The Process of Cultivating Access Concentration

Miemie's Meditation Experience: In October 2022, during a short retreat in my room, by the third day, my thoughts began to diminish. By the fifth night, distracting thoughts had almost entirely ceased, with only rare occurrences. Suddenly, an aspiration spontaneously arose within me: to be free from worldly love and attachment throughout all my lifetimes. Immediately, a sensation of qi surged within me, inflating like a balloon and supporting my entire body. During this, I could hear the cracking sounds of my bones, and my mind became focused, no longer scattered. The next day, I felt physically and mentally joyful, my worries about the future vanished, and my thinking became clear and sharp. After this, I believed in the power of meditative absorption (dhyāna) and my resolve was strengthened. I continued sitting in meditation but did not achieve any further breakthroughs.

In September 2023, I went to pay homage to the Sixth Patriarch. Along the way, I saw numerous animal carcasses, which aroused great fear within me. I thought to myself, "The game of saṃsāra is truly terrifying. From the perspective of animals, Earth is nothing but hell." During this time, while listening to the "Chapter on Repentance" in the Platform Sutra, I fell asleep. In a dream, I saw my own karmic actions from a high-altitude perspective, deeply realizing the heaviness of my karma, and a sense of shame arose within me. When I arrived at the Sixth Patriarch Temple, a scripture suddenly appeared in my mind: "Where there is self, sin arises; where merit is forgotten, blessings are incomparable." In December, after returning home, I felt deeply ashamed and stayed in my room practicing meditation.

Around May 2024, fellow practitioners invited me to meditate together. We sat intermittently from 8 PM until after 5 AM. An idea arose in my mind: "I dedicate all the merit from my practice throughout countless lifetimes to you, may you swiftly attain Buddhahood and liberate sentient beings. It doesn't matter who becomes a Buddha first, because sentient beings suffer so much." As soon as this thought arose, an energy appeared behind me, flowing upwards. It felt different from the previous qi sensation; it was more like a liquid, making me feel extremely light. Simultaneously, my breathing instantly changed, becoming subtle to the point of seeming non-existent.

In the following days of meditation, distracting thoughts ceased entirely, and my body felt extremely light, as if weightless. While sitting, phenomena such as the body dissolving into emptiness and continuous visualization appeared. One day, as soon as I sat down, my body instantly vanished. The so-called world also disappeared; there was no matter at all, only a single "consciousness." The feelings and thoughts of this consciousness were present; it felt like being locked in a large prison cell, searching and longing for something. There was a tangible sense of existence. That state had no language, yet there was a kind of understanding. I felt I understood that the body is not the self, and I also understood the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination.

After emerging from meditation, my mind was peaceful and my heart was open. I felt as if everyone was a friend. When interacting with people, I could think from their perspective. I became aware of the limitations of my own perceptions, no longer immediately rejecting things, maintaining an awareness of my own partiality. Moreover, I saw the labels I had attached to all sorts of people, things, and events. It was as if I was operating according to a set program, which made me even more afraid. I thought, "This karmic force is too heavy; I am completely trapped in a cage." My resolve to practice became even firmer.

Commentary: During meditation, the aspiration to sever worldly love and attachment arises spontaneously. It is not thought out; it is the manas (mind-root), ripened through practice, naturally initiating it. When the manas has this wholesome volitional formation (cetanā), a single wholesome thought arises, desiring to cut off afflictions. The body follows the mind's transformation; qi and channels surge throughout the body, internally and externally. The body changes, and both body and mind become joyful; worries and afflictions dissipate. It is evident that a single wholesome thought transforms both body and mind, deepening meditative absorption. Those with poor health can appropriately shift their mindset, frequently generating wholesome aspirations and pure, great vows. As the environment follows the mind's transformation, breakthroughs in body, mind, and world will occur.

"Where there is self, sin arises; where merit is forgotten, blessings are incomparable." All sinful karma arises because of the existence of self. Without self, there is nothing to seek; many actions need not be performed, as actions are done for the sake of my desires and pursuits. If everyone carefully observes all their bodily, verbal, and mental actions, they will find that the vast majority of these actions stem from self and self-attachment. For the sake of that self, countless actions are generated, including unnecessary high demands, chasing after wealth, sensual pleasures, fame, food, and sleep, sights, sounds, smells, tastes, touches, and dharmas, never knowing satisfaction.

If one can eliminate the self, the resulting merit and blessings are supreme, incomparable to anything in the world. Such verses naturally appear in the mind due to the arising of fear towards saṃsāra and shame towards past unwholesome karma. These are wholesome mental factors (kuśala-caitasika). From the arising of this wholesome root, wholesome words naturally appear in the mind.

The body disappears, and all worlds vanish, leaving only a single consciousness. This is not consciousness (vijñāna), but the manas (mind-root), isolated, without language, realizing that the body is not the self, being produced by causes and conditions. This wholesome state was induced by the wholesome thoughts and actions of dedicating merit and liberating sentient beings. The wholesome mind transformed the state, and the state became wholesome.

In summary, all phenomena in the world arise from mental formations. To transform worldly phenomena, one must first transform the mind. When a single wholesome thought arises, a million obstacles vanish; when a single unwholesome thought arises, a million obstacles appear. The essence of practice is to cultivate the mind. If one abandons cultivating the mind and constantly seeks something from the body, it is like whipping the cart instead of the horse. Cultivating the mind is the shortcut, the direct path; cultivating the body is the winding path, the detour. How to cultivate the mind? Observe your own mind, observe all the thoughts that arise in the mind, discern right from wrong, good from evil, straight from crooked, continuously generate wholesome thoughts, sever unwholesome thoughts, and the state will transform from unwholesome to wholesome; everything will become wholesome.

The Buddha teaches us in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Flower Garland Sutra) that at all times, in every arising thought, every action performed, we should recite wholesome mantras, generate wholesome thoughts, leaving no space for unwholesome thoughts. Persisting long-term, the mind will inevitably become wholesome, and all states will become wholesome. When you have time, read the relevant chapters of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra yourself, learn how to recite mantras, what mantras to recite, and what thoughts the mind should generate according to different objects of perception.