My Dear Daughter,
While preparing slides for a talk on the topic “Attention, Meditation, and Financial Markets,” I came across several insightful realizations through reflecting on my own meditative practice. My main focus is on attention and the attainment of samādhi (absorption), rather than finance[1] or related matters, which are not essential in this context.
I. Definition of Attention
"Attention is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, of one out of what may seem several simultaneously possible objects or trains of thought. …It implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others.”
The above is a definition of attention by William James[2], an American philosopher and psychologist, from his book The Principles of Psychology (1890). Based on this definition, we can understand that attention is a limited source of energy. As such, we ought to use this resource as wisely as possible. It should not be wasted. Upon further contemplation of this idea, I believe attention has the following characteristics:
- Quantity – This refers to the number of objects that attention is directed toward. The more objects attended to simultaneously, the more divided the attention becomes, thus reducing the quality of focus.
- Quality – The more intense the attention, the sharper and more vivid the object of focus becomes.
- Effectiveness – The better the attention, the more effective the outcomes derived from it. However, these outcomes may arise spontaneously or be the result of intentional effort.
Psychologists categorize attention into many types: selective, focused, divided, passive (involuntary), active (voluntary), overt, covert, and so on. In this reflection, I concentrate only on the type of attention that directly impacts my meditation practice: active attention with a clear and intentional goal.[3]
If we assume that attention can range from level 0 (no attention at all, or below the threshold of conscious awareness) to 100%, then when can we say that we are truly focusing at a particular level?[4] For example, if I stare intently at a bottle of soft drink without any other thought in mind, can I say I am paying 100% attention? The answer is both yes and no. Yes, because the object I’m observing is the bottle as a whole. In this situation, the bottle is the object of attention. But it’s important to realize that the bottle itself contains many attributes: the color of the drink, the bottle’s surface, decorative patterns, text, the cap, etc. So, in this case, my attention is still divided among multiple elements of the same object. Upon realizing this, I then direct my focus toward just one element—say, the bottle cap. Now, is that 100% attention? Still not quite. The cap itself has color, letters, and a shape. If I continue narrowing down further and further, where does the attention go? Based on personal experience, I find that it becomes like an arrow pointing toward a single spot, and the mind stabilizes there. I still don’t know where it ultimately leads, or what the tipping point (breakthrough) might be. Therefore, when speaking of the intensity or percentage of attention, we must also be clear about what the object of reference is.
II. The Function of Attention
Attention is a mechanism for gathering and processing information before a reactive response is made. When this mechanism is applied to how we form our worldview, it can be represented by a model [5] as shown below:
One’s view = A*Truth + (1 – A)*worldview
where:
+ One’s view is our perception, judgment, or opinion about a particular matter.
+ Truth (with a capital T) refers to the true nature of the matter at hand. In this context, it is equivalent to Right View[6], or at least the most accurate understanding of the situation.
+ worldview (or crowd view) represents the collective perspective, beliefs, or philosophies of society or the group. It also includes our own pre-existing opinions, habits, or, karmic influences.
+ A represents the degree of attention, ranging from 0 to 100%.
When confronted with something that requires a response or opinion, we can either rely on the general worldview to form that opinion, or we can direct our attention toward uncovering the truth of the matter before responding. The latter leads to a ‘more accurate’ judgment. This is an example of active attention with the intention of seeking truth.
If this orientation reflects a virtuous and wholesome way of living, the equation evolves into:
One’s wisdom = A*Wisdom + (1 – A)*crowd_wisdom
Our wisdom, our clarity of insight, depends on where we direct our attention: toward the crowd or toward Prajñā (wisdom born from Sīla–Samādhi–Prajñā, i.e., Virtue–Concentration–Wisdom).
Conversely, if our life is guided by unwholesome intentions, then your attention leads to a different outcome:
One’s delusion = A*Falsification + (1 – A)*crowd_delusion
If one lives in delusion or aimlessness, then one's beliefs are shaped by the illusions of those around them. Worse yet, when such delusion is driven by unwholesome intent, the distortion can become even more dangerous than the collective ignorance of the crowd. Deception, forgery, distortion, and manipulation of truth—these are traits of a mind lost in delusion. Such an attitude cannot bring peace to the heart, let alone liberation.
Why do the variables in the equation change? [7]
Because this shift aligns with the Law of Correspondence
in meditative practice: “Birds of a feather flock together.”![8]
The nature of your mind draws in the world that matches it. This “world” can be understood both literally and figuratively. A wholesome mind naturally gravitates toward kind-hearted people and may even draw the protection of celestial beings 
. A negative, unwholesome mind tends to resonate with aggressive, deceitful individuals—and who knows, perhaps even malevolent spirits may be drawn in as well 
.
End of Part 1/5
Notes:
[1] In recent years, Behavioural Finance has attracted significant attention from scholars in the field of economics and finance. Numerous studies have explored how investors respond to various stimuli or events. These studies often infer indirectly that such stimuli influence investors’ attention and, in turn, affect their financial decisions. For example, changes in the color used to display stock prices can alter buy/sell behavior. See: Frydman and Wang (JF, 2019) – The impact of salience on investor behavior: Evidence from a natural experiment.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Principles_of_Psychology
[3] See Fingelkurts and Fingelkurts (ONJ, 2008) - Brain-mind operational architectonics imaging_Technical and methodological aspects; and Fingelkurts et al (PLR, 2010) - Natural world physical, brain operational, and mind phenomenal space–time, for an explanation of how neurons synchronize to create mental imagery in the brain.
[4] See Bakker and Niemantsverdriet (IJD,2019) - The interaction-attention continuum_Considering various levels of human attention in interaction design. Look for Figure 1.
[5] The model presented is a static snapshot at a given moment in time. However, I also intend to interpret it in a dynamic form. And if you ask why I use the ‘+’ (addition) operator rather than multiplication or an exponential form such as (Truth)A(worldview)1-A, I must confess—I leave that to the mathematical psychologists! They’ve already explored many such formulations, yet the core questions of human existence remain unsolved..
[6] In the Noble Eightfold Path, Right View is accompanied by: Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. Similarly, the Four Noble Truths consist of: the Truth of Suffering, the Origin of Suffering, the Cessation of Suffering, and the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering
[7] The equation can be adapted to various contexts. For instance:
One’s wellbeing = A*Wellbeing + (1 – A)*crowd_wellbeing, where Wellbeing (with a capital W) is understood as the absence of greed (Non-Attachment), hatred (Non-Aversion), and delusion (Clarity)..
One’s tranquillity = A*Santi + (1 – A)*crowd_tranquillity, where Santi refers to inner stillness and peace. Tranquillity reflects the serenity of mind—ranging from restless and noisy (low) to deeply calm (high).
One’s bias = A*Impartiality + (1 – A)*crowd_biases, where Impartiality signifies fairness and neutrality. A higher expression of this quality may be referred to as Equanimity, or Upekkhā in Pāli—the state of mental balance and non-reactivity, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equanimity.
[8]Or Like seeks like.