Cultivation of Concentration and Chan Meditation for Realization of the Way (Part 1)
Chapter Five The Importance of the Three Learnings: Precepts, Meditation, and Wisdom
Section One Precepts, Meditation, and Wisdom are Key Factors for Attaining Enlightenment
I. When the World-Honored One dwelled in the Saha World, He frequently taught His disciples to cultivate the three learnings of precepts, meditation, and wisdom, repeatedly emphasizing: Precepts give rise to meditation; meditation gives rise to wisdom. The cultivation of precepts, meditation, and wisdom can lead to the undefiled mind: Upholding precepts enables the mind to become undefiled; cultivating meditation enables the mind to become undefiled; the growth of wisdom enables the mind to become undefiled. Defilements refer to ignorance and afflictions. When the mind is undefiled, one attains liberation of mind and liberation through wisdom. The fruition ground progressively advances stage by stage. After the three undefiled learnings of precepts, meditation, and wisdom are ultimately perfected, one is certain to attain Buddhahood.
Before awakening, when the three learnings of precepts, meditation, and wisdom are cultivated to a certain degree and correspondingly fulfilled to a certain extent, one can sever the view of self or realize the mind and attain enlightenment. Subsequently, through the progressive cultivation of the three learnings, one can enter the first ground (bhūmi) and attain the undefiled mind. Further progressive cultivation of the undefiled precepts, meditation, and wisdom enables advancement ground by ground up to the eighth ground. Continued progressive cultivation leads to the tenth ground (the stage of equal enlightenment). After further progressive cultivation perfects and fully possesses precepts, meditation, and wisdom, one can attain Buddhahood. Therefore, the three learnings and the three undefiled learnings are extremely important, constituting the key factors for accomplishing the Buddha Way. The Six Paramitas of the Bodhisattva also include the three paramitas of upholding precepts, cultivating meditation, and prajñā wisdom. They take upholding precepts and cultivating meditation as the foundational practices, culminating in the attainment of perfect prajñā wisdom as the ultimate result.
Within the Six Paramitas of the Bodhisattva, the learning of wisdom comes after the learning of meditation. The Buddha taught that wisdom arises from meditation. The attainment of genuine great wisdom is invariably elicited by profound, subtle contemplation and observation conducted within meditative concentration (dhyāna). This is wisdom realized through direct experience, not the dry wisdom derived merely from intellectual understanding or emotional thinking. The entire process, from attaining the first fruition (srotāpanna) up to Buddhahood, follows this principle. At every intermediate stage, there is the support of meditative concentration; every type of wisdom is the result of meditative concentration.
II. Only with the Perfection of Precepts, Meditation, and Wisdom Can One Attain Enlightenment
The Buddha said: Precepts give rise to meditation; meditation gives rise to wisdom. Precepts, meditation, and wisdom refer not only to the necessity for the conscious mind (mano-vijñāna) to be perfected, but also for the mental faculty (manas) to be perfected. For the mental faculty to possess the wisdom to sever the view of self or the wisdom to realize the mind, it must also possess meditative concentration. Within meditative concentration, it must investigate and contemplate the Dharma of non-self, investigate and contemplate the true suchness of Buddha-nature, in order to sever the view of self and realize the mind and perceive the true nature.
If the mental faculty cannot personally investigate and contemplate, it will not accept the principles instilled into it by the conscious mind, resulting ultimately in mere intellectual understanding by the conscious mind. For the mental faculty to investigate and contemplate the principle of non-self, it similarly requires meditative concentration; otherwise, it becomes distracted and scattered. If the mental faculty lacks meditative concentration, it causes the six consciousnesses to become scattered. When the six consciousnesses are scattered and constantly cognizing, they continuously report the cognized content to the mental faculty, forcing the mental faculty to constantly divert its attention. It cannot concentrate on investigation and thus cannot arrive at an ideal result through contemplation.
Nothing can replace meditation. One must be cautious about cultivation methods based solely on intellectual understanding. Practicing according to the methods taught by the World-Honored One will certainly not lead one astray. All disciples during the Buddha's time practiced seated meditation to cultivate concentration. Thus, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, their minds remained in a state of concentration contemplating the Dharma. Practitioners before the Tang and Song dynasties, and before the Ming, Qing, and Republican eras, primarily focused on seated meditation to cultivate concentration. Afterwards, they were able to maintain meditative concentration in all activities—walking, standing, sitting, and lying down. Their minds constantly abided in concentration, making their thoughts subtle and refined. The conditions for breaking through (to enlightenment) easily matured, and upon encountering the right condition, realization occurred immediately. Looking back now, it may seem as if they attained the Dharma so easily. Little do we realize that their foundational practice was quite solid, with sufficient wholesome roots and merit, possessing the Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment, which of course included perfected meditative concentration. Their thinking was sharp and clear, so upon hearing the corresponding Dharma, they could attain realization immediately.
Among all teachings, the Buddha's are the most perfect and ultimate. No one surpasses the Buddha's wisdom. Trusting the Buddha's words is absolutely correct. Regardless of the era, the Dharma never changes; it is eternally applicable to all times. Reading the Buddhist sutras extensively increases wisdom, prevents one from taking wrong paths, and makes one less susceptible to deception. All teachings by Bodhisattvas, compared to the Buddha's, contain omissions and leaks; they all have imperfections and non-ultimate aspects. Therefore, in our study and practice of the Buddha Dharma, we should primarily rely on the Buddhist sutras.
III. The Essence of Precepts, Meditation, and Wisdom
The fundamental purpose of spiritual practice is to eradicate ignorance and afflictions to attain liberation. One should not focus solely on the fruition ground, as it is a by-product of practice. Setting the goals of subduing afflictions, removing ignorance, attaining great wisdom and immeasurable wisdom, and rescuing sentient beings establishes a pure and unobstructed path. Once the goal is established, one should practice the three undefiled learnings of precepts, meditation, and wisdom.
The essence of precepts, meditation, and wisdom is to discipline the mind, stabilize the mind, and cause the mind to generate wisdom. Precepts mean abstaining from greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, and doubt within the mind; abstaining from afflictions; abstaining from self-nature; abstaining from obscurations; abstaining from ignorance. This is the fundamental function of precepts. Only by abstaining from ignorance and obscurations, preventing the mind from giving rise to wrongdoings, can one attain concentration (samādhi). Concentration means stabilizing the mind so that it does not grasp or scatter. Only then can contemplation and observation of the Dharma be profound and powerful, enabling the realization of the Dharma and the birth of wisdom. Wisdom means allowing the mind to be imbued with correct and principle-conforming Buddhist teachings. When these three are perfected, genuine insight arises, thereby generating great wisdom leading to liberation and the accomplishment of the Buddha Way, enabling one to liberate sentient beings.
