The Meditative Concentration (Samādhi) State within Contemplative Practice (Vipaśyanā-caryā)

Practicing contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) every day is an elevation of wisdom for both the mind consciousness and the manas, and of course meditative concentration (samādhi) will also be strengthened. At the beginning of contemplative practice, the components of erroneous cognition/non-valid cognition and inference are greater, but toward the end the component of direct perception/valid direct cognition will become greater and greater, and the mind will increasingly be able to accept that the world of the five aggregates (pañcaskandha) is false and unreal. Contemplative practice has a certain process: as the power of concentration strengthens, the wisdom of contemplative practice also strengthens, and the strengthening of wisdom will in turn promote the strengthening of meditative concentration. As for the dharmas brought forth through contemplative practice, it is relatively easy for the mind consciousness to confirm them, but not easy for the manas. What the mind consciousness confirms alone brings not the slightest change in body and mind; whatever degree of confirmation the manas has achieved, that is the degree of transformation that occurs.

If the manas can apply effort single-mindedly in contemplative practice, taking no interest in anything else, neither clinging much to the body nor clinging much to dharmas, then meditative concentration will appear, and phenomena such as tranquility and physical comfort will arise in the body. As long as the mind is fairly focused and has meditative concentration, the dharma principles that the mind consciousness contemplates and examines will easily be accepted by the manas; once the manas accepts them, they become easy to observe and comprehend, and there will be changes in one's level of understanding, and various meditative concentrations will appear—this is the state of meditative absorption (samādhi).