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Upekṣā. Hence in the last or fifth stage of meditation it is characterized by upekṣa and ekagratā.1
It will appear from what has been said above that in the transformation of the mind, Alambana does not play any important part. The differences in the evolution noted above are due to the gradual elimination of the features of the meditation.
It is clear that in Upacara meditation vitarka arises only after the defect called styanamidha has disappeared and so with all the rest. When all the five defects have disappeared, concentration or ekāgrată takes its origin but when the mind and its functions surrender themselves totally in the pratibhāganimitta, it is technically known as Arpapa which a state of perfect samadhi. In this condition the citta does not sleep, it remains perfectly awake but the external senses become inactive which means that even when there is sense object contact there is no manaskāra or attention i, e. the mind does not function and there is no possibility of sparsa. This sort of concentration makes the mind extremely powerful and competent to know the intrinsic nature of the world. This nature is that the world is momentary, full of sorrows and devoid of an inner ego. This brings about illumination or prajñā and prajñā helps to remove the inherent desire or tṛṣṇa which characterises every worldly man.
From what has been said above it would appear that the exaltation of the lower consciousness to the higher one is to make it sufficiently strong for the reception of prajña or higher light.
Rupadhyana although superior in every respect to the consciousness of the world of desire is really of no value except as a means to make it receptive of prajñā.
The higher meditation namely Rupadhyāna enables the mind to become more and more concentrated and sharp so that the extreme truth may become possible. That is its main object. The secondary object of the higher dhyana is to take birth in
1. Abhidhammattha Samgaha, VII.
