#tranquil abiding

Attention is an all-accompanying mental factor that functions to move, direct, and focus the mind single-pointedly on its object. There are four types of attention:

1) tight attention

2) interrupted attention

3) uninterrupted attention

4) spontaneous attention

The six forces are methods for attaining and improving the nine mental abidings. These are:

1) the force of listening

2) the force of contemplating

3) the force of mindfulness

4) the force of alertness

5) the force of effort

To attain tranquil abiding we need to gain in succession nine levels of concentration on one object. These are:

1) placing the mind - we find our object and focus our mind on it. We have more distractions than concentration during our meditation session at this stage.

2) continual placement - we are able to hold our object of meditation single-pointedly for about five minutes. We still have many distractions, but less than on the first level. When we lose the object, we need to return to analytical meditation to find it again.

3) replacement - when we lose the object, we can immediately pick it back up again without returning to analytical meditation. Our mindfulness is much stronger and we can meditate for an hour without ever completely losing our object.

4) close placement - we do not forget our object of meditation at any time during the session.

5) controlling - there is no danger of mental excitement or gross mental sinking, but we develop subtle mental sinking when our mind becomes too inwardly gathered. We apply alertness to overcome the obstacle of subtle mental sinking.

6) pacifying - there is no danger of mental sinking or gross mental excitement, but we develop subtle mental excitement due to overapplication of the remedy to mental sinking on the level of controlling. We apply alertness to overcome the obstacle of subtle mental excitement.

7) completely pacifying - we have perfected the powers of mindfulness and alertness, and there is no great danger of subtle mental sinking or subtle mental excitement. If either obstacle arises it can immediately be eliminated through the power of effort.

8) single-pointedness - it is impossible for any mental sinking or mental excitement to develop during meditation. We can focus and remain single-pointedly on our object as long as we like, but we still need to exert effort to maintain concentration.

Buddha taught four types of meditation objects suitable to take as our object of tranquil abiding:

1) pervasive objects - also known as the two truths, conventional truths and ultimate truths. They pervade all objects of tranquil abiding meditation.

2) objects for abandoning individual delusions - opponents to specific delusions, such as thinking about the repulsiveness of something to remove desirous attachment, impermanence for those who suffer from anxiety concerning the welfare of this life, love to remove anger, etc.

3) object for abandoning delusions in general - this is emptiness. By meditating on emptiness we can abandon self-grasping, the root of all delusions.