forestofemptiness Posted July 24, 2010 I posted this over on ZFI, but also wanted to hear the "Taoist" perspective as I am actually a Buddhataoist: 1. To focus on a single concept, object, thought, etc. This is classic samadhi/jhana type concentration. Here, one-pointed refers to the object of meditation. 2. To unify the mind as a whole--- i.e. to look with a single, wide-angle lens. This is more of the open-awareness type model. Here, one-pointed means unified, relating to the mind. Of course, these two simply represent two ends of the spectrum. With concentration practice, it requires a lot of effort and motivation (at least, to get it up and running before effort drops away). With more open awareness, there is the danger of shading off into semi- or un-consciousness. In my personal practice, I find that concentration practice is becoming harder because I'm feeling more and more the adage "nowhere to go, nothing to do." Of course, in concentration practices, I really learned about the emptiness of the mind. My unproven theory on this is that the first is more suitable to long retreats and monastic environments, while the second is more useful in daily life. Matt Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
