user17652: The Buddha often makes this requests on his monks, "incline your mind towards Nibbana"
Does this mean concentration with no object?
As far as I can ascertain, concentration with no object does not seem to be possible.
I have a particular interest in the Mahayana perspective but answers from other traditions are welcome.
Thanks

user43: From Mahayana perspective true Nirvana is the non-abiding Nirvana, which is a state of not being bounded by any single interpretative framework whatsoever.

Does Master Gotama have any position at all?"
"A 'position,' Vaccha, is something that a Tathagata has done away with. - MN 72

So it's not as much a concentration without an object as it is without a reference point such as one delineating "better" (state) from "worse" (state).
Freedom from all frameworks is the inexpressible suchness or positive ambiguity where even the dichotomy of samsara/nirvana has been transcended.
As the sutta answers pointed out, attaining this freedom requires concentration to identify and stop the opposing factors, the factors of attachment/craving/aversion/non-suchness, through letting go and dispassion of wisdom.

user8157: It means the object is Nibbana and the mental attitudes leading to Nibbana, as literally said as follows:

And what is the faculty of concentration? There is the case where a
monk, a disciple of the noble ones, making it his object to let go,
attains concentration, attains singleness of mind.
SN
48.10
To whatever extent there are phenomena conditioned or unconditioned,
dispassion is declared the foremost among them, that is, the crushing
of pride, the removal of thirst, the uprooting of attachment, the
termination of the round, the destruction of craving, dispassion,
cessation, nibbāna. Those who have confidence in the Dhamma have
confidence in the foremost, and for those who have confidence in the
foremost, the result is foremost.
AN 4.34
Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops the mindfulness enlightenment
factor, which is supported by seclusion, dispassion, and cessation,
and ripens in relinquishment. He develops the investigation-of-states
enlightenment factor…the energy enlightenment factor…the rapture
enlightenment factor…the tranquillity enlightenment factor…the
concentration enlightenment factor…the equanimity enlightenment
factor, which is supported by seclusion, dispassion, and cessation,
and ripens in relinquishment.
MN 118


user471: Let's say you go to the doctor and get your blood pressure measured and it turns out to be high, probably because you were anxious at that moment. The doctor tells you to calm down, and then he will take another reading.
In order to do so, what would you concentrate on? Surely not on the blood pressure measurement device or the doctor. And surely not on nothing.
Your anxiety is due to clinging to some mental ideas related to the results of the measurement. In order to become calm, you need to let go of that clinging.
Similarly, to incline your mind towards Nibbana, to extinguish suffering, you need to let go of your craving and clinging, which is only possible by the cultivation of wisdom and uprooting of ignorance, as explained by the analogy of the South Indian monkey trap.

user14735: It means to incline your mind towards dispassion, dispassion towards the sense objects, dispassion towards craving for existence and dispassion towards craving for non-existence.
Inclining your mind toward dispassion means to incline your mind towards disenchantment, no longer being enchanted with sense objects, craving for existence and craving for non-existence.
To incline your mind towards disenchantment, you must see reality as it is by observing any/all of the three marks of existence:

changing nature of reality
selfless nature of reality
unsatisfactory nature of reality

By observing these qualities of existence, the mind gradually loses its interest in grasping to such unreliable things for a source of lasting happiness, thus inclining towards disenchantment, thus inclining towards dispassion, thus inclining towards Nibbana.

Does this mean concentration with no object?

No - It means concentration of any object while noticing its changing nature, selfless nature and/or unsatisfactory nature.

17652: <p>The Buddha often makes this requests on his monks, <em>&quot;incline your mind towards Nibbana&quot;</em></p>
<p>Does this mean concentration with no object?</p>
<p>As far as I can ascertain, concentration with no object does not seem to be possible.</p>
<p>I have a particular interest in the Mahayana perspective but answers from other traditions are welcome.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
 43: <p>From Mahayana perspective true Nirvana is the <em>non-abiding Nirvana</em>, which is a state of not being bounded by any single interpretative framework whatsoever.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Does Master Gotama have any position at all?&quot;</p>
<p>&quot;A 'position,' Vaccha, is something that a Tathagata has done away with. - <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.072.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MN 72</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>So it's not as much a concentration without an object as it is without a reference point such as one delineating &quot;better&quot; (state) from &quot;worse&quot; (state).</p>
<p>Freedom from all frameworks is the inexpressible <em>suchness</em> or positive ambiguity where even the dichotomy of samsara/nirvana has been transcended.</p>
<p>As the sutta answers pointed out, attaining this freedom requires concentration to identify and stop the opposing factors, the factors of attachment/craving/aversion/non-suchness, through letting go and dispassion of wisdom.</p>
 8157: <p>It means the object is Nibbana and the mental attitudes leading to Nibbana, as literally said as follows:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>And what is the faculty of concentration? There is the case where a
monk, a disciple of the noble ones, making it his <strong>object to</strong> <strong>let go</strong>,
attains concentration, attains singleness of mind.</p>
<p><a
href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn48/sn48.010.than.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SN
48.10</a></p>
<p>To whatever extent there are phenomena conditioned or unconditioned,
<strong>dispassion</strong> is declared the foremost among them, that is, the c<strong>rushing
of pride, the removal of thirst, the uprooting of attachment</strong>, the
termination of the round, the <strong>destruction of craving, dispassion,
cessation, nibbāna</strong>. Those who have confidence in the Dhamma have
confidence in the foremost, and for those who have confidence in the
foremost, the result is foremost.</p>
<p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/an4.34/en/bodhi" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AN 4.34</a></p>
<p>Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu develops the mindfulness enlightenment
factor, which is <strong>supported by seclusion, dispassion, and cessation,
and ripens in relinquishment</strong>. He develops the investigation-of-states
enlightenment factor…the energy enlightenment factor…the rapture
enlightenment factor…the tranquillity enlightenment factor…the
concentration enlightenment factor…the equanimity enlightenment
factor, which is <strong>supported by seclusion, dispassion, and cessation,
and ripens in relinquishment</strong>.</p>
<p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/mn118/en/bodhi" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MN 118</a></p>
</blockquote>
 471: <p>Let's say you go to the doctor and get your blood pressure measured and it turns out to be high, probably because you were anxious at that moment. The doctor tells you to calm down, and then he will take another reading.</p>
<p>In order to do so, what would you concentrate on? Surely not on the blood pressure measurement device or the doctor. And surely not on nothing.</p>
<p>Your anxiety is due to clinging to some mental ideas related to the results of the measurement. In order to become calm, you need to let go of that clinging.</p>
<p>Similarly, to incline your mind towards Nibbana, to extinguish suffering, you need to let go of your craving and clinging, which is only possible by the cultivation of wisdom and uprooting of ignorance, as explained by the analogy of the <a href="https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/28524/471">South Indian monkey trap</a>.</p>
 14735: <p>It means to incline your mind towards dispassion, dispassion towards the sense objects, dispassion towards craving for existence and dispassion towards craving for non-existence.</p>
<p>Inclining your mind toward dispassion means to incline your mind towards disenchantment, no longer being enchanted with sense objects, craving for existence and craving for non-existence.</p>
<p>To incline your mind towards disenchantment, you must see reality as it is by observing any/all of the three marks of existence:</p>
<ul>
<li>changing nature of reality</li>
<li>selfless nature of reality</li>
<li>unsatisfactory nature of reality</li>
</ul>
<p>By observing these qualities of existence, the mind gradually loses its interest in grasping to such unreliable things for a source of lasting happiness, thus inclining towards disenchantment, thus inclining towards dispassion, thus inclining towards Nibbana.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Does this mean concentration with no object?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>No - It means concentration of any object while noticing its changing nature, selfless nature and/or unsatisfactory nature.</p>
