Cultivation of Concentration and Chan Meditation for Realization of the Way (Part 1)

Section Three: The Principles of Cultivating Samādhi

1. When cultivating samādhi, shallow concentration involves cultivating consciousness associated with the five senses, while deep concentration necessarily involves cultivating solitary consciousness. The general procedure for cultivating samādhi is to begin by subduing consciousness associated with the five senses, gradually deepening and transitioning to solitary consciousness, and then subduing solitary consciousness. Profound meditative states all begin with cultivating solitary consciousness; for example, the various visualization methods in the Buddhist sutras are all aimed at subduing solitary consciousness. Throughout the entire process of cultivating samādhi, from beginning to end, the mind faculty governs and directs the arising, ceasing, and changes of the six consciousnesses. Although sometimes, and initially, it may be the sixth consciousness (mental consciousness) that guides the mind faculty, using thought and reasoning to persuade the mind faculty not to grasp randomly, ultimately it is the mind faculty that determines the presence, absence, intensity, and weakness of the discernment of the six consciousnesses. It is the mind faculty that directs the coming and going of the six consciousnesses, and it is the mind faculty that weakens and extinguishes them.

Because solitary consciousness arises under fewer constraints and is not easily extinguished, it is far more active than consciousness associated with the five senses and harder to subdue. Once subdued, however, samādhi becomes effortless. Once one can grasp and direct solitary consciousness, there is a pathway into and out of samādhi. Grasping and directing the six consciousnesses are both done by the mind faculty. Therefore, the mind faculty must possess the mental factor of desire (chanda). Subduing the desire of the mind faculty, mobilizing its desire, and directing its desire make samādhi effortless. Thus, cultivating samādhi is ultimately about subduing the mind faculty and directing the mind faculty.

The sequence for cultivating samādhi: Subdue the five sense consciousnesses until only one of them remains; this is called concentration. Then, that single sense consciousness must also be weakened to allow the function of consciousness associated with the five senses to strengthen. After that, shift the function of consciousness associated with the five senses to solitary consciousness, then weaken consciousness associated with the five senses and strengthen solitary consciousness. Following this, make solitary consciousness concentrated, unified, and profound.

In deeper samādhi, weaken solitary consciousness and finally extinguish it. If solitary consciousness is too strong, it also hinders samādhi, especially deep samādhi. For example, if one is always thinking about the meaning of the Dharma, if the mind always has thoughts that cannot be severed and must be shifted, then deep samādhi is difficult to maintain.

Judging from the principles of cultivating samādhi, the mind faculty must correspond with the mental factor of concentration (samādhi). Concentration means concentrating the mind faculty; concentrating the six consciousnesses is useless and cannot stabilize them. A child inevitably follows the mother; stabilizing the mother simultaneously stabilizes the child. One must not look only at superficial phenomena; one must penetrate to the essence and ultimate reality of things. If one cannot observe the functioning of the mind faculty, one cannot perceive the deeper essence and remains stuck on the surface, observing mere illusions. Wisdom will not arise this way.

2. How many people, in the process of learning Buddhism, constantly struggle with distracting thoughts, believing that eliminating distracting thoughts will enable them to realize the Dharma? Yet even if they fight distracting thoughts for a hundred years and subdue them, they ultimately still do not understand the Dharma, wisdom does not arise, and liberation is not attained. The correct practice method is to let the mind faculty shift its attention to contemplating the Dharma; distracting thoughts will naturally diminish. Shift the attention, shift the objects of clinging, and success in practice will come swiftly.

Constantly dwelling on and fussing over distracting thoughts is of no benefit to Buddhist practice or the attainment of wisdom. The most direct method is to shift the objects of clinging—from clinging to worldly dharmas to clinging to the Buddha Dharma. Shift attachment from worldly dharmas to the Buddha Dharma, shift one's interests, shift the objects of craving, shift worldly intelligence and cleverness pertaining to worldly matters to the wisdom of observing and practicing the Buddha Dharma. Then concentration and wisdom will immediately appear; why worry about not attaining the Way? Those skilled in learning Buddhism should skillfully utilize distracting thoughts—not suppress thoughts to death, but know how to shift thoughts, shifting them to thoughts contemplating the Buddha Dharma. With every thought focused on the Dharma, every thought being the Dharma, concentration and wisdom are then accomplished.

If one struggles with distracting thoughts every day, it is no different from the practice methods of non-Buddhist practitioners, and fundamentally, one cannot match the profundity of their samādhi. In the past, non-Buddhist practitioners cultivated samādhi, attaining the four dhyānas and the eight samāpattis, and even developed the five supernatural powers. However, because they had not yet eradicated the view of self, they still regarded some dharma within the five aggregates and eighteen elements as self, as real, without eliminating even a fraction of their wrong views and inverted views. Relying on such wrong views, they inevitably revolve in birth and death; even if they could enter samādhi for as long as eighty thousand great kalpas, upon emerging after eighty thousand great kalpas, they would still fall into the three evil destinies, still suffering the pain of birth and death. Sentient beings create karma and revolve in birth and death precisely because of the wrong view of self. If the view of self is eradicated, the bonds tying one down are loosened, guaranteeing non-descent into the three evil destinies. In practice, eliminating wrong views and attaining right knowledge and vision is extremely important. Otherwise, even after practicing for countless kalpas, one remains on the wrong path, unable to return to the right path or attain liberation.

As long as one possesses sufficient merit, the goal is correct, and the method is appropriate, attaining enlightenment is not a very difficult matter. Each person's capacity is different, so the practice methods vary. Those who from childhood enjoy tranquility, prefer solitude, and have few hobbies and interests tend to cultivate samādhi more quickly. Even without formal sitting meditation, their minds grasp less, their energy is concentrated, and upon encountering the Buddha Dharma, they can single-mindedly contemplate the Dharma, penetrating deeply into it. After they have imbibed the right knowledge and vision of the Dharma for a period, possessing right knowledge and vision, they understand the method of investigating Chan (Dhyana) and spontaneously begin to investigate Chan. Conversely, some people sit in meditation for ten or twenty years yet still cannot single-mindedly contemplate the Dharma, do not know how to observe and practice the Dharma, and cannot distinguish the correctness, falsity, or levels of the Dharma.