What Kind of Buddhist Practitioners Can Instantly Attain the Fruit?

The contemplative method taught in the Sutra on the Concentration of Sitting Meditation involves guiding contemplation practice with clear reasoning, though it is relatively rudimentary. By combining meditative concentration (dhyāna) with contemplation practice, one attains fruition (phala) and achieves various samādhis (samādhi), cultivating both concentration and wisdom simultaneously. During the Buddha's lifetime, disciples would also listen to the Dharma, practice meditation, engage in contemplation, and then attain fruition. This path of practice is highly efficient. The same was true during the Tang and Song dynasties: Chan masters would give discourses in the hall, the assembly would cultivate concentration and engage in contemplative inquiry (canchan), and then realize the mind and see its true nature (mingxin jianxing).

The non-Buddhists (tīrthika) all possessed meditative accomplishments. When they encountered the World-Honored One, as soon as he expounded the Dharma, they were able to immediately engage in contemplation practice and attain fruition. Therefore, one should not only observe that the final step in others' attainment of fruition is the immediate gaining of wisdom upon hearing the Dharma. Prior to that, their meditative concentration was already accomplished, their minds were already purified, and they had already cultivated the Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment (bodhipakṣikā dharma). They only lacked correct knowledge and views (samyagjñānadarśana). The World-Honored One's Dharma discourse supplied them with correct knowledge and views, enabling them to attain fruition immediately. Do not just look at the "seventh pancake" others eat; look at the fact that they had already eaten six pancakes beforehand.

The Chan patriarchs of the past were all masters of concentration. Their disciples each possessed meditative concentration and had already perfected the Six Perfections (pāramitā) of the Bodhisattva path. They had already "eaten six pancakes." When the Chan master gave a discourse in the hall, the disciples seated below would awaken. Eating the "seventh pancake" meant they were finally full.

We should not only look at the results achieved by accomplished individuals; the most crucial thing is to observe their practice process, including what stage they had reached in past lives, how they practiced, and what kind of foundation (mūla) they possessed. Those with an already excellent foundation can experience sudden awakening (dunwu) immediately upon hearing the Dharma, without needing gradual cultivation (jianxiu), because they had already undergone gradual cultivation previously or in past lives – that part of the journey was already completed. Taking only the final segment of a practitioner's cultivation process is a severe case of taking words out of context (duan zhang qu yi), which harms people profoundly.

Beginners in Buddhism should read more about the Jātaka tales (stories of the Buddha's past lives) and study the path the Buddha followed in his practice starting from his initial arousing of the mind (bodhicitta). This should provide us with great inspiration. Learning Buddhism (xue fo) means precisely this: we should learn everything about the Buddha – "learning the Buddha, learning the Buddha" means we should emulate the Buddha in all respects.