The Difference Between Meditative Concentration and Tranquility

Meditation (samādhi) includes stillness; stillness is the initial stage of meditative concentration and its earliest form of manifestation. First, the body becomes still and unmoving; next, the thoughts of the mind settle into quietude. As it develops further, the meditative concentration deepens—it is no longer merely stillness of body and mind; some dharmas begin to disappear, the mind becomes even more focused and unified, and eventually even the thoughts of the mind vanish. At the level of the second dhyāna and above, the five consciousnesses disappear; at the level of the fourth dhyāna and above, breathing, pulse, and heartbeat cease and disappear. The deeper the meditative concentration, the fewer the dharmas that appear. Whether many or few dharmas appear is determined by the manas; the depth of meditative concentration lies in whether the manas has been subdued, and in the question of how many dharmas the manas is clinging to and engaging with.