The Meritorious Benefits of Meditative Concentration

Question: During meditation, thoughts become fewer and consciousness becomes clearer. What is the purpose of maintaining this state of internally abiding in leisure? At this point, if I contemplate the Dharma teachings, might it lead to mere intellectual understanding, making it impossible to attain realization in the future? After reaching the state of internally abiding in leisure, how should I apply my effort?

Answer: The merits and benefits of meditative concentration (dhyāna) are numerous. For most sentient beings at the ordinary level, the ultimate and highest merits and benefits attainable in the short term are the growth of wisdom, the severing of the view of self, and the realization of the mind and seeing its true nature. However, there are other merits and benefits, such as inner peace, physical and mental comfort and well-being, transformation of physical constitution, health and longevity of the physical body, reduction of afflictions, increase in wholesome mental states, decrease in unwholesome mental states, increase in actions of wholesome and neutral karma, decrease in actions of unwholesome karma, leading to rebirth in wholesome destinies in future lives, ascending to heavenly realms to enjoy blessings. Upon initially entering meditative concentration, many people lack the power of thought and are unable to contemplate the Dharma. The mind abides in an empty concentration where thoughts are merely sprouting, known as the concentration of internally abiding in leisure. Naturally, without contemplation, one cannot realize the Way. However, after emerging from concentration, there is an inertia; the state of concentration continues. Consequently, the body and mind remain more comfortable and pleasant than when not cultivating concentration. The mind becomes deeper than usual, thinking power deepens, restlessness diminishes, and due to the pleasant and full state of body and mind, the mind becomes wholesome, peaceful, and serene. In interacting with others, one becomes generous, kind, and compassionate, thus reducing the creation of unwholesome karma. When encountering events, contemplation becomes thorough and penetrating; handling affairs becomes gentle, moderate, and non-extreme. It becomes easier to see through human affairs and the principles of phenomena, naturally leading to the growth of wisdom and the accumulation of merit and virtue. These merits and benefits are incomparable to those without meditative concentration.

By continuously training the power of thought within meditative concentration and cultivating the habit of contemplation, one gradually learns to contemplate according to principle and to observe and practice according to the Dharma, thereby enhancing wisdom. However, this kind of contemplation does not necessarily lead to the intellectual understanding of the Dharma. When the framework of the Dharma is not yet clear, and when the learned Dharma principles are not yet fluent, one first needs the intellectual contemplation of the conscious mind (mano-vijñāna) to clarify the framework and outline of the Dharma. This serves to influence the mental faculty (manas), enabling it to understand how the Dharma should be practiced and what effort is required to realize it. Once this foundation is well established, and when it is time for the final experiential realization, meditative concentration deepens, reaching the state of access concentration (or "not-yet-arrived-at absorption," anāgamya-samādhi). At this stage, one should primarily rely on the pondering of the mental faculty (manas), with the conscious mind (mano-vijñāna) playing a supporting role. One should minimize activities such as analytical thinking, reasoning, and intellectual interpretation, allowing the mental faculty (manas) itself to investigate and ponder. Only in this way can ultimate realization be attained, avoiding mere intellectual understanding by the conscious mind. This is the step-by-step practice method of balancing concentration (śamatha) and wisdom (vipassanā). Once mastered, skill is achieved through familiarity, and the practice becomes solid. In future lives, one will also avoid the false practice model of intellectual understanding by the conscious mind, thereby attaining the true benefit of the Dharma.