Cultivation and Zen Practice for Attaining Enlightenment (Part Two)
Chapter 2 How to Cultivate Meditative Concentration Well
1. Only by Subduing Afflictions Can One Cultivate Meditative Concentration Without Obstacles
Only by subduing afflictions, transforming one's mental disposition, and having the mind engage with fewer objects can one reduce obstacles in cultivating meditative concentration, and only then can the mind attain concentration. The accomplishment of meditative concentration does not necessarily depend on long hours of sitting practice; what matters most is improving one's mental disposition, reducing greed, hatred, and delusion. When the mind becomes pure and no longer has excessive thoughts about worldly matters, the power of concentration naturally increases. When the precepts are strictly observed, the mind's grasping and wandering decreases, afflictions also decrease, and meditative concentration naturally improves quickly—there is no need to rely solely on long hours of sitting to attain meditative concentration. Mental disposition is very important; keeping the precepts and having mild afflictions play a decisive role in the arising of meditative concentration.
Greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, doubt, and incorrect views are all afflictions. Each person's afflictions have different emphases, and thus the causes obstructing the Path differ. Some people are extremely greedy, some extremely hateful, some extremely deluded, some extremely arrogant, some have very heavy doubt, and some have very incorrect views. But overall, they are all afflictions arising from delusion and ignorance. Delusion is the general and major affliction; without delusion, the afflictions of greed and hatred, and the affliction of self-arrogance, would not exist, nor would the afflictions of doubt and incorrect views. Buddhist practitioners should ordinarily pay attention and observe to find their own greatest and most primary affliction, focusing mainly on subduing that primary affliction. By resolving the main contradiction, all other contradictions can be dissolved. Subduing afflictions works the same way: by subduing the primary affliction, the obstructions can be basically eliminated, and other afflictions will be eliminated along with it. The great, primary affliction is the cause of other afflictions. Find the cause and resolve it, and the conditions no longer exist; the obstructions to cultivating concentration are thereby removed.
2. How to Enter Meditative Concentration Quickly While Sitting
To enter concentration quickly, one must relax body and mind as much as possible. When taking one's seat, let the body slacken and the mind be empty. You must empty out body and mind: relax the arms, hands, and shoulders; relax the legs and feet; do not hold up the shoulders, arms, and hands—the whole body must loosen. The head should also relax, kept naturally upright and slightly lowered. The back should be naturally straight, neither bent nor rigidly erect. The shoulders should gently droop down, drawn back slightly, relaxed and effortless. The whole body should exert no force; exerting force means you are straightening your body, and when you straighten up, the body becomes stiff, the qi-mechanism stops moving, the qi channels cannot easily circulate, and the body cannot easily be opened up.
After the body is completely relaxed, relax the mind as well, let it empty out, lightly and easily. Apart from the dharma you are contemplating, think of nothing in the mind—no worrying, ignore everything; even if the sky falls, pay no attention; relinquish everything. Let the body be however it wants; do not concern yourself with it. The more you attend to it, the more you grasp, the harder it is for the qi-mechanism to activate, the harder it is for the qi and blood to pass through, and the harder it is for meditative concentration to arise. Conversely, the more empty and relaxed body and mind are, the better the concentration. When practicing sitting meditation, completely empty out, relinquish, and let go of body and mind—only thus can you enter concentration as quickly as possible.
3. How to Enter Concentration Quickly
When sitting, if you contemplate dharma meanings, you enter concentration faster than silently reciting the Heart Sutra, and more deeply; faster than regulating the breath, and faster than using other methods. This is true for those of sharp indriya with mild afflictions and few wandering thoughts, because they already have a foundation in cultivating concentration, so the preliminary methods can be omitted. But for beginners at concentration who have heavy grasping and busy minds, the more they contemplate, the more scattered the mind becomes; without meditative concentration, contemplation is just scattered thinking, and scattered thinking disturbs the mind—so wait until you have a foundation of concentration before contemplating. When I take my seat and cross my legs, I use no preliminary methods at all, entering directly into deep contemplation—no thinking by the mind consciousness, only deliberation (manasikāra) by the manas. After crossing the legs, I first attend to the dharma that needs contemplating, then settle onto that dharma without moving, without a single wandering thought. This is the state of the manas investigating Chan.
The manas deliberates deeply and slowly, but thoroughly; the mind consciousness thinks quickly and shallowly, neither thoroughly nor penetratingly. Thinking by the mind consciousness is a preliminary expedient whose purpose is to prompt the manas's deliberation; initially this is a necessary process. In the manas's deliberation and investigation, there is almost no knowledge to be gained and no increase in the amount of knowledge, but it is very interesting—there is a flavor of exploration, a delight of vaguely being about to discover something. What is developed is the wisdom within one's own mind-field; wisdom is not obtained from outside—what is obtained from outside is only knowledge. At this level, one no longer feels tired; I can sit for a whole morning, or even a whole day. It is only when there is something on my mind that I have to leave the seat.
4. How to Cultivate Concentration
There are many initial methods for cultivating concentration; some were discussed in the book Cultivating Meditative Concentration and Investigating Chan to Realize the Path, such as regulating the breath, and after regulating the breath, performing prostration movements on the meditation cushion, conditioning the body before sitting, and so on. These small methods are relatively easy to start with and very practical. The book also discusses how the mind should contemplate while sitting, how to recite mantras and sutras to adjust the mind when it is especially scattered, and then, once the mind is settled, how to apply effort to investigate Chan—the methods are all in the book. You can read it and practice step by step accordingly; there are also audio files, which explain in more detail.
Once the mind is somewhat settled, when you truly want to eradicate the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), practice according to the Sūtra on the Samādhi of Sitting Meditation and the Sūtra on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. The practice methods taught in these sutras include both concentration and wisdom, and are excellent. If the four foundations of mindfulness are cultivated well, then in the future, for seeing the truth at any gate of the Great Vehicle, you can apply effort according to that method. That method of application is the equal cultivation of Samādhi and Prajñā; as long as the practice is sufficient, seeing the truth and realizing the Buddha's dharma is guaranteed.
Some people have cultivated concentration for a long time and may have used the methods quite well, with fairly deep concentration, but that concentration is like a pool of stagnant water that gives birth to no wisdom. Once their power of concentration is good, they no longer want to do anything, wanting only to sit all day, craving the pleasant feelings of the physical body. Then there is no wisdom to investigate Chan, no contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) wisdom, and their knowledge of the Buddha's dharma remains very shallow.
Some people only single-mindedly cultivate concentration without generating awareness and illumination; their wisdom is poor, and at the time of death they will still be turned by karma, because after all they have not eradicated the view of self, have no wisdom for escaping birth-and-death, and lack the wisdom of Great Vehicle bodhisattvas who have seen the mind and seen their nature—so in future lives they cannot escape the cycle of birth and death. Only by using the power of concentration for contemplative practice and investigation can one eradicate the view of self and see the mind and see the nature; only then can the problem of birth and death be solved—this is most important. Nowadays practitioners tend toward two extremes: one extreme is cultivating concentration exclusively, lacking wisdom and unwilling to engage in contemplative practice; the other extreme is never cultivating meditative concentration at all, only using the mind consciousness to study widely and hear much, or using the mind consciousness's scattered thinking, applying effort in intellectual understanding rather than in realization. Only by merging these two extremes together can one realize the Buddha's dharma.
5. Eating Vegetarian Food Helps Cultivate Concentration
The Buddha said in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra that when sentient beings eat pungent and meat foods, there are various harms, which greatly obstruct cultivation of the Path. Therefore, to cultivate meditative concentration well, one must eliminate pungent and meat foods. "Pungent" (hūn) refers to foods that produce unpleasant odors once eaten into the body, such as chives, scallions, garlic, garlic scapes, garlic sprouts, onions, and so on; "meat" (xīng) refers to the flesh of sentient beings as food.
When these pungent and meat foods enter the body, they make the mind impure, easily give rise to desire and hatred, and easily attract the approach of ghosts and spirits. Ghosts and spirits like pungent and meat foods; they will lick your lips and sniff the odor, which is unfavorable for cultivation and also easily invites calamity. It is also a disguised form of killing, and in the future the debt must be repaid a thousand- or ten-thousand-fold. According to the Buddha's teachings in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, one should eliminate pungent and meat foods as soon as possible and enter the Path quickly.
6. How to Attain Preparatory Concentration (anāgamya-samādhi)
To attain preparatory concentration and maintain it, in daily life you must let the mind focus on what you are currently doing—and on the main matters; minor and miscellaneous matters need not occupy the mind too much. When doing unimportant things, focus on your own inner mind; just be slightly aware of external matters, without managing or worrying about them. Only by losing something can one gain something. If you worry about everything, you will excel at nothing, and in the end accomplish nothing. You must train yourself to be able to free yourself from the bonds of miscellaneous matters anytime and anywhere, and focus on the main matters; only with a mind free of distractions can meditative concentration appear.
If a person wants to succeed in this life, they must learn to focus, choosing main matters to do and giving less attention to useless things. Once meditative concentration is cultivated, the wisdom for doing things increases, and then whatever you do can be done well. If you are interested in and attentive to everything, you may become versed in everything, but you cannot master anything. Mastery is far more important and meaningful than being versed; mastery represents wisdom, and with wisdom nothing cannot be accomplished—including the matter of becoming a Buddha.
Modern people are rather greedy: interested in everything, wanting to know everything, wanting to participate in everything. With too many pursuits and too many points of focus, the result is often accomplishing nothing and gaining nothing. Those who do not know how to choose are like this. If you want to gain, you must seek single-mindedly, and must abandon many unnecessary people and matters; only then can your wishes be fully fulfilled. A person has only two hands, yet wants to grab everything; the result is like a black bear snapping corn—snapping one ear and dropping another, and in the end being lucky to end up with just one ear of corn.
Check the various apps on your phone and see how much content you follow; from this you can judge whether you can actually cultivate meditative concentration, whether your mind can have concentration. Even if you follow those things your whole life, so what? Knowing all the novel and varied happenings in the world—so what? What can you gain? What do you really want in this life? There are also people who have studied Buddhism for ten or twenty years yet still have not found a dharma that resonates with them; they contact every dharma and study every dharma, appearing very erudite, but in fact have mastered nothing and understood no dharma, aimlessly bumping about here and there, never finding a destination.
7. How to Attain First Dhyāna Concentration
Some say that if you persist in sitting for several hours every day, you can attain first dhyāna concentration. This is not necessarily so. Entering first dhyāna does not depend on how long one sits, but on whether the mind can relinquish craving for the desire realm. Many people, even if they can remain in concentration for a year or half a year without eating or drinking, still cannot enter first dhyāna, because their craving for the desire realm is heavy and they cannot relinquish desire-realm phenomena. Of the phenomena of the desire realm, relinquish as much as you can; the more you relinquish, the deeper the concentration.
First dhyāna corresponds to the first dhyāna heaven of the form realm; only when the mind resembles the mental disposition of the beings of the first dhyāna heaven can first dhyāna concentration arise. Since one must have the mental disposition of form-realm heavenly beings, the mind cannot contain the various phenomena of the desire realm. Strive every day to relinquish and distance yourself from desire-realm phenomena, and the mind will correspond to the states of the form-realm heavens; at that time first dhyāna will necessarily arise—and it will come uninvited. To relinquish desire-realm phenomena, you must contemplate which phenomena belong to the desire realm, what phenomena exist in the desire realm, and how to relinquish them.
8. Is Contemplating a Photo of the Setting Sun a Good Method for Cultivating Concentration?
Two years ago I taught how to contemplate the setting sun. That method of contemplating the setting sun mainly involves personally observing the setting sun in the western sky, watching the golden-red sun suspended in empty space like a hanging drum; after watching, close your eyes and recall the setting sun you saw with your own eyes. In this way the memory is vivid, and the effect of the contemplation is best; this kind of contemplation is also relatively easy, since it is something seen with one's own eyes and has a basis, unlike the difficulty of imagining out of thin air. In fact, all these contemplative methods are more or less similar; it is merely a matter of which is easier to start with and which method suits oneself better.
Whatever method you use, as long as there is one method by which you can successfully cultivate the power of concentration and can clearly engage in direct-perception contemplative practice, that is good. As long as the contemplative practice reaches the manas, and the manas can deliberate with focus, then you have succeeded in your cultivation. Once you know how to have the manas deliberate with focus, then upon encountering any dharma you can use the manas to deliberate, letting the manas realize the dharma; then you can all attain great wisdom and meditative absorption (samādhi), and be unobstructed and fully integrated in whatever dharma you cultivate.
In the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, Sudhana made fifty-three visits; each time he visited a good spiritual teacher and received their instruction, he would investigate within the samādhi of meditative absorption—all was the focused deliberation of the manas, without intellectual interpretation by the mind consciousness—and he realized the samādhi of the equal cultivation of Samādhi and Prajñā, finally cultivating up to the stage of a bodhisattva of equanimity (samatā-maṇita). Sudhana did not spend time learning so much theory, nor did he focus on theory to amass rich theoretical knowledge; rather, having sought out a dharma, he would verify and investigate it within meditative absorption, finally attaining the profound samādhi of the equal cultivation of Samādhi and Prajñā—neither biased toward concentration nor biased toward wisdom. Only this is genuine realization, and the most ultimate realization. Therefore, in our cultivation we should also strive to maintain the state of the equal cultivation of Samādhi and Prajñā—neither wild wisdom nor foolish concentration. Once you have mastered a method, investigate within concentration. If you only study theory, meditative concentration will also be hard to cultivate, and all the theory cannot be digested and absorbed; it becomes stuck in the mind and fosters arrogance.
Those with much theory should quickly settle their minds and go into genuine realization. However much theory you speak, it is not your own experience; speaking is useless. Only what is genuinely realized is your own wisdom, which can be carried into future lives, benefiting you life after life. Those who have not yet figured out the path of practice should cultivate concentration while exploring the way. Grasp with both hands, and make both hands strong; neither side may be neglected.
If one can complete the first contemplation in the Contemplation Sūtra (Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra), one's concentration has already surpassed preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi), and may even reach first dhyāna. This is genuine practice—is it easy? Extremely difficult. Even those who can complete preparatory concentration are very, very few; one must give up much of worldly dharma to achieve it. To cultivate to first dhyāna requires subduing an enormous amount of afflictions of craving, with very few worldly pursuits—who can do that? Let alone laypeople, whose worldly habits are so heavy. So do not believe that this one has attained the fourth dhyāna or that one has attained the fourth dhyāna; preparatory concentration is already a great test.
Only when worldly desires in the human realm are subdued can there be preparatory concentration. Only when the desires of desire-realm heavenly beings are subdued can there be first dhyāna. If you cannot subdue even the lowest desires, do not expect to have preparatory concentration. When people want to gain everything—power, money, influence, fame—and also want to show off and flaunt themselves, how can they have meditative concentration? Craving good food, good drink, fine clothes, and enjoyment—how can they have meditative concentration? Caring about every worldly matter—how can they have meditative concentration? Only by linking practice to your own body and mind, to all your bodily, verbal, and mental actions, constantly comparing and reflecting, constantly cultivating and realizing yourself, can you subdue the self, cultivate meditative concentration, and make continuous progress on the Path.
9. How to Deal with Wandering Thoughts in Concentration
There are always people who say, "Fear not the arising of thoughts; fear only being slow to awaken." But no matter how you awaken, the thought has already appeared, the concentration is gone, and at that moment there was, after all, no awakening. Knowing only afterward, mending the fold after the sheep is lost—the sheep has already run away, after all. While sitting, if you are doing well, clear and bright, and suddenly a thought arises, do not pay attention to it; just let it pass and continue in concentration. If you attend to it, another thought arises—two wandering thoughts appear. The wandering thought of being aware of the thought often prolongs things, and then regretting having had that thought, the concentration becomes very hard to maintain.
If you pay no attention to any dharma, it will naturally pass; sooner or later it will pass. No dharma, no phenomenon can exist forever—they arise and cease; once arisen, there is naturally a time of ceasing. When it ceases, that dharma is nothing at all; when it arises, it was originally nothing either. Pay no attention, and the mind is naturally pure. As the myriad dharmas come, watch them come; as they go, watch them go; let them arise and cease on their own, playing by themselves, while you just watch the show. In this way, you need not worry that meditative concentration will not appear.
10. The Correct Method of Recollecting the Buddha with the Breath
When recollecting the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti), if sound flows out beyond the chest and mouth, gas is moving from within the dantian to outside the body—a process of releasing gas. Then while inhaling one cannot recite the Buddha's name, as it would collide with the sound flow of recitation; therefore recitation is only possible while exhaling. When inhaling, devote yourself single-mindedly to the inhalation, placing all attention on the process of the breath; wherever the breath goes, attention should follow. In this way the qi and blood flow smoothly, body and mind are comfortable, and the mind settles very quickly.
When inhaling, the breath enters through the nasal passages all the way into the dantian; if your mental power is sufficient, you can let it reach the four limbs and every pore of the body, while also noticing and feeling the sensations of the body. When exhaling again, the breath expelled should be slight and gentle, because all the cells of the body carry out metabolism and expel waste gases, which are expelled through the pores of the whole body—the pores can also breathe. The method of recollecting the Buddha with the breath can unify mind and breath, harmonize body and mind, make the qi and blood flow smoothly, lead quickly to concentration, deepen the concentration, and lengthen the time of absorption. Beginners at cultivating concentration should start from this method. For the specific method of recollection, see the book Cultivating Meditative Concentration and Investigating Chan to Realize the Path.
11. Meditative Concentration Can Subdue Bad Habits
All Buddhist practitioners should strive to cultivate meditative concentration, overcome old worldly habits, and turn the mind toward cultivating the Path, not paying excessive attention to worldly dharmas. Things experienced over countless lifetimes—no matter how much attention you give them, they cannot resolve the great matter of birth and death. Once the great matter is grasped well, all worldly matters count for nothing. Everyone should have the wisdom to recognize this principle.
Subduing and changing a habit is extremely difficult, and even being able to introspect and recognize that one has a certain habit is not easy. A habit is called a habit precisely because of long conditioning—it has accumulated too deeply and is deeply rooted. Almost all of our thoughts and views follow our habits; without quite good power of concentration to introspect and awaken to the fact that one's own thoughts and views are habits that should not exist, the vast majority of people do not know what habits they have, do not know that what they think and consider is all wrong—that it is ignorance, karmic obstruction, and affliction, and that following it leads toward birth and death.
Even having recognized the habits of ignorance, they are still hard to reverse and change. This requires us to constantly alert and spur ourselves to single-mindedly aspire to the Path, generate a fervent mind for cultivation, constantly reflect on our karmic obstructions of birth and death, contemplate the true meaning of life, recognize the true system of values, recognize the falseness and unreality of worldly dharmas, quickly leap out of the fiery pit of birth and death, and then turn back to save more fellow practitioners and dharma friends.
