The Meditative Concentration Required for Enlightenment

The concentration required for us to attain enlightenment through seeing the path—is it maintained continuously and unceasingly, or is it present only when we deliberately engage it, available when needed, yet absent during ordinary times?

If one's meditative concentration is relatively stable, the mind remains in a state of concentration consistently, though its intensity may vary. When worldly affairs become numerous, distractions arise, and concentration weakens. If one’s meditative concentration is unstable, it may be present while seated in meditation but dissipates into scatteredness once off the seat.

The concentration necessary for attaining fruition and realizing the true nature of mind must be stable and profound. Only with such deep concentration can contemplative examination become subtle, coherent, and sustained, allowing meditative practice to progress continuously and contemplative wisdom to grow increasingly refined. This is akin to boiling water: only when the fire burns continuously can the water in the pot grow progressively hotter until it finally boils. If the fire is intermittent, the water will alternate between heating and cooling, making it uncertain when it will ever boil.

The minimum level of concentration required for practice is that contemplative examination must occur within continuous concentration. One must engage in contemplative thought within a state of meditative stability to ensure that the examination is persistent, uninterrupted, and progressively deepening. This guarantees that, even during prolonged contemplative practice, the strength of concentration remains sufficient. Otherwise, the practice may easily break off, become unsustainable, or lack coherence, making it impossible to thoroughly examine and sever the view of self. As long as one possesses meditative concentration and other conditions are complete, enlightenment may be attained at any moment.