So what exactly is practicing Form Meditation? It is the deliberate act of making the consciousness of the Desire Realm collapse or disappear. At that point, one transitions into another realm—belonging to the Form Realm—which operates on a different system of consciousness or reference framework. In other words, one comes to see that: (i) the sense organs and consciousness (of the Desire Realm) do not belong to oneself, are not oneself, and can be actively dismantled; (ii) one can still exist without them (as evidenced by the fact that one remains fully alive and well while entering samādhi within the Form Realm). This proves that there is an Awareness / a Self / a Soul that exists independently. The technical steps for ‘collapsing this consciousness’— meaning, to overload[1] it—are as follows:
Step 1: Select any sequence of numbers (which Brother Alpha casually refers to as a “market math problem”). I chose a Sudoku app, as shown in the image, and picked 3 random 3x3 blocks. For example, block 1 (top right corner): 6 8 3, 5 2 9, 7 _ 1; block 2 (bottom right corner): 2 3 7, _ 9 _, 1 5 4; and block 3 (bottom left corner): 8 _ _, 3 _ 1, 9 2 _). Look at the numbers and mentally rehearse them a bit to remember the individual digits or sequences.
Step 2: Close our eyes and, using our mind, visualize and “draw out” each digit from the three selected blocks (any blank cells can be substituted with zero). After sketching each number at the level of the Ajna chakra directly in front of us, begin performing addition. For example: 6 + 2 + 8. These are the digits in position 1 of each block. The sum is: 6 + 2 = 8, then 8 + 8 = 16. Continue doing addition in this way until we no longer remember where we left off—what the previous number was, what the next number should be, and so on. At that moment, the consciousness of the Desire Realm has become overloaded and starts to stall—frozen, still. If we continue trying to remember the numbers to keep calculating, we may briefly black out (or lose focus) before suddenly falling into a state of stillness: samādhi. At this point, the consciousness of the Desire Realm is gone.[2]. A new system of consciousness, a new space, emerges. This is the entrance into samādhi within the Form Realm. The duration and depth of this samādhi may vary. When we feel ourselves falling out of it, simply return to doing the calculations—and we will re-enter samādhi. And so it goes, repeating.
INTERPRETATION AND SOME NOTES
A. Preparation stage:
According to the Abhidhamma, form phenomena (rūpa) arise through four conditions: Kamma (Karma), Mind (Citta), Seasonal Conditions, and Nutrition (i.e., food and its digestion). If something arises due to Kamma, then there’s nothing we can do about it. To avoid or minimize the influence of weather and food, one should keep the body sufficiently warm, wear comfortable clothes that don’t press or restrict, avoid distractions like tangled hair or tight clothing, choose a quiet and undisturbed place to practice, and refrain from eating too much beforehand. These things can cause distraction during meditation. The type of material form generated by Mind is the one we actively adjust in order to enter samādhi in the Form Realm.
B. On the number sequences and doing math:
+ Depending on each person’s ability, the number of digits remembered in Step 1 (above) can vary in length and quantity.
+ In a Sudoku puzzle like the one above, there are many ways to choose numbers: horizontal, vertical, diagonal, zigzag, broken sequences, continuous sequences, jump patterns, etc. Changing the pattern of selection keeps the problem new and fresh each time. Moreover, because it's a Sudoku app, we can always start with a completely new board.
+ The numbers viewed from the Sudoku board and the numbers visualized during meditation don’t have to be identical. For example, when practicing, one can mentally draw the numbers in a digital (angular) font or even in Roman numerals (as Brother Alpha sometimes does, since he likes Roman numerals).
+ The way to add numbers is also up to us. Instead of adding numbers from the same position (like 6 + 2 + 8 from position 1 in each block), one can cross-add: e.g., 6 + 9 + 0 (6 from position 1 of block 1, 9 from position 5 of block 2, and 0 from position 9 of block 3), then 8 + 0 + 8 (8 from position 2 of block 1, 0 from position 6 of block 2, and 8 from position 10—that is, back to 1—of block 3), and so on.
+ Of course, no one says we must do addition. If one prefers subtraction, multiplication, or division, go ahead.
+ • What’s important is to get our brain tangled and overloaded as quickly as possible . To do this, two factors are essential: (i) the complexity or difficulty in remembering the math problem; (ii) the self-imposed time pressure to complete it within a set timeframe. It is by straining to remember and finish the calculation under invisible time pressure that the brain quickly becomes confused, and consciousness becomes overloaded—leading to collapse. Without the element of time pressure, one might just leisurely draw out the numbers, and even after 45 minutes of practice, samādhi still won’t happen. This is based on my own experience and something that Brother Alpha had to correct me on.
A small tip: When memorizing the sequences in Step 1, don’t wait until we remember them completely and clearly before starting practice. Just memorize roughly (or push ourselves to memorize them within 1 or 2 minutes). Once we begin, forgetting will naturally occur—that is, there will be some “dark corners” in the sequence where we can’t recall certain digits. First contemplate the parts we do remember to build up concentration. Once our focus stabilizes and strengthens, then move to those dark corners and try hard to recall the missing digits. At that point, we almost certainly won’t be able to. Our consciousness gets stuck—trapped, tangled, and pressured—and eventually collapses. That’s when the quiet stillness of samādhi begins..
+ Important note: We must visualize and “draw” the numbers and perform the calculations in front of our inner gaze—at the level of the Ajna chakra (the brow center)—rather than merely calculating silently in your head. Doing it purely internally, without visualizing the digits, is what Brother Alpha refers to as “crude head math”. That form of abstract mental calculation—disconnected from spatial visualization—can also lead to samādhi, but it belongs to the Formless Realm. I’m not entirely sure, but I may have slipped into that before. My past mistake was not understanding how to deliberately overload, entangle, and “trap” the mind so that it collapses—exactly as described in the tip above. Previously, I would just plunge headfirst into the math: multiplication, division, whatever it was. After 45 minutes, I’d finish a problem that led to a sequence of 30 digits. But still, I didn’t trap the mind—I didn’t know how.
(End of Part 2/7)
Notes:
[1] According to Brother Alpha’s explanation, human consciousness has a certain load capacity—a limit. When it becomes overloaded, it stalls or disappears. For example: a little girl falls off her bike in the middle of the road and sees a truck barreling toward her. She becomes so terrified that she freezes on the spot—her consciousness has been overwhelmed and shuts down. She’s no longer able to think or control her body to take any action. See Brother Alpha’s recent article on this samādhi technique: http://trachcatphuongdong.com/con-mat-thu-ba-dan-nhap-ve-thien-dinh-37/.
[2] The degree to which consciousness disappears—partially, significantly, or entirely—depends on the quality of the overload experienced while doing the mental math.
