself with it repeatedly; pursuing any of the six recollections—the Buddha, the teaching, the community, ethical discipline, generosity, and the deities;135

stimulating your mind by means of other inspiring objects of meditation; orally reciting teachings that discuss the faults of lethargy and sleepiness; gazing in different directions and at the moon and stars; and washing your face with water. Also, if laxity is very slight and occurs only infrequently,

tighten up your apprehension of the object and continue meditating; but if laxity is dense and seems to occur repeatedly, suspend your cultivation of concentration, clear away laxity using any of those remedies, and then resume your meditation. Whether your object of meditation entails directing your

mind inward or outward, if the object is unclear and you have the sense of darkness—slight or dense—descending on your mind, then it will be hard to cut through laxity if you continue to meditate without eliminating it. Therefore, as a remedy for that, repeatedly meditate on the appearance of light.

Asaºga’s ⁄r›vaka Levels states:136 Cultivate serenity and insight correctly, with a mind that is bright and radiant, a mind of clear light, free of gloom. On the way to serenity and insight, meditate on a sense of brightness in this way. [522] If you do, then even if at the outset your interest in an object of meditation is dull and brightness is fading, the cause and condition of having accustomed yourself to that meditation will clarify your interest in the object of meditation and lead to great brightness. If there is clarity and great brightness at the outset, clarity and brightness will later become still

more vast. So since he says you should cultivate brightness even when the object of meditation is clear from the beginning, this is all the more true when it is unclear. Asaºga’s ⁄r›vaka Levels also describes how to hold the sign of brightness in meditation:137


Hold in meditation the sign of brightness from the light of an oil lamp, the light of a bonfire, or the orb of the sun. Meditate on the sign of brightness not only while cultivating concentration, but on other occasions as well. In the case of excitement, out of attachment your attention pursues objects such as forms and sounds; so in response to that, bring to mind disillusioning things that cause your attention to be drawn inward. As soon as this calms the

excitement, settle your mind on the earlier object of meditation. KamalaŸıla’s first Stages of Meditation states:138 When you see that your mind is occasionally becoming excited as you recall previous excitement, play, and so forth, calm the excitement by bringing to mind disillusioning things, such as impermanence. Then strive to engage the object of meditation without your mind becoming involved in activity. And Bh›vaviveka’s Heart of the Middle Way

states:139 Calm excitement by bringing to mind Impermanence and so forth. And:140 Pull your mind back from distraction by noting The faults of the distracting objects. Also, ⁄›ntideva’s Compendium of Trainings states:141 “If excitement occurs, calm it by bringing impermanence to mind.” [523] So, if very strong or prolonged excitement arises, it is crucial that you relax the meditation for a while and cultivate a sense of disenchantment, rather than

attempting to pull in your mind and direct it back to the object of meditation every time it becomes scattered. For excitement that is not so dominant, draw in the scattered attention, and fix your attention upon the object of meditation. This is because firyaŸÒra’s Compendium of the Perfections states:142 When your mind becomes excited stop this disturbance By calming it and stabilizing your attention. And Asaºga’s texts on the levels say that the sÒtra

passage, “you focus your mind,” refers to a remedy for excitement. It is generally said that if your mind is excited, you should focus on the object of meditation, while if it is lax, you should think about a delightful object. Asaºga’s ⁄r›vaka Levels states:143 Thus, once your mind has become withdrawn inward and you note that there is slackness or the threat of slackness, maintain and


gladden your mind by thinking of any inspiring things. This is maintaining your mind. How do you settle your mind? While maintaining your mind, when you note that your mind is excited or that there is the threat of excitement, withdraw your mind inward and settle in a calming stabilization. When your mind is excited, do not bring to mind inspiring and delightful objects because this will cause your mind to be distracted outward.


(2’)) The underlying causes of laxity and excitement Asaºga’s Levels of Yogic Deeds states:144 What are the signs of laxity? Not restraining the sensory faculties; not eating in moderation; not making an effort to practice rather than sleeping during the early and later parts of the night; ongoing lack of vigilance; deluded behavior; over-sleeping; being unskillful; being lazy in one’s aspirations, joyous perseverance, intention, and analysis; giving only

partial attention to serenity without accustoming yourself to it and fully refining it; letting your mind stay as though in darkness; and not delighting in focusing on the object of meditation. [524] Here, “signs of laxity” should be understood as the causes of laxity. The word “lazy” applies to joyous

perseverance, intention, and analysis, as well as to aspirations. The same text also states:145 What are the signs of excitement? The first four points listed above for the signs of laxity—not restraining the sensory faculties, etc.; behaving with attachment; having a disquieted manner; lacking a sense of disenchantment; being unskillful; having a great sense of grasping in your aspiration, etc.; failing to accustom yourself to joyous perseverance;

meditating in an unbalanced way without refining your apprehension of the object of meditation; and being distracted by any sort of exciting topic, such as thoughts about relatives. The “signs of excitement” are the causes of excitement. “Great grasping” is an excessive mental hold on a delightful object.

Aspiration, etc.” refers to the four points [[[aspiration]], joyous perseverance, intention, and analysis] explained earlier. Thus the four practices of which restraint of the sensory faculties is the first, which were discussed earlier in the section on practice between meditation sessions,146 are important for stopping both laxity and excitement. Moreover, if you recognize those causes and try to stop them, this is obviously very helpful for interrupting


laxity and excitement. Therefore, use vigilance to notice even subtle laxity and excitement. You should stop laxity and excitement in every possible way, not tolerating them in any form. Maitreya’s Separation of the Middle from the Extremes says that failing to do this is a fault of concentration called

“non-application.” [525] Some may gradually give up, thinking, “Slight excitement and distraction persist even though I cut them off at the outset, so I shall not cut them off.” Or if laxity and excitement are not strong and do not persist for long periods, they may think, “Since they are weak and of brief duration, I do not accumulate karmic obstructions. So I do not need to cut them off.” Those who think this way and fail to apply themselves to the

elimination of these hindrances do not know the right way to achieve concentration, yet pretend that they do. They deceive those who aspire to concentration, for their approach places them outside the tradition of methods for attaining concentration laid down by teachers such as the venerable Maitreya. Moreover, in terms of counteracting laxity and excitement, at the outset you will most often be interrupted by excitement and distraction, so

strive to eliminate them. If, by working on this, you stop gross excitement and distraction, then you will get a little bit of stability; at this point, make an effort to guard against laxity. If you are on guard against laxity with a heightened awareness, then excitement—more subtle than before—may again interrupt your stability. So strive to eliminate this; if you do stop it, then stability will increase. Then laxity will again arise, so try to eliminate

laxity. In summary, withdraw your mind from scattering and excitement, inwardly fixing it upon the object of meditation, and seek stability. Each time stability occurs, take great precautions against laxity and bring forth a vivid intensity. You will achieve flawless concentration by alternating between these two. Do not expect to attain stability by means of mere limpidity, which lacks the vividness that goes along with an intense way of apprehending the

object.

(2)) What to do when laxity and excitement are absent By continuing to meditate after eliminating even subtle laxity and excitement, as explained above, your mind will enter a state of equipoise that is free from the imbalances of either laxity or excitement. [526] At this point, it is a fault of

concentration to apply or exert yourself, so cultivate equanimity as a remedy for this. KamalaŸıla’s second Stages of Meditation says:147 When laxity and excitement have gone and you see that your attention is calmly remaining on the object of meditation, relax your


effort and abide in equanimity; then remain this way for as long as you please. Question: How can it be that applying yourself, or making an effort, turns into a problem? Reply: Through meditation, turning your attention inward when your mind is excited and stimulating your mind when it is lax, you gain

confidence that laxity and excitement will not occur during each suitable meditation session. At this point you are still extremely wary of laxity and excitement, just as at the outset. Sustaining this is the problem. Your mind will become distracted, so at that time you must know to relax, as stated in

KamalaŸıla’s second and third Stages of Meditation:148 “If you exert yourself when your mind has entered a state of equipoise, then your mind will be distracted.” This entails relaxing the effort, but not sacrificing the intensity of the way you apprehend your object. Therefore, this cultivation of equanimity is not to be done every time laxity and excitement are absent, but once you have reduced the force of laxity and excitement; for when you have

not done so, there is no equanimity. Question: What sort of equanimity is this? Reply: Generally, three types of equanimity149 are taught: (1) the feeling

of impartiality, (2) the impartiality that is one among the four immeasurables, and (3) equanimity with respect to application. This is equanimity with respect to application. Its nature is to be understood in accordance with this passage from Asaºga’s ⁄r›vaka Levels:150 [527] What is equanimity? As your

mind attends to objects of meditation associated with serenity and insight, it is focusing with calm settling, spontaneous mental engagement, a sense of mental wellbeing, effortless mental functioning after becoming serviceable, and a mental balance free from the afflictions. When you achieve such

equanimity—on those occasions when laxity and excitement are absent as you cultivate concentration— stay with this equanimity and let your mind rest without exerting strong effort. The signs of this sort of attention are described in the same text:151 What are the signs of equanimity? The object of meditation places your mind in equanimity; your mind is not overflowing with excessive joyous perseverance with respect to the object of meditation. The time for cultivating equanimity is also set forth in that text:152


When is the time for equanimity? In terms of serenity and insight, when your mind is free of laxity and excitement. The above explanations of the method for developing flawless concentration are in accord with the venerable Maitreya’s teachings in the Separation of the Middle from the Extremes:153 Staying

with that joyous perseverance, Your mind becomes serviceable, and you attain all goals. This occurs as a result of eliminating the five faults And relying on the eight antidotes. The five faults are laziness, Forgetting the instructions, Laxity and excitement, Non-application, and application. The eight antidotes are the basis [yearning], that based on it [[[effort]]], The cause [[[confidence]]], the effect [[[pliancy]]], Not forgetting the object of meditation, Recognizing laxity and excitement, Application to eliminate them, And calmly stabilizing your mind when they have been quelled. In those verses, “Staying

with that” refers to keeping up the output of joyous perseverance for the sake of dispelling unfavorable conditions. With this, a concentration in which your mind is serviceable arises. Moreover, since this is the foundation, or basis, of supernormal powers which achieve all goals—superknowledge and so

forth—you attain all goals. What do you do to develop such concentration? [528] It develops as a result of using the eight antidotes in order to eliminate the five faults. These are the five faults: at the time of preparation, laziness is a fault because you do not apply yourself at concentration. When you

are working at concentration, forgetting the instructions is a fault because when you forget the object upon which you were instructed to meditate, your mind is not set in equipoise upon the object of meditation. When it is set in meditative equipoise, laxity and excitement are faults because they make your

mind unserviceable. When laxity and excitement occur, lack of effort [non-application] is a fault because it does not quell those two. When laxity and excitement are absent, the fault is the intention of application. KamalaŸıla’s three Stages of Meditation point out that there are five faults if laxity and excitement are treated as one, six if they are listed separately.


Among the remedies for those faults, the eight antidotes, there are four remedies for laziness—confidence, yearning, effort, and pliancy. Then the remedies for forgetfulness, laxity and excitement, non-application, and application are, respectively, mindfulness, vigilance that recognizes laxity and excitement,

the intention of application, and calmly established equanimity. I explained these extensively above.154 These are the most excellent instructions for achieving concentration. They are set forth in the great master KamalaŸıla’s three Stages of Meditation, as well as many expositions on achieving

concentration by other great Indian scholars. They are also explained in the discussion on achieving serenity in Atisha’s commentary on his own Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment. Earlier gurus of the stages of the path have conveyed a rough idea of these points, yet those wishing to cultivate meditative

stabilization have not understood how to proceed. Thus, I have set this forth at length. That mindfulness and vigilance remove laxity and excitement from your mind’s one-pointed concentration is a common theme to all personal instructions on this practice. [529] So do not think, “This is a teaching particular to the vehicle of dialectics,155 but it is not necessary in the mantra vehicle.” For it is common to the mantra vehicle as well, since this is

also stated in the class of the highest yoga tantras. The second chapter of the first section of the glorious Integration Tantra (Sa˙pu˛i) states:156 The concentration of yearning, the foundation of the supernormal abilities associated with remedial application, is based in solitude; it is based in freedom from attachment; and it is based in cessation. There is thorough transformation by means of correct elimination. With this yearning you meditate without

being very slack or elated…. It also describes the three concentrations of enthusiasm, of analysis, and of the mind in the same way. Serviceable concentration, as explained above, is the basis for attaining qualities such as supernormal abilities. Therefore, since it is like a foundation, it is

called the foundation of supernormal abilities. Texts such as Sthiramati’s Explanation of the “Separation of the Middle from the Extremes” explain that there are four avenues to accomplish this: (1) achieving it through fierce yearning, (2) achieving it through prolonged joyous perseverance, (3) achieving

concentration by discriminating examination of the object of meditation—these first three are called, respectively, yearning concentration, enthusiastic concentration, and

analytical concentration—and (4) achieving one-pointedness of mind based on having in your mind seeds of earlier concentration; this is called mental concentration. “Very slack” refers to excessive relaxation, and “very elated” refers to excessive tightness. The point is that you should sustain a meditation which lacks these two.




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