It is only in the beginning when we’re not skilful that we land up staring at things, trying to look at them more carefully.
With practice and experience, yogis should realize that once we recognize it, that’s enough. There is no need to focus on it, just knowing it is enough because then only we see the object’s true nature.
If we focus on it, it is not ‘actual’ any more.
For vipassana, we need the process to happen naturally so that you can understand its nature. But if you stare at it, it can’t unfold naturally and you can’t really see its true nature because you can’t see the whole picture.
It’s like seeing an object versus looking at an object. Seeing the object is enough; it’s like you already know there is awareness. We don’t have to go look at it.