Cultivation of Concentration and Chan Meditation for Realization of the Way (Part 1)
Section Six: Mundane Samadhi and Supramundane Samadhi
I. Samadhi is a practice and realization common to all sentient beings, a state shared by non-Buddhists and Buddhists alike, exhibiting no difference in characteristics, yet differing greatly in function.
The difference lies in the fact that within non-Buddhist samadhi, there is no contemplation, observation, cultivation, or investigation regarding the five aggregates, and thus no arising of the wisdom of non-self, preventing liberation. However, the properly cultivated samadhi within Buddhism necessarily involves contemplative observation and investigative activities, through which the corresponding wisdom of liberation arises. If a Buddhist practitioner's samadhi remains solely in a state of absorption without contemplative observation, it belongs to the category of non-Buddhist samadhi.
Generally, most samadhi cultivated by Buddhist practitioners is common to non-Buddhist paths. Only in the later stages, when contemplative observation arises within samadhi, does it become a samadhi not shared with non-Buddhists. Therefore, every Buddhist practitioner need not reject non-Buddhist samadhi or any form of meditative absorption, as long as ultimately, they can utilize various states of samadhi to give rise to the correct wisdom of liberation. This is the fundamental purpose of cultivating samadhi.
II. What is the difference between the samadhi of non-Buddhists who do not uphold the precept against killing and the samadhi of Buddhism?
Samadhi generates the merit (punya) of concentration. In samadhi without upholding the precept against killing, the merit of concentration is less. However, as the power of concentration deepens, physical, verbal, and mental actions decrease until they cease entirely. In such cases, these non-Buddhist samadhis become samadhis that naturally uphold precepts – upholding without conscious effort, naturally possessing precepts. Such precepts are even purer than the Five Precepts or the Eight Precepts of Uposatha upheld by Buddhists, and even purer than the Bodhisattva Precepts upheld by most people. Due to possessing such profound samadhi free from breaking any precepts, non-Buddhists, upon hearing the Buddha's teaching, instantly contemplate and immediately realize the fourth fruition of Arhatship, without needing to pass through the first, second, or third fruitions. Can Buddhist practitioners match this?
Although non-Buddhist samadhi cannot eradicate the view of self or eliminate afflictions (kleshas), it can subdue the self and suppress afflictions, maintaining a tenuous connection with the five aggregates as "self" and a tenuous connection with afflictions. Ultimately, when the Buddha expounds the Dharma, these non-Buddhists develop deep faith in the Buddha, truly take refuge solely in the Buddha, and swiftly realize the fruitions. The view of self and afflictions are no longer tenuously connected but are completely eradicated. If Buddhist practitioners cultivate shallow samadhi that cannot subdue the self or suppress afflictions, lacking even that tenuous connection, they still have a long way to go before eradicating afflictions.
III. The Difference Between Mundane Samadhi and Supramundane Samadhi
Mundane samadhi refers to the four dhyanas and the eight samadhis (four dhyanas + four formless attainments). It is samadhi entered into by the five-aggregate body and mind, cultivated on the conscious awareness mind. It is characterized by entry and exit; thus, it is subject to arising and ceasing, impermanent, and requires constant maintenance. If not well maintained, the power of concentration disappears. The sole reason these eight types of samadhi alone cannot liberate sentient beings is that they can only subdue the conscious mind; they cannot eradicate the view of self or sever the bonds of birth and death. For sentient beings to seek liberation, they first need to eliminate the view that the five aggregates constitute a self, then cultivate the first dhyana, eradicate craving, eliminate afflictions, and finally completely exhaust all craving for the three realms, becoming free from greed, attachment, and delight, only then can liberation be attained. Within the four dhyanas and eight samadhis, there still exists craving for the meditative states themselves, and one still clings to some part of the five aggregates as "self," clinging to the conscious awareness mind within samadhi as "self," hence liberation is not possible.
Some sentient beings may have cultivated the four dhyanas and eight samadhis in the past, but this samadhi cannot enable them to transcend the cycle of birth and death and attain liberation. Therefore, when the power of concentration fades, they fall back, returning to the human realm or the three lower realms. So, how can one transcend birth and death and attain liberation? Only by eradicating the view of self and realizing the fruition of liberation can one depart from birth and death and attain liberation; there is no other path. Why do sentient beings so favor cultivating samadhi, regarding it as the sole method of practice? It is because they all believe that samadhi can bring them liberation, not believing that extinguishing the "I" of all conscious awareness minds is necessary to attain Nirvana, liberation, and escape the cycle. Therefore, studying the Buddha Dharma to attain correct knowledge and views is paramount. Only by guiding practice with the correct principles of the Dharma and practicing accordingly can success be attained.
Supramundane samadhi refers to the unentering, unexiting Shurangama Samadhi (Śūraṅgama Samādhi) of the eighth consciousness, the Tathagatagarbha (Buddha-nature). It is also called the Lanka Samadhi (Laṅkāvatāra Samādhi). This is because only the Tathagatagarbha is not within the three realms of the mundane world; all other dharmas are within the world, inseparable from the mental faculty (manas) and the conscious mind (mano-vijñāna). The Tathagatagarbha is constantly in samadhi, eternally unentering and unexiting, unarisen and unceasing, constantly abiding in freedom. The Tathagatagarbha perpetually abides in the great samadhi, never exiting samadhi nor having an entry point. It does not grasp at any dharmas; regarding the six dusts (objects of the senses), it never gives rise to thoughts or mental activities, is never scattered, never agitated, never dull, and never sleeps. It is conventionally said to be "in samadhi," hence there is no concept of "in samadhi" or "not in samadhi" for the Tathagatagarbha. The Tathagatagarbha is also fundamentally unmoving; it neither perceives nor hears any dharmas, thus its mind never stirs. Its functioning completely accords with the karma, habits, and conditions of sentient beings, yet even while according, it does not stir thoughts. Therefore, it is also called the Shurangama Samadhi.
The Shurangama Sutra speaks of the Shurangama Samadhi; the entire sutra expounds the Tathagatagarbha. This is our true mind, constantly abiding in samadhi, never exiting nor entering samadhi, without entry or exit. This is the true state of samadhi, unarisen and unceasing, extremely firm; hence it is called the Shurangama Samadhi. Why is the Tathagatagarbha never exiting, never entering, constantly in samadhi? Because it has no eyes, it does not see form. When form comes, it does not discriminate, does not give rise to thoughts or mental stirrings, its mind is never disturbed. Regarding the other five dusts, it also does not discriminate, does not stir thoughts, and its mind is never scattered. It never confronts the six dusts, never gives rise to mental activity, and never moves according to circumstances. This is the Shurangama Samadhi. The Sixth Patriarch said: "The Naga (referring to the Tathagatagarbha) is always in samadhi, there is never a time it is not in samadhi." This is the meaning.
If someone says the Shurangama Samadhi does not refer to this samadhi of the mind-essence, they mean the four dhyanas and eight samadhis. However, the four dhyanas and eight samadhis are characterized by entry and exit; they are not constant samadhi. Being subject to arising, ceasing, and change, they are not the Shurangama Samadhi. To cultivate the four dhyanas and eight samadhis, one must first cultivate the Kāmāvacara dhyāna (Dhyāna of the Desire Realm), which is the samadhi of the six heavens of the Desire Realm. The samadhi of the sixth heaven of the Desire Realm is the Anāgamya-samādhi (Samadhi of Not Yet Arrived). After passing beyond the Anāgamya-samādhi comes the samadhi of the first dhyāna heaven of the Form Realm. The dhyānas from the first dhyāna upwards constitute the true four dhyānas and eight samādhis.
The physical bodies of beings in the Desire Realm and Form Realm heavens are countless times larger than those of humans, and their mental experiences are extremely blissful. When we cultivate to these two levels of samadhi, the heavenly bodies manifest simultaneously upon our human bodies, and we feel our bodies become immeasurably large, with mental sensations also being very comfortable. To attain these states of samadhi, one must be relatively unattached to human affairs and material things, have few desires, and greatly reduce the five desires to a very faint level; only then is it possible to cultivate those states. When cultivating to the Anāgamya-samādhi, one must subdue the five hindrances (nīvaraṇas) and develop disinterest in all things of the Desire Realm for the first dhyāna to manifest. Then, cultivating upwards step by step, one fully cultivates the four dhyānas and eight samādhis. Nevertheless, the four dhyānas and eight samādhis are still samādhis with entry and exit; they are not a state of perpetual samadhi. The mind is still subject to movement; they remain illusory dharmas of the conscious mind, not the true, eternally unmoving samadhi. Therefore, they are not the Shurangama Samadhi.
IV. What is Wrong Samadhi? What is Right Samadhi? How to Transform Wrong Samadhi into Right Samadhi?
Wrong samadhi is samadhi not on the path to liberation; it cannot give rise to the wisdom of liberation and does not tend towards liberation. It is samadhi common to non-Buddhists. In this samadhi, the mind is dull, lethargic, or inactive, lacking mental engagement, not giving rise to contemplation, and not pondering the teachings.
The most correct among the right samadhis is that within samadhi, the mind is free from inversion; it does not think of any mundane dharmas, does not think of good or evil, does not cling to any dharmas, yet it can give rise to all dharmas in accordance with sentient beings with unsurpassed wisdom, unbound and unobstructed by any dharmas, liberated from all dharmas. The next level of right samadhi is samadhi within which one can deeply and subtly contemplate various correct principles, not clinging to any mundane appearances, not clinging to good or evil, able to give rise to various great wisdoms of liberation, able to transform worlds, ripen all roots of goodness, merit, and conditions for oneself and others, with the mind oriented towards the right path, abiding in the right path.
When samadhi is cultivated to a certain degree, the mind becomes purified, mental power can be highly concentrated, and thinking reaches a certain depth, then contemplation should arise within samadhi. One should contemplate the Dharma issues currently needing resolution, ponder the questions currently needing understanding. Moreover, after emerging from samadhi, one should also diligently contemplate the Dharma, day and night, with thoughts constantly revolving around the Dharma, around the Dharma problems currently needing resolution. In this way, one can comprehend the Dharma. When conditions are sufficient, it is possible to realize the corresponding Dharma and open wisdom.
In relatively deep right samadhi, conscious thinking is less and subtler, lacking emotional or intellectual understanding, yet there is the subtle deliberation of the mental faculty (manas) which is difficult to perceive. The mental faculty engages in deep contemplation, exerting more effort than the conscious mind, with the mental faculty's deliberation being primary. Here there is both samadhi and prajñā (wisdom). The samadhi is right samadhi; wrong samadhi lacks such deliberation. One must diligently and steadfastly do the work, master the skill of deliberation, learn to deliberate; it will certainly be beneficial, with a hundred benefits and no harm.
Dullness (middha) within samadhi has several causes. Identifying the cause and applying the remedy can resolve the problem of dullness. One cause is blocked qi and blood flow, obstructing blood vessels; insufficient blood supply causes dullness. While sitting, massage acupoints to promote qi and blood flow. Another cause is insufficient sleep or physical fatigue. Regulate breathing; take several deep breaths. Another cause is the lack of an object of focus that interests the mental faculty, causing mental dullness. At this time, visualize an interesting scene to free the mind from dullness.
Without samadhi, do not yet engage in contemplative practice (vipassanā) of the Dharma. When the power of concentration is insufficient, also do not engage in contemplative practice of the Dharma. Doing so easily leads to reasoning out a conclusion or answer through inference, making it difficult to truly engage in investigative contemplation later, hindering subsequent genuine realization and greatly obstructing the path. Contemplative practice without samadhi is of no benefit to liberation or the path; it only increases intellectual understanding and conceit, cannot eradicate the view of self, and yields no meritorious benefit.
V. Supernormal Powers Can Be Lost
Non-Buddhists cultivate to the four formless attainments (ārūpyasamāpatti) and attain the supernormal power of travel (ṛddhi), so why do they still give rise to lust upon seeing form and lose that supernormal power? The eradication of lustful desire is the measure of realization achieved by combining the first dhyāna with the eradication of the view of self. Only the combination of these two enables one to become a third-fruition (anāgāmin) practitioner capable of eradicating lustful desire. Possessing only the first dhyāna and the four dhyānas/eight samādhis, or merely eradicating the view of self, is insufficient to eradicate lustful desire. Therefore, although non-Buddhists possess samadhi and supernormal powers, they still give rise to lust upon seeing form, after which their samadhi and supernormal powers all disappear. This shows that without the wisdom born from eradicating the view of self, samadhi alone cannot eradicate lustful desire.
Scriptures of the past record that individuals with samadhi and supernormal powers, upon giving rise to lustful thoughts upon seeing form, immediately lost their supernormal powers and samadhi as soon as the thought arose, flying when they came but walking back. This is because they lacked the merit of realizing the first fruition (sotāpanna), possessing only samadhi. To eradicate lustful desire, one must combine the eradication of the view of self (realizing the first fruition) with the first dhyāna; samadhi alone is insufficient. Thus, the partial realization merit and benefit of the first fruition is still very significant.
Similarly, Devadatta, without having eradicated the view of self, cultivated supernormal powers enabling him to ascend to the heavens. Because he conceived the thought of stealing heavenly flowers, his supernormal powers vanished instantly, and he fell from the heavens. If one realizes the first fruition first, then possesses the first dhyāna, and then attains supernormal powers, one is a third-fruition practitioner. Such a one would not give rise to improper thoughts again, would not break precepts, and thus would not lose supernormal powers.
