By Victor M Fontane
The essence of meditation lies in remaining unmoved by thoughts and breath, requiring acute awareness and non-judgmental observation. Observing changes in breath frequency caused by thoughts reveals the subtle interplay between them, driven by karmic forces within the ālaya-vijñāna (store consciousness).
True observation is a non-judgmental, non-interfering awareness. Even when thoughts of deceased loved ones arise, be they pleasant memories or painful regrets, one simply observes them as they are, without being swept away by these thoughts or swayed by emotions. This necessitates a profound equanimity, treating virtuous thoughts, negative thoughts, happiness, and suffering with equal regard. The reason being that these are all past, clinging to attachment and aversion only brings self-inflicted suffering. If regret arises, those who understand the law of karma know that regret itself sows karmic seeds. Various twelve-linked chains of dependent origination ( pratītyasamutpāda) can manifest. Inevitably, due to these affinities and disaffinities ( saṃskāra), reencounter will occur.
If breath and body are still affected by thoughts, it indicates lingering attachments. The purpose of meditation is to become aware of and release these attachments.
Through such observation (*vipaśyanā*), the five aggregates (*skandhas*) will lessen their manifestation within thoughts, thereby reducing the manas-vijñāna (mind consciousness) from generating further attachments and sowing karmic seeds. This is the transformation of consciousness into wisdom (*jñāna*).
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