What is Wholesome Meditation?

Are there any scriptures defining what "wholesome meditation" is with relation to all the Skandha and not just one?

It is rather spoken of as directing of the past, present & future classes of what can be spoken of in terms of genesis, forms cognizable via five senses & mental apprehension, feelings/sensations, perception & or consciousness.

Sutta say that the final awakening to the truth is the final goal, anything conducive to it is wholesome, anything counter productive is unwholesome. That being any state of mind's development.

Particular Sutta would be those dealing with directed & undirected development, two sorts of thinking, removal of distracting thoughts, themes for frequent reflection, nourishment & denourishment of hindrances, pleasant abidings, contemplation and or the defining of the elements for perception development

"'Consciousness, consciousness': Thus is it said. To what extent, friend, is it said to be 'consciousness'?"

"'It cognizes, it cognizes': Thus, friend, it is said to be 'consciousness.' And what does it cognize? It cognizes 'pleasant.' It cognizes 'painful.' It cognizes 'neither painful nor pleasant.' 'It cognizes, it cognizes': Thus it is said to be 'consciousness.'"

"Discernment & consciousness, friend: Are these qualities conjoined or disjoined? Is it possible, having separated them one from the other, to delineate the difference between them?"

"Discernment & consciousness are conjoined, friend, not disjoined. It's not possible, having separated them one from the other, to delineate the difference between them. For what one discerns, that one cognizes. What one cognizes, that one discerns. Therefore these qualities are conjoined, not disjoined, and it is not possible, having separated them one from another, to delineate the difference between them."

"Discernment & consciousness, friend: What is the difference between these qualities that are conjoined, not disjoined?"

"Discernment & consciousness, friend: Of these qualities that are conjoined, not disjoined, discernment is to be developed, consciousness is to be fully comprehended."[1]

"Feeling, perception, & consciousness are conjoined, friend, not disjoined. It is not possible, having separated them one from another, to delineate the difference among them. For what one feels, that one perceives. What one perceives, that one cognizes. Therefore these qualities are conjoined, not disjoined, and it is not possible, having separated them one from another, to delineate the difference among them." - https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.043.than.html

Form is the only aggregate which isn't conjoined with the others because form is the perceived object and perception can be otherwise & without form for object, having a formless object that is approached by stilling of the perception based on forms.

Another way of grasping this is that genesis/conception conceives something, perception perceives something, feeling feels something, conscioussness cognizes something; whereas form is that which is generated, cognized, felt & perceived and conception can be of something else, a mental object like perception of the infinitude of space or nothingness.

As he was sitting there, he said to Ven. Sariputta, "Friend, 'One of poor discernment, one of poor discernment': Thus is it said. To what extent is one said to be 'one of poor discernment'?"

"'One doesn't discern, one doesn't discern': Thus, friend, one is said to be 'one of poor discernment.' And what doesn't one discern? One doesn't discern, 'This is stress.' One doesn't discern, 'This is the origination of stress.' One doesn't discern, 'This is the cessation of stress.' One doesn't discern, 'This is the practice leading to the cessation of stress.' 'One doesn't discern, one doesn't discern': Thus one is said to be 'one of poor discernment.'" "Discernment & consciousness, friend: Of these qualities that are conjoined, not disjoined, discernment is to be developed, consciousness is to be fully comprehended."

The eye of discernment [judgement]

"Friend, what can be known with the purified intellect-consciousness divorced from the five [sense] faculties?"

"Friend, with the purified intellect-consciousness divorced from the five faculties the dimension of the infinitude of space can be known [as] 'infinite space.' The dimension of the infinitude of consciousness can be known [as] 'infinite consciousness.' The dimension of nothingness can be known [as] 'There is nothing.'

"With what does one know a quality that can be known?"

"One knows a quality that can be known with the eye of discernment."

"And what is the purpose of discernment?"

"The purpose of discernment is direct knowledge, its purpose is full comprehension, its purpose is abandoning."

• First the theme of sensuality is stilled
• Then sustained entertaining of thought is stilled
• Then application of thought is stilled
• Then physical elation is stilled
• Then mental eleation is stilled

There remains only quanimity based on form, bodily feeling, sensation of the wind, sensation of the liquidity or float, or otherwise a vision of lights & colors.

• Furthermore there is a stilling of the perception of form. There remain only the formless 'signs' where is 'form signs' are associated with perception based on material field/context of conception.

• Furthermore there is a stilling of signs and analogical contact with the signless grasped as the principal stilling of perception & feeling and this attainment is grasped as signless, empty or undirected depending on how it was approched & personal inclination due to prior development.

This is sutta analysis and analysis is made explicit in the Theravadin canon (Vibhanga (abi)

What is Wholesome Meditation?...Are there any scriptures defining what "wholesome meditation" is with relation to all the Skandha and not just one?

According to Abhidhamma and the path of purification... Wholesome Meditation is the development of 38 mind factors continuously, Phassa (contact); vēdanā (feeling); saññā (perception); cētanā (volition); Ekaggata (One-pointedness) can become Sammā Samādhi; jivitindriya (life faculty); manasikāra (memory), Saddhā (faith); sati (moral mindfulness) can become Sammā Sati; hiri (shame of wrong); ottappa (fear of wrong); alobha (absence of greed); adosa (absence of hate/anger, of which mettā or “loving-kindness” is a part); tatramajjhattatā (neutrality of mind, of which upekkhā is a part); kāyapassaddhi (tranquility of mental body); cittapassaddhi (tranquility of consciousness); kāyalahutā (lightness of mental body); cittalahutā (lightness of consciousness); kāyamudutā (malleability of the mental body); cittamudutā (malleability of consciousness); kāyakammaññatā (wieldiness of the mental body); cittakammaññatā (wieldiness of consciousness); kāyapāguññatā (proficiency of mental body); cittapāguññatā (proficiency of consciousness); kāyujjukatā (rectitude of mental body); cittujjukatā (rectitude of consciousness).

Apologies, this question has been brewing for some time after observing so many expressions of suffering from maybe not so much as misinformation, but more misdirection.

It's not misinformation. It's just no information. And we have the Buddha because we have no information enough.

Wouldn't wholesome imply a working towards balance between all components that constitute an individual? Because every meditation is a technique of cultivation for the 'individual' to reach enlightenment...?

In tipitaka and commentary... "the balance between all components" is called Appanā-samādhi, Absorption concentration. "the 'individual' to reach enlightenment" is called pre-absorption-meditation. The practitioner is like a baby who has no skill at all to learn, so the baby need something step by step, individual, to reach the balance between all components at the end of the meditation.

Would this also mean enforcing one and neglecting the other four is not only counterintuitive, but potentially dilapidating for the cultivation of an individual? And such imbalance may shed some light on how there are so many questions regarding some form of suffering while meditating?

Watering a tree, but no offering of light, mineral rich food, interaction from the world or even foundational soil for constitution. Yet, plant the tree in the sun, near a creek in soil complimenting and feeding it's roots and birds to spread it's seed...

In the real situation five people never have same strong. Someone is strong than the other four. And the strength of each one is required for each step differently. Fro the example, if the practitioner is so genius, he will not listen the Buddha, so the strong faith is more important in learning step than the strong wisdom for rapidly getting an information. Imagine when we are listening with 1,000 doubts in our head, how can we focus on the information from the teacher?

For the concentration meditation is same. The practitioner can't focus on right wisdom and the very deep and much information of the insight meditation if they don't have strong wholesome mind enough. The insight meditation is meditating the understanding of each moment of trillion time arising and vanishing moments in a second, so how can the practitioner focus on the insight meditation without very strong concentration meditation?

Wholesome means without defilements of greed, hatred & delusion; regardless of which or how many khandhas.

5. "And what is the root of the unwholesome? Greed is a root of the unwholesome; hate is a root of the unwholesome; delusion is a root of the unwholesome. This is called the root of the unwholesome.

6. "And what is the root of the wholesome? Non-greed is a root of the wholesome; non-hate is a root of the wholesome; non-delusion is a root of the wholesome. This is called the root of the wholesome.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.009.ntbb.html

What is Wholesome Meditation?

Wholesome meditation means quality over quantity. It's not about how long one sits but more about the quality of mind during the meditation, i.e. how often one is mindful and practices correctly. One moment (drop) of mindfulness is wholesome and correct practice. Many drops of mindfulness will eventually create a river.