Why Did the Venerable's Body and Mind Suddenly Become Empty Shortly After He Focused His Mind?

The mental activity of the mind consciousness was certainly gathered in, not engaging with any dharma other than the questioning doubt, not even engaging with the body—no longer aware of the body's existence. The mental activity of the manas was also gathered in; otherwise, the mind consciousness could not have been gathered in, for it would inevitably follow the manas in its grasping. Because the manas was gathered in and no longer scattered, both the body and the conscious mind became empty and ceased to exist. This is not merely the "nothingness" within meditative concentration, but also emptiness at the level of one's views and concepts—that is, realizing that body and mind are not the self, and attaining the fruit of realization. Gathering in body and mind is itself meditative concentration; afterward, deeper meditative concentration appeared, and the wisdom that body and mind are not self was developed.

Without meditative concentration, can there be true wisdom? Impossible. If there were, it would only be that of a mere intellectualist. Nowadays there are intellectualists everywhere, like Master Shenhui, and who knows whether they are even capable of teaching. When the Sixth Patriarch scolded Master Shenhui back then, it was just like scolding people today—yet they still do not awaken.