Volume VI of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra

The Buddha said: "Ananda, you have often heard me expound in the Vinaya the three definitive principles of cultivation: guarding the mind constitutes the precepts; from the precepts arises concentration; from concentration arises wisdom. These are called the Three Non-Outflow Studies."

Vinaya is one of the three divisions of the Buddhist Canon (Sutra, Vinaya, and Abhidharma). It refers to the precepts spoken by the Buddha, signifying the taming and subduing of one's own mind, body, speech, and mental activities. The result of this taming is the subjugation and eradication of afflictions, leading to a non-outflow mind, where body, speech, and mind are free from outflows and afflictions, free from habitual tendencies of afflictions, free from ignorance, and ultimately, the attainment of Buddhahood.

Why does guarding the mind constitute the precepts? Which mind must be guarded to accomplish the precepts? When the mind is not guarded, body, speech, and mind will recklessly stir and move. The body will do what should not be done, go where it should not go, and move when it should not move. Consequently, in severe cases, it will create the karma of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, making meditative concentration impossible. Even minor bodily restlessness and reckless movement preclude meditative concentration, for if the body cannot be still, concentration is impossible.

When the mind is not guarded, speech will engage in idle talk and reckless speech, saying what should not be said and what cannot be said. In severe cases, this leads to false speech, frivolous speech, and divisive speech, stirring up trouble and violating the Five Precepts and Ten Wholesome Deeds. With an impure mind like this, meditative concentration is impossible. Even if one does not violate the Five Precepts and Ten Wholesome Deeds, because the mouth chatters excessively, mental activity is certainly agitated; with excessive mental activity, the mind lacks stillness, and meditative concentration is impossible.

When the mind is not guarded, mental actions are certainly impure. One will think what should not be thought, ponder what should not be pondered, perceive what should not be perceived, and contemplate what should not be contemplated. Consequently, greed, hatred, and delusion will inevitably arise, muddying the mind-water. How can there be concentration then?

One thinks of people one should not think of, ponders matters one should not ponder, clings to emotions one should not cling to—how can the mind be still then? Which people should not be thought of? Some are emotionally attached, constantly harboring the image of another person in their heart, unable to dispel it, summoning it at will, unable to erase it. How can there be meditative concentration like this? During seated meditation, these images will certainly obstruct the mind, hinder contemplative practice and thought, and prevent stillness. How can there be concentration? If one can replace these images with those of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, receiving their blessings, the mind becomes pure, and meditative concentration arises immediately.

Some do not guard their minds, constantly dwelling on matters unrelated to themselves, things not beneficial to others, remembering them always, worrying about everything, filling the mind completely without any gap. Thus, the mind-water surges turbulently, agitated and noisy—how can there be concentration? Without guarding the mind, one constantly clings to wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep; the shadows of the six dusts pile up layer upon layer. The mind is not empty; it is covered by objects—how can there be meditative concentration?

Many complain about being unable to cultivate concentration well. Then one must examine oneself: what is the real reason for failing to cultivate meditative concentration? What exactly is obstructing the mind? Dig out these things, resolve them, empty the mind, and meditative concentration will naturally be easier to achieve. What hinders meditative concentration are the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion—clinging to worldly dharmas, unwilling to let go, regarding everything as real and useful, feeling compelled to grasp, preferring death over relinquishing these worldly dharmas. How can there be concentration like this?

Even after this explanation, many still cannot examine themselves; they do not know what exactly is in their minds. Because the mind is habitually scattered by objects, clinging too tightly to them, inseparable, the mind cannot jump outside the objects to observe itself. How can there be the wisdom of observation then? How can one observe the afflictions and habits of one's own mind?

Only by jumping outside the circle, beyond the objects, beyond the mind, to observe one's own mind, can one have the wisdom of observation, the power of contemplation. Only then can one discover phenomena previously unnoticed, find methods to counteract the mind, transform the mind, and gain the strength to subdue the mind.

The first thing to do now is to remove the mind from objects, shift it away, so that mind is mind, objects are objects, people are people, things are things. All dharmas abide in their own dharma positions, having nothing to do with one's own mind. When the mind is separated from objects, the power of awareness becomes strong, making it easy to awaken to the true reality of all dharmas. Meditative concentration will naturally increase, and wisdom will naturally arise.

The above explains the principle of concentration arising from precepts. Guarding one's own mind is the precept. The mind not giving rise to wrongdoing is the precept. The mind not engaging in reckless thinking, pondering, stirring, choosing, or creating is the precept. This mind primarily refers to the seventh consciousness, the manas (mind root). The contact, mental application, feeling, perception, and volition of the manas can trigger the mental application, contact, feeling, perception, and volition of the six consciousnesses, leading to the scattered activity of the bodily, verbal, and mental actions of the six consciousnesses. Guarding the manas is like controlling the master switch of bodily, verbal, and mental actions; it is like subduing the general and commander. Then the subordinate soldiers of the six consciousnesses will obediently follow orders, submitting without reckless movement. Why worry about lacking meditative concentration?

The most crucial point in cultivation is that wisdom arises from concentration. "Arises" (发, fa) means to bring forth or generate. The Buddha instructs us that due to the power of concentration from meditative absorption, a settled mind possesses strength. This strength can initiate and generate wisdom. It is like a force that enables a sprout to break through the soil; breaking through is called generation, called arising. Wisdom arises from the mind, generated by the power of meditative concentration. Without meditative concentration, the mind lacks strength and cannot grow wisdom.

The legacy and precious inheritance the Buddha left us are the Three Non-Outflow Studies of precepts, concentration, and wisdom. If, because we cannot uphold the precepts and cultivate concentration, we discard the first two inheritances, saying they are useless and only the last treasure is sufficient, then let us consider: are we not prodigal sons? Ruining the treasures of the Buddha's house, abandoning them without care—are we still the Buddha's disciples? Not safeguarding the Buddha's inheritance—are we still the Buddha's filial sons and virtuous descendants? Without the first two treasures, can we have the last one? Even if this last one exists, what kind of quality is it, do we know?

If one expounds on the precepts, it is endless. If one expounds on concentration, it is also endless. If one expounds on wisdom, it is even more endless. Ultimately, the precepts, concentration, and wisdom progress from the superficial level of the six consciousnesses to the fundamental level of the seventh consciousness, the manas. This is the true precepts, concentration, and wisdom. True precepts, concentration, and wisdom are the precepts, concentration, and wisdom of the mind, not merely the bodily and verbal actions of the surface six consciousnesses, not merely the mental actions of the sixth consciousness (mano-vijñāna), but the issue of the mental actions of the seventh consciousness, the manas. When the mind of the manas is guarded, not giving rise to wrongdoing, not stirring recklessly, wisdom will inevitably be born. The precepts, concentration, and wisdom of the manas govern all dharmas. Ultimately, it is through the precepts, concentration, and wisdom of the manas that one attains complete Buddhahood.