Four Developments of Concentration

Monks, there are these four developments of concentration.

What four?

(1) There is a development of concentration that leads to residing peacefully in this very life.

(2) There is a development of concentration that leads to obtaining wisdom and vision.

(3) There is a development of concentration that leads to mindfulness and clear comprehension.

(4) There is a development of concentration that leads to the destruction of the taints.

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(1) And what, Monks, is the development of concentration that leads to residing peacefully in this very life?

Here, a Monk, distant from sense-desires, distant from unwholesome mental states, enters and resides in the first Jhāna, which is with thinking and pondering, based in seclusion, filled with excitement and joy. And with the subsiding of thinking and pondering, by gaining inner tranquility and oneness of mind, he enters and resides in the second Jhāna, which is without thinking and pondering, based in concentration, filled with excitement and joy. And with the fading away of excitement, remaining imperturbable (unable to be upset or excited; calm; serene), mindful and clearly aware, he experiences in himself the joy of which the Noble Ones say:

‘Peaceful is he who resides with equanimity and mindfulness’, he enters the third Jhāna. And, having given up pleasure and pain, and with the fading away of former gladness and sadness, he enters and resides in the fourth Jhāna, which is beyond pleasure and pain, and purified by equanimity and mindfulness.

This is called the development of concentration that leads to residing peacefully in this very life.

(2) And what is the development of concentration that leads to obtaining wisdom and vision?

Here, a Monk attends to the perception of light; he focuses on the perception of day thus: As by day, so at night; as at night, so by day. Thus, with a mind that is open and uncovered, he develops a mind permeating (filled) with brightness.

This is the development of concentration that leads to obtaining wisdom and vision.

(3) And what is the development of concentration that leads to mindfulness and clear comprehension?

Here, a Monk knows feelings as they arise, as they remain present, as they disappear; he knows perceptions as they arise, as they remain present, as they disappear; he knows thoughts as they arise, as they remain present, as they disappear.

This is the development of concentration that leads to mindfulness and clear comprehension.

(4) And what is the development of concentration that leads to the destruction of the taints?

Here, a Monk resides reflecting on arising and vanishing in The Five Aggregates subject to clinging:

Such is form, such its origin, such its passing away; such is feeling, such its origin, such its passing away; such is perception, such its origin, such its passing away; such are volitional formations (choices/decisions), such its origin, such its passing away; such is consciousness, such its origin, such its passing away.

This is the development of concentration that leads to the destruction of the taints.

These are the four developments of concentration.

(Reference: AN 4.41)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares “Four Developments of Concentration”.

These are the four (4) ways to develop concentration in the mind.

Concentration is a highly important quality of mind that a Practitioner will need to develop that benefits you on The Path to Enlightenment and in daily life.

It is when the mind is muddled, confused, and lacking comprehension that we find life difficult and a struggle. We have difficulties and struggles in relationships, in our profession, in learning, and in completing daily tasks, etc. Through a well developed mind, a Practitioner will develop concentration and clarity of mind benefiting you in improving the quality of life through being able to conduct life with ease.

It is training the mind through practicing the entire Eight Fold Path that concentration is developed, especially with meditation.

Meditation is a technique to actively train the mind during dedicated, independent, purposeful training sessions to eliminate unwholesome qualities of the mind and/or cultivate wholesome qualities of the mind in the positions of seated, lying, standing, or walking.

While The Eight Fold Path and meditation is the training a Practitioner will employ to cultivate concentration, The Buddha shares this Teaching beyond the basics of The Eight Fold Path helping a Practitioner to more deeply develop concentration as an important quality of mind that a Practitioner will find benefits with the development of their life practice.

(1) First, “there is a development of concentration that leads to residing peacefully in this very life”.

The Buddha explains the attainment of the Jhānas as the way to develop concentration that leads to residing peacefully in this very life.

Through training the mind to learn and practice The Eight Fold Path, a Practitioner’s mind will eventually experience the Jhānas. The Jhānas are preliminary phases the mind experiences prior to entering the first Stage of Enlightenment. There are several qualities of mind that are experienced as a Practitioner enters into the Jhānas that will benefit them throughout their daily life such as mindfulness, equanimity, joy, the unification of the mind (i.e. elimination of subconscious thoughts motivating unskillful behavior), and concentration.

An unEnlightened mind that is not learning and practicing these Teachings compared to the unEnlightened mind that is learning and practicing these Teachings and has attained the Jhānas, is like “night and day”. There is a significant difference, with increased benefits in the quality of mind experienced, when the mind has attained the Jhānas. The benefits of the Jhānas are experienced throughout one’s day, not only in meditation.

The Jhānas are so profound, many Practitioners mistakenly believe they have attained Enlightenment but are instead, just experiencing the Jhānas. In the Jhānas, the mind will still be experiencing discontentedness but, to a much lesser degree.

A Practitioner entering the Jhānas is an indication that they are successfully understanding and implementing The Eight Fold Path. At this point, it is time for the Practitioner to continue their learning, reflection, and practice of The Eight Fold Path, with all the other Teachings, while starting to focus on the elimination of The Ten Fetters.

Explanation of the Jhānas is available in this same book series found in Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 of the book “Developing a Life Practice: The Path That Leads to Enlightenment” (Volume 1).

You can find a detailed explanation of the Jhānas through these additional resources:

(YouTube) The Eight Fold Path - Mental Discipline (Part 3 of 3) - (Group Learning Program) https://youtu.be/O_1vFGBiGXU

(Podcast) Ep. 145 - The Eight Fold Path - Mental Discipline (Part 3 of 3) - (Group Learning Program) https://anchor.fm/buddhadailywisdom/episodes/Ep--145---The-Eight-Fold-Path---Mental-Discipline-Part-3-of-3---Group-Learning-Program-eqoh9q/a-a4nacqj

(2) Second, “there is a development of concentration that leads to obtaining wisdom and vision”.

The Buddha explains concentration that leads to wisdom and vision. Wisdom is the antidote or remedy to ignorance (unknowing of true reality). Ignorance is the primary hindrance keeping the mind in the unEnlightened state. Through learning, reflecting, and practicing these Teachings, the mind is liberated from the ignorance having been deeply trained and can then see clearly.

When The Buddha mentions “vision”, he is referring to a Practitioner who is able to “see clearly”. It is wisdom that lifts the mind from the fog of ignorance allowing the Practitioner to see the world with great clarity or brightness.

Gotama Buddha is sharing that through developing concentration, one is able to acquire wisdom and clarity to see the world through “a mind permeating (filled) with brightness”.

An Enlightened mind will not be complaining about the dreadful and miserable aspects of life but instead, be able to see with clear vision the brightness or fullness of life.

While an Enlightened mind is aware of the misery and suffering that exist in the world, perhaps even more so than an unEnlightened mind, the Enlightened mind is able to move beyond the misery and suffering to experience liberation despite the complications and difficulties in the world. An Enlightened mind chooses not to allow the challenges of daily life to burden the mind with constant negativity but instead, is able to function filled with brightness, joy, and positivity.

(3) Third, “there is a development of concentration that leads to mindfulness and clear comprehension”.

The Buddha explains development of concentration that leads to mindfulness and clear comprehension. Mindfulness, or awareness of mind, is useful at all times. To purify the mind, a Practitioner needs to develop awareness of mind and be constantly aware or mindful with clear comprehension.

The Buddha explains that a Practitioner knows feelings, perceptions, and thoughts as they arise, remain present, and disappear. This is accomplished through training the mind in Breathing Mindfulness Meditation and remaining mindful or aware of the mind throughout the day.

As a Practitioner observes the mind is lost in day dreams, wanders away from a topic of conversation, or becomes cluttered during a daily task, they need to cut off and let go of the invading feelings, perceptions, and thoughts bringing the mind back to the current task.

A Practitioner actively develops mindfulness and clear comprehension both inside and outside of meditation. While meditation is the consistent ongoing training employed 2-3 times per day, to attain Enlightenment a Practitioner will need to develop mindfulness and clear comprehension outside of meditation as well.

This all culminates into a Practitioner developing deep concentration to benefit you in all parts of your life.

(4) Forth, “there is a development of concentration that leads to the destruction of the taints”.

The Buddha explains development of concentration that leads to the destruction of the taints. The taints are the pollution of the unEnlightened mind also referred to as the fetters or The Ten Fetters.

It is through eliminating The Ten Fetters that a Practitioner develops concentration as the mind is liberated from the pollution of the taints. The mind will no longer be tainted by the unwholesome qualities that plague the unEnlightened mind.

The Buddha shares that it is “reflecting on arising and vanishing in The Five Aggregates subject to clinging” that leads to development of concentration that leads to the destruction of the taints. The Five Aggregates are what makes a being, a being.

Form, Feelings, Perceptions, Volitional Formations, and Consciousness.

The Five Aggregates

Form: the physical body. Feelings: results of experiences in the mind through The Six Sense Bases. Perceptions: a belief or opinion based on how things seem. Volitional Formations: choices or decisions that are made. Consciousness: the mind.

It is when the mind “clings” or “holds on” to The Five Aggregates that the mind experiences discontentedness. Observing the impermanent nature of The Five Aggregates, a being can “let go” no longer experiencing discontentedness due to “holding on” to The Five Aggregates.

The Buddha advises that a Practitioner should understand the origin and passing away of The Five Aggregates in order to eliminate the taints. Reflecting on the passing away, fading away, or subsiding of The Five Aggregates helps a Practitioner understand their impermanent nature and trains the mind to “let go” of existence to escape The Cycle of Rebirth. This further assists a Practitioner to realize The Universal Truth of Non-self eliminating the taint of “personal existence view”.

Training the mind to observe the impermanent nature of The Five Aggregates helps a Practitioner eliminate the taint of “sensual desire”, “desire for form”, “desire for formless”, and “ignorance”. As the mind eliminates all of The Ten Fetters, destroying the taints, the Practitioner will experience deep concentration and clarity of mind.

It is through the development of concentration that a Practitioner will find their life practice continually improve realizing increased benefits in daily life.

A Practitioner can gain further understanding of The Five Aggregates and the related Teaching of Dependent Origination in this same book series found in the book “The First Stage of Enlightenment (Stream-Enterer)” (Volume 5).