The Importance of Meditative Concentration

Some people's consciousness can boast to the level of an eighth-bhūmi bodhisattva, while the cultivation of the manas still treads in place at the level of an ordinary person. Why is there such a great difference? It is because they never cultivate meditative concentration (samādhi), never carefully deliberate within samādhi on the content that consciousness has only roughly understood, and never subtly influence the manas within samādhi. The manas remains as ignorant as before, so all of its actions will correspond to the manas's ignorance, and what consciousness says can never be put into practice.

This shows how important meditative concentration is. Samādhi is the platform for communication between consciousness and the manas; samādhi is the bridge through which consciousness transmits theoretical knowledge to the manas; samādhi is the channel through which consciousness provides data and materials to the manas; samādhi is the place where consciousness submits evidence to the manas; samādhi is the indispensable nourishment for the manas to be subtly influenced and to understand principles; samādhi is the calming pill for subduing the manas.

The three unconditioned studies of precepts, samādhi, and wisdom taught by the Buddha have an extremely profound significance. The Buddha does not deceive me; the Buddha is one who speaks as things truly are, one who speaks truthfully, one who does not speak inconsistently; the Buddha is the one who has integrated great wisdom, immeasurable wisdom, and unsurpassed wisdom. Those who believe and accept the Buddha's words will surely become Buddhas.