In what meditative concentration can one attain fruition?

Dhyāna is also called the three kinds of samādhi. The first is samādhi with examination and analysis, the second is samādhi with examination but without analysis, and the third is samādhi without examination or analysis. The third samādhi without examination or analysis is also called without vitarka or vicāra. It is the state of the second dhyāna, where the five sense consciousnesses cease, the mental consciousness becomes subtle, there is no awareness, no power of examination or introspection, one does not know what state one is in, nor does one know that one has entered samādhi. Since in the second dhyāna wisdom is weak and lacks examination, it cannot generate wisdom such as the realization of non-self, thus in the second dhyāna one cannot attain the fruit of enlightenment.

The second samādhi, with examination but without analysis, is the intermediate concentration between the first dhyāna and the second dhyāna. The five sense consciousnesses are present, there is conscious awareness, one knows that one has entered samādhi, but the mental consciousness lacks analysis and introspection, and its awareness-wisdom is neither strong nor weak. Since this samādhi lacks analysis, it is very difficult to sever the view of self and attain the fruit of enlightenment. Only in the state of the first dhyāna, with both examination and analysis, with a unified and concentrated mind and strong observational power, is it easy to sever the view of self and attain the fruit. In the access concentration before the three kinds of samādhi, the power of dhyāna is also very strong, the mind is unified and concentrated, and one can also sever the view of self and attain the fruit.

Cultivating concentration and contemplative practice to reach the state of vicāra is the skill of Chan meditation. Mastering this skill brings endless benefits life after life, because the realization of any Dharma is attained precisely in the state of vicāra. In shallower states of concentration, there is an element of conceptual understanding, and the wisdom attained is not entirely true or reliable.