How to Rapidly Attain Meditative Concentration

To subdue afflictions and transform unwholesome mental dispositions, the cultivation of meditative concentration can be achieved relatively swiftly. Attaining meditative absorption does not necessarily depend solely on prolonged sitting; one need not rely exclusively on extended periods of seated meditation to achieve it. Mental disposition is crucial; when afflictions are slight, it plays a decisive role in the arising of meditative concentration.

Greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, and doubt, along with incorrect views, are all afflictions. The specific focus of each individual's afflictions differs, leading to different causes and conditions obstructing the path. However, fundamentally, they all arise from the affliction of ignorance and delusion. Ignorance is the primary and most significant affliction. Without ignorance, the afflictions of greed and hatred, the affliction of arrogance, and the afflictions of doubt and incorrect views would not exist. Each person should carefully observe and identify their own greatest and most predominant affliction, focusing primarily on subduing this main affliction. By resolving the principal contradiction, all other contradictions can be resolved. Subduing afflictions follows the same principle: by subduing the primary affliction, one can fundamentally remove the obscurations, and the other afflictions will subsequently be eliminated. Some people are exceedingly greedy, some exceedingly hateful, some exceedingly deluded, some exceedingly arrogant, some heavily afflicted by doubt, and some hold extremely incorrect views. The major, primary afflictions are the cause of the other afflictions. Find the cause, resolve the cause, and the conditions cease to exist; the obscurations are then eliminated.