The Relationship Between the Manas and Meditative Concentration (Samādhi) States

When the contemplation of the white bones is carried through to the end, the samādhi of white-bone contemplation is accomplished: with eyes open or closed, one can see that one's own and others' material bodies are all white bones. This belongs to form born of meditative attainment (samādhi-retribution form), which others cannot see; only those who have cultivated this samādhi state can see it. Such a state of samādhi comes about through the mind consciousness's long-term contemplative visualization, which successfully permeates and transforms the manas. The manas then comes to regard the material body as being in the form of white bones, and thus the tathāgatagarbha manifests the appearance of white bones. The mind consciousness can then see the white-bone appearance at any time and place, and thus the visualization is accomplished.

Therefore, all states of meditative concentration and all samādhis are the result of the mind consciousness's visualization successfully permeating and transforming the manas. In other words, only when the manas is brought to accomplishment does the samādhi state appear. The mind consciousness easily accepts various theories; it is only that the manas, because of its deep ignorance and strong habitual tendencies, is very hard to convince—and this is what makes cultivation difficult. Each sentient being's manas differs in its degree of ignorance and in its habitual tendencies. The thinner the ignorance, the faster the cultivation progresses, the more easily meditative concentration arises, the more easily one enters samādhi, and the more easily one realizes the Dharma. When the white-bone contemplation is accomplished, the self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi) is severed, the body is denied as self, craving is subdued, one no longer grasps at the body, and one gains a measure of liberation.

The same is true of the contemplation of the sun, and indeed of all contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) without exception; and the same is true of all states of meditative concentration and all great wisdom.