Cedric in Miami, FL.:
I was wondering why is it that with progress in insight (attainment of further paths etc) that concentrations abilities (think ability to attain jhanas) tend to increase concomitantly.
What is the mechanism behind this?
What is increased as a result of progress in insight?
The short answer is mindfulness (
sati). As insight into the mediums that facilitate greater awareness of what causes one's
dukkha begin to take place, one realizes that
lack of mindfulness is the key element that has caused one to devolve down into
dukkha (dissatisfaction), to experience unsatisfactoriness from life.
Mindfulness is concentration's older brother, so to speak. Mindfulness brings into focus a much wider range of phenomena than concentration, which itself has a narrow focus upon only one object at a time. Mindfulness can be translated as "presence of mind" about objects, having "recollection" of their meaningful elements. Mindfulness is an all-encompassing activity. It encompasses a whole panorama of objects and therefore results in an increased ability to stay in the present moment and thus to avoid causing oneself
dukkha! See?
Mindfulness, coupled with insight, helps in the increase of concentration abilities in terms of one's being able to improve ones level of concentration to the level of
dhyana. The insight lets one know what he is doing right (in terms of meditation) so that he can repeat those actions in order to enter
dhyana at will. And
dhyana (at least in my experience) helps one to develop and to be able to sustain deeper levels of concentration for longer periods of duration, which in turn helps one to increase mindfulness in areas outside of meditation practice (meaning normal waking life). Think of
dhyana as reaching deeper and deeper levels of calm and tranquility such that the mind can become more easily established in
appana samadhi or "fixed concentration."
It is from this level of
samadhi (this calm and tranquil state that feels "rock solid" as though one could go on forever) that one can make progress in the "progress of insight."
Cedric in Miami, FL.:
Is it that the generalized tension associated with strong belief in self is weakened and that tension dis-facilitates subtle/deeper levels of attention? This would seem to make sense.
Maybe so. It all depends on how one views these things and what you mean by the term "dis-facilitates." I take it that you meant to say "de-facilitates?" If by "dis-facilitate" you mean "to take away" or "to subtract" from "deeper levels of attention," I hardly see that as a beneficial attribute in the development of awakening and the progress of insight. Do you? Or did you misspeak here and mean to say something different?
