--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He underlines the distinction between…" description: "\"“He underlines the distinction between mental nonengagement and the absence of mental engagement. The first is understood as the fundamental noninvolve..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/karl-brunnholzl-4600_meditation_he-underlines-the-distinction-between-me_534258.jpg" --- # He underlines the distinction between mental nonengagement… ![“He underlines the distinction between mental nonengagement and the absence of mental engagement. The first is understood as the fundamental noninvolvement in dualistic appearances while sustaining fresh wakefulness, once discriminating knowledge has determined that there are no dualistic phenomena…” quote by Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/karl-brunnholzl-4600_meditation_he-underlines-the-distinction-between-me_534258.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/karl-brunnholzl-4600_meditation_he-underlines-the-distinction-between-me_534258.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbf/karl-brunnholzl-4600_meditation_he-underlines-the-distinction-between-me_534258.jpg) > ““He underlines the distinction between mental nonengagement and the absence of mental engagement. The first is understood as the fundamental noninvolvement in dualistic appearances while sustaining fresh wakefulness, once discriminating knowledge has determined that there are no dualistic phenomena whatsoever. This can also be understood as mental disengagement in the sense of not interfering with the nature of the mind as it is. On the other hand, absence of mental engagement describes the mere absence of any mental activity, such as in a faint, deep sleep, or mental stupor, which does not lead to any realization or liberation at all. Thus, Kamalasila emphasizes that the first is a crucial factor in meditation, while the latter is obviously to be avoided.”” [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Meditation requires active non‑engagement, not mere mental inactivity. **In simple terms:** Active disengagement is key, not empty mind. Key Takeaway Practice mindful non‑attachment rather than blankness. Themes meditation mindfulness awareness Mood calm focused Type instructional philosophical When to use this quote - daily meditation - retreats - stress reduction - spiritual practice Key Concepts non‑dual awareness cognitive discipline Questions to Reflect On - How does active non‑engagement differ from sleep? - What practices foster mindful disengagement? A Different Perspective Passive emptiness yields no insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disengagement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disengagement/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [ “Its meaning is to rest one-pointedly on the focal object \[of meditation\], without being distracted by other thoughts. 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Destructive conduct is made personally and socially acceptable by portraying it in the service of moral ends.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bandura/moral-justification-is-a-powerful-disengagement-mechanism-destructive/) [Albert Bandura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bandura/) > [I think social and moral disengagement is repugnant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-think-social-and-moral-disengagement-is-repugnant/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Disengagement is a response to certain demographic realities, .. Within a few years, due to the higher Arab birth rate, Jews will become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-olmert/disengagement-is-a-response-to-certain-demographic-realities-within-a/) [Ehud Olmert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-olmert/) > [What is the Obama Doctrine? It seems to be one of disengagement, to try to ignore the hot, religious, dry, poor countries from Algeria…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/what-is-the-obama-doctrine-it-seems-to-be-one-of-disengagement-to-try/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [Learning to pause is the first step in the practice of Radical Acceptance. A pause is a suspension of activity, a time of temporary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/learning-to-pause-is-the-first-step-in-the-practice-of-radical/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [“There is a difference between giving-up and strategic disengagement. Know the difference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/there-is-a-difference-between-giving-up-and-strategic-disengagement/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“What if we saw differences in cultures, in moral choices, and in belief as reasons to engage people instead of excuses to disengage and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-sprink/what-if-we-saw-differences-in-cultures-in-moral-choices-and-in-belief/) [Holly Sprink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-sprink/) > [Not all Modern Orthodox Jews, at the present juncture, identify with what the Israeli government does. In Israel many religious Zionists strongly oppose the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lamm/not-all-modern-orthodox-jews-at-the-present-juncture-identify-with/) [Norman Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lamm/) > [“Often children who survive extremely adverse childhoods have learned a particular survival strategy. I call it ‘strategic detachment.’ This is not the withdrawal from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/often-children-who-survive-extremely-adverse-childhoods-have-learned/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [“Disengagement is the issue underlying the majority of problems I see in families, schools, communities, and organizations and it takes many forms, including the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/disengagement-is-the-issue-underlying-the-majority-of-problems-i-see/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [It is not difficult to conceive, however, that for many reasons a man writes much better than he lives. For without entering into refined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-not-difficult-to-conceive-however-that-for-many-reasons-a-man/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“Employee Engagement “Employee Engagement” has become a very hot topic in recent years. The escalating statistics for disengagement are alarming. In 2015, the Gallup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/employee-engagement-employee-engagement-has-become-a-very-hot-topic/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) ## More by Karl Brunnholzl > [“Pawo Rinpoche comments that, in Tibet, the intention of the lineage of profound view is usually explained as self-emptiness, that is, as a nonimplicative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/pawo-rinpoche-comments-that-in-tibet-the-intention-of-the-lineage-of/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) > [“One may wonder, "What is seeing the ultimate?" It means that all phenomena are not seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/one-may-wonder-what-is-seeing-the-ultimate-it-means-that-all/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) > [ “Hence, \[emptiness\] is also not an object of \[something like the\] cognition of Buddhas, because they do not have \[such a thing as\] cognition.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/hence-emptiness-is-also-not-an-object-of-something-like-the-cognition/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) > [ “Here, master Bhavya states \[this as\] the main argument, and then he formulates four autonomous reasons as the means to prove the subject property.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/here-master-bhavya-states-this-as-the-main-argument-and-then-he/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) > [“In general, every negation must depend on the rejection of an affirmation or proposition, which means that emptiness as a nonimplicative negation is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/in-general-every-negation-must-depend-on-the-rejection-of-an/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) > [“Therefore, everything is the illusory magical display of one's own mind. It is appearing yet delusive, and delusive while appearing. Thus, all of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/therefore-everything-is-the-illusory-magical-display-of-one-s-own/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) > [“In brief, the very quintessence of all meditative concentrations of both the sutras and the tantras of the great vehicle is to see, through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/in-brief-the-very-quintessence-of-all-meditative-concentrations-of/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) > [“The Ornament of Sturas says: Therefore, liberation is only the exhaustion of mistakenness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/the-ornament-of-sturas-says-therefore-liberation-is-only-the/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) > [“Not only can nobody deny the appearance of mere consciousness whose nature is other-dependent and not affected by the flaw of conceptions of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/not-only-can-nobody-deny-the-appearance-of-mere-consciousness-whose/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) > [“And so-in what amounts to a deeply ironic twist of fate-Candrakirti was posthumously awarded highest honors from an orthodox scholarly tradition that could sustain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/and-so-in-what-amounts-to-a-deeply-ironic-twist-of-fate-candrakirti/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) > [“As for the notion of Buddha nature, there is no reifying interpretation of it in any of the texts of the lineage of vast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/as-for-the-notion-of-buddha-nature-there-is-no-reifying/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) > [“Whether on the level of no analysis or with analysis, it is never justified that mind exists whereas form does not exist. Under analysis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/whether-on-the-level-of-no-analysis-or-with-analysis-it-is-never/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) > [“To reiterate, no such divisions existed in India. Some Tibetans, such as Mikyo Dorje and Pawo Rinpoche, refused to follow either of these later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/to-reiterate-no-such-divisions-existed-in-india-some-tibetans-such-as/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) > [“If the mere nonexistence of attention and mental engagement is taken to be "nonattention" and "mental nonengagement," it is to be analyzed in what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/if-the-mere-nonexistence-of-attention-and-mental-engagement-is-taken/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) > [“However, neither victory nor defeat comes about through the words of the other party alone. This means that if we speak the truth without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-brunnholzl/however-neither-victory-nor-defeat-comes-about-through-the-words-of/) [Karl Brunnholzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) [Explore all 108 Karl Brunnholzl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-brunnholzl/) ## More Disengagement quotes > [“Employee Engagement “Employee Engagement” has become a very hot topic in recent years. The escalating statistics for disengagement are alarming. In 2015, the Gallup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/employee-engagement-employee-engagement-has-become-a-very-hot-topic/) [Susan C. 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I call it ‘strategic detachment.’ This is not the withdrawal from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/often-children-who-survive-extremely-adverse-childhoods-have-learned/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Not all Modern Orthodox Jews, at the present juncture, identify with what the Israeli government does. In Israel many religious Zionists strongly oppose the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lamm/not-all-modern-orthodox-jews-at-the-present-juncture-identify-with/) [Norman Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lamm/) > [“There is a difference between giving-up and strategic disengagement. Know the difference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/there-is-a-difference-between-giving-up-and-strategic-disengagement/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Learning to pause is the first step in the practice of Radical Acceptance. A pause is a suspension of activity, a time of temporary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/learning-to-pause-is-the-first-step-in-the-practice-of-radical/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [What is the Obama Doctrine? It seems to be one of disengagement, to try to ignore the hot, religious, dry, poor countries from Algeria…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/what-is-the-obama-doctrine-it-seems-to-be-one-of-disengagement-to-try/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [Disengagement is a response to certain demographic realities, .. 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Abdulsalami Abubakar,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/after-the-death-of-the-sadistic-dictator-gen-sanni-abacha-in-1998/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [Moral justification is a powerful disengagement mechanism. Destructive conduct is made personally and socially acceptable by portraying it in the service of moral ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bandura/moral-justification-is-a-powerful-disengagement-mechanism-destructive-2/) [Albert Bandura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bandura/) [Browse all 33 Disengagement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disengagement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He underlines the distinction between mental nonengagement and the absence of mental engagement. 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