forestofclarity Posted July 24, 2010 I posted this over on ZFI, but also wanted to hear the "Taoist" perspective as I am actually a Buddhataoist: Â 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. Â 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. Â Of course, these two simply represent two ends of the spectrum. Â 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. Â 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. Â Matt Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
