Playing with putting this succinctly.
So... concentration on an object depends on the object being defined, which involves a linguistic frame.
eg - breath, we know what breath is, it's defined in language as a certain set of processes of the body. Our lexicon has grown to describe breath down to the quantum level... if need be.
Therefore concentration meditation, to focus on one set of processes, depends on us constantly maintaining our linguistic framework, requiring constant mental activity, and basically maintaining a self. You could see that as counter productive, and sooner or later I think people do.
When the attention wanders, you might get different names of things, different aspects of self, coming to attention - the frame is changing.
When you concentrate enough that you forget the name and frame of the object, you're basically forgetting your task - which depends on a nameable object - but you are losing self.
Sense of self that doesn't require language, is that still there ?
The attender can also be the object.
OK so let's say you want to teach meditation to someone raised by wolves. They don't have a word for anything except growls and howls etc.
Instructions to concentrate on the breath can't be followed, there's no linguistic framework dividing up their physiology - what do you do ? Is there any need ? And how are they already experiencing themselves - if at all ?
