Date: 03/08/2025 03/09/2025
Location: Star River Meditation Center
Teacher: Yunquan Huang
Sitting Meditation
The Stages of Meditation
Meditative concentration unfolds gradually. It moves from scattered awareness to stability, then into clarity, and finally into insight. These stages are not levels of achievement but natural developments of the mind becoming calmer and clearer.
1.Stage One: Moments of Calm Within Restlessness (Beginning Coarse Concentration)
1.Characteristics
Many thoughts, but occasional pauses
Breath becomes more noticeable
Awareness of being distracted
Early signs of mindfulness
2.Meaning
The doorway to meditation—stepping out of automatic thinking.
2.Stage Two: Ability to Stay With a Single Object (Basic Stability)
1.Characteristics
Breath or bodily sensation becomes the anchor
Mind wanders but returns easily
Growing sense of steadiness
Body begins to relax
2.Meaning
The mind learns to rest in one place.
3.Stage Three: Deep Relaxation and Steady Resting (Coarse Concentration Completed)
1.Characteristics
Breath becomes soft and long
Body feels grounded
Thoughts decrease or lose momentum
A sense of gentle stability
2.Meaning
The base for deeper concentration is established.
4.Stage Four: Beginning Subtle Concentration (Calmness with Brightness)
1.Characteristics
Breath becomes extremely subtle
Thoughts arise lightly but do not disturb
A soft brightness in awareness
Effortless resting
2.Meaning
Transition from calmness into clarity.
5.Stage Five: Deep Subtle Concentration (Unification of Mind)
1.Characteristics
Mind steady like a still lake
Very few mental movements
Continuous awareness
Emotional quietness
2.Meaning
A unified mind capable of deep observation.
6.Stage Six: Wisdom Arises Within Concentration (Integration of Calm and Insight)
1.Characteristics
Calm and clarity merge
Insight into impermanence and non-self appears naturally
Mind becomes wide, stable, and sharp
No longer carried by thoughts or emotions
2.Meaning
Meditation becomes a channel for wisdom, not only quietness.
7.Stage Seven: Mature Concentration and Insight (Natural Abiding)
1.Characteristics
Stability and clarity continue in daily life
Awareness is natural and effortless
Emotions arise and dissolve without disturbance
Meditation integrates with living
2.Meaning
Meditation becomes the natural condition of the mind.
Conclusion
Meditation progresses from scattered to steady,from steady to clear,and from clear to wise.These stages reflect the mind returning to its natural state—calm, bright, and free.
