The Six Perfections, or Paramitas, are guides for practitioners on the Bodhisattva path. By developing these qualities, we can transcend our concept of self and reach the other shore – Enlightenment. The Six Paramitas, or transcendent Perfections, are generosity, ethical conduct, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom. 

Here  we will focus on Dhyana, meditation/concentration.

A Zen proverb paints a quiet scene with the phrase, “Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.” Even imagining this, a state of calm patient embrace of the natural unfolding of all phenomena, can elicit the peace of non-action and acceptance. There is no forcing of outcome, no unnecessary mental activity or processing. There is a natural rhythm and order to life. Such an attitude allows for decompression into fuller awareness and appreciation of the interconnected nature of all beings.

What does this have to do with concentration? Very simply, concentration is how we go about cultivating a mind that is capable of being stable, clear, and calm. It can be difficult to sit quietly, doing nothing, being present as spring arrives, seeing and experiencing grass grow by itself. This is especially true when we are being tossed about by the vicissitudes of changing conditions and circumstances that often destabilize our mental, emotional, and physical being as we grasp and cling and reject in aversiveness.

Imagine concentration as a gentle gathering around a center, just as we might gather around a fire on a cool starry night. We focus on an object and gently remain steady, training our mind to return our attention to our chosen object when distracted. Or we can imagine being on the shore of a river where we wish to gather with others, collecting our family and friends, people  both friendly and discordant, all to board a boat on the river’s edge. Our mind is like this community; its members might be anxious, exuberant, commanding, judgmental, and even loving and wise. All are invited to step into the boat, though some may avoid, struggle, argue, hide, or complain.  Eventually, when calmed and focused on the same intent, most of the group settles into the boat which carries them to the other shore representative of liberation.

The mind has the capacity to be trained and developed. The paramitas, or perfections, the factors of Enlightenment, the Eightfold Path, and other Buddha Dharma teachings point to concentration as a significant capacity of the mind that is to be developed and stabilized in our meditation practice. This “tightening” of the mind through our practice leads us to equanimity.  This state of “equal mindedness” or “dynamic balance” is a component of all sublime states, including Samadhi. Without a collected and stable mind there is no equanimity and no entry into Samadhi. “Tightening and loosening” our efforts culminate in the stability of equanimity which is a part of Samadhi.  

Samadhi, or absorption, often referred to as single pointedness, means the mind is not distracted from focusing on its intentional object. That object of focus or concentration might be beneficial to our own state of being and that of others, or it may not! We can be absorbed in what is wholesome and of value, or we might value what is unwholesome and concentrate on that.  Who knew?! As practitioners we need to notice. We might be following our in and out breathing, while focusing on our irritability and the person who caused  it, constructing narratives and imagined actions. This is not the  focus  we ultimately want.

Samadhi comes about when the mind is “secluded” from all that we call hindrances, compulsively wanting something different than what is present. We then exhaust ourselves and get tired. We may question our capacities, the ability of the teacher and the teaching, or  we might turn away from the Dharma altogether, and away from the path toward recognizing our own inherent birthright of an Awakened mind and heart.

When collecting the mind and not being captured by hindrances, we enter a calm and pleasurable state. This forms a stable base for practice and for meeting life and all that comes with our existence, personally and collectively. This is called positive Samadhi; a true non-dual liberated state where a flame does not flicker and space falls peacefully into space, while we walk, and talk, and nod a “Hello, I see you” to all that is.   

Sitting quietly, watching the grass grow….

For further exploration

5th Paramita: Concentration – Insight Meditation Houston 

How to Deal with Distracted Thoughts during Meditation – Pema Chodron

Two Paths to Meditative Concentration: Directed Effort Versus Letting Go, Part 1 – Zen Studies Podcast

Two Paths to Meditative Concentration: Directed Effort Versus Letting Go, Part 2 – Zen Studies Podcast