ATTENTION

If we want to recall and visualize the number (Initial Application), then continue working with it in the arithmetic task (Sustained Application), we must focus and cling tightly to what we're doing.[1] The problem is that our attention often gets scattered—called away by all kinds of stimuli: External: noise from voices, footsteps, doors opening or closing, barking dogs, meowing cats, our spouse or kids calling out; Internal: temperature discomfort, itching, bland taste in the mouth, stomach pain/hunger, needing to pee, etc. And let’s not forget spontaneous outbursts of karmic forces (?). To fight all of this and win back our attention to focus on the task at hand, it’s important to understand what influences it.[2]

Because attention is tied to consciousness, it too has limits. At any given moment, billions of events and phenomena occur around us. Trying to pay attention to all of them would drive anyone mad. By natural instinct, the brain only selects certain stimuli to focus on (Selective Attention) and ignores the rest. Researchers classify attention in different ways. Here, I focus on one particular distinction: passive attention and active attention.

(1) Passive Attention. This kind of attention is triggered by external factors, beyond our control or intention. These may include:

     (1.1) Sound. Noise and voices are particularly unwelcome during meditation. High-frequency sounds, shifting unpredictably and layered with different sources, are highly distracting. Interestingly, sounds from loved ones tend to be less disturbing than those from people we dislike 😊.[3] Likewise, sounds with positive meaning are less disruptive than those carrying negative associations. [4] Still, the more noise there is, the more energetically our wandering thoughts will jump around like they’re at a disco.

     (1.2) Visuals. Color, movement, direction, and size are all prominent visual features that easily attract attention. Other visual properties like texture, brightness, or shape also affect attention, just to varying degrees.[5] Of course, during meditation when our eyes are shut, these visual distractions are eliminated. However, if we're looking at numbers before meditating, it’s worth noting how these visual factors might help or hinder memory recall during practice (see again the earlier section on working memory load).

(2) Active Attention. This is attention that we intentionally direct. Internal factors that contribute include:

     (2.1) Task difficulty and complexity. Drawing from Cognitive Load Theory, this is what creates the "math problem" for the mind to work on.

     (2.2) Goals and expectations. For example, we may aim to finish a certain computation in order to move on to another, or we may impose a two-minute time limit.

     (2.3) Interest and curiosity. If we enjoy challenges or solving complex problems, our attention is naturally drawn in.[6] (Of course, if we only enjoy easy problems, that still counts as interest—but it won’t be enough to overload WM.)

     (2.4) Benefits or rewards. Things that offer personal benefit also attract attention.[7] Naturally, meditation isn’t about monetary gain—but inner rewards do matter: reaching a meditative state, experiencing peace and lightness, and eventually achieving deeper tranquility (Santi).

     (2.5) 2.5. Determination, effort, and persistence. These are crucial for gathering the mind and directing attention to the task. The stronger the attention, the sharper and more stable the concentration. At that point, we’ll be better able to ignore both external and internal distractions.[8]

Besides this categorization, researchers also distinguish attention by spatial focus (Spatial Attention). Over the past few days, while entering concentration, I’ve gained deeper insight into this:

(3) Overt Attention (direct and clear attention): This is when, during one-pointedness, I direct my perception toward a specific point in space—say, just one or two hand spans in front of me. This attention is conscious, deliberate, and fixed. In other words, I know exactly where the point is, and my “inner eye” is aimed straight at it. When I hold this for a while, pleasurable sensations (pīti) arise in waves—coming, going, gently ebbing and sometimes surging again, depending on the quality of concentration.

(4) Covert Attention (indirect attention): This is when we look in one direction but don’t focus on any specific point, or when our awareness is elsewhere entirely. Like a student looking at the teacher but thinking about something completely unrelated—or dreaming about a girl across the room that he likes 😊. During deep concentration, I can shift my attention from a specific point to a general region in space. Or I can visually focus nearby but mentally push my attention toward a distant point.[9] So how does the quality of bliss (pīti) compare between these two types of attention? It depends. If one-pointedness is strong, both types of attention seem to produce the same kind of bliss. But sometimes, broad attention causes the bliss to feel stronger or more expansive.[10] However, if the quality of concentration is not yet stable, broad attention is more easily pulled away or distracted. Therefore, during the stage where the working memory is being deliberately overloaded, overt (direct) attention is the most effective method. 

(End of Part 5/8)

Notes:

[1] Thầy Master Tibu has said many times: “Make the mind follow your will.”

[2] I mainly drew from the following paper: Carrasco (2011). Vision Research 51, 1484–1525.

[3] This connects to the practice of meditating with a bell in HSTĐ.

[4] See Marsh, Perham, and Hughes, 2018. Postcategorical auditory distraction in short-term memory: Insights from increased task load and task type. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 44(6), 882–897.

[5] See Wolfe, Horowitz, 2004. What attributes guide the deployment of visual attention and how do they do it? Perspectives 5, 1–7.

[6] See Navalpakkam, Kumar, Li, and Sivakumar, 2012. Attention and selection in online choice tasks. Springer-Verlag Berlin Hedkelberg.

[7] See Anderson, Laurent, and Yantis, 2011. Value-driven attentional capture. PNAS 108(25), 10368–10371.

[8] See Sorqvist, Dahlstrom, Karlsson, and Ronnberg, 2016. Concentration: The neural underpinnings of how cognitive load shields against distraction. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 10, 1–10. Sorqvist, Marsh, 2015. How concentration shields against distraction. Current Directions in Psychological Science 24(4), 267–272.

[9] Understanding this also helped me answer something I once told Master Tibu: “I don’t understand why my attention seems go past the focal point.”

[10] https://qz.com/1503207/a-nobel-prize-winning-psychologist-defines-happiness-versus-satisfaction/. See also this interview for an interesting discussion on the difference between happiness and satisfaction.