How to Enter Dhyana Through Wisdom

After adjusting their breath, the practitioner mentally retrieves the question requiring contemplation. Having clarified the essence of the question through consciousness, they refrain from analysis, reasoning, speculation, or imagination, avoiding superficial conscious thought. They mobilize the manas (mental faculty), deeply embedding the question within the heart of manas, allowing the manas to suspend the question. At this point, both consciousness (vijnana) and manas are devoid of words, language, or sound. Thus, profound samadhi (meditative concentration) arises, and concentration power is generated. The manas remains in a state of pondering the question. If there are no hindrances in the physical body and no distracting thoughts in the mind, the more the manas ponders, the more concentrated it becomes. Samadhi deepens, wisdom increasingly unfolds, the state of body and mind becomes progressively more harmonious, and the spirit becomes more joyful.

Contemplating the meaning of the Dharma (teachings) within such profound samadhi is entirely equivalent to profound vipassana (insight meditation), Chan (Zen) investigation, and deep inquiry. The understanding of the Dharma meaning in the mind becomes increasingly clear. Once contemplation leads to thorough penetration, the mind becomes very certain, free from doubt, and eliminates perplexity. If one contemplates the content concerning the severance of the view of self (atma-drishti) and the realization of the self-nature's inherent clarity in this manner, once the contemplation and inquiry lead to clear understanding, the three fetters (trini samyojanani) will be severed, and the fetter of doubt (vicikitsa) will certainly be cut off. If it is derived merely through conscious reasoning and speculation, without the manas attaining clear understanding, the fetter of doubt remains unbroken, karmic obstacles are not removed, and the cycle of birth and death cannot be ended.

A great many people only know how to use the superficial mode of thinking with consciousness; they do not know how to use the deep mode of contemplation with manas. Consequently, they are unable to apply effort effectively in Chan investigation and deep inquiry. This leads to emotional interpretations and intellectual understanding, where doubt remains unextinguished and the fetter of doubt remains unbroken. When encountering the slightest disturbance, doubt flares up intensely, and the Dharma principles previously deduced may be overturned. Even if not overturned, such understanding is not personally verified through direct experience and holds no practical value. Therefore, among those who now consider themselves enlightened today, the ratio of false enlightenment is like the purity rate of gold, or even higher—certainly no less. This is the reality of the Degenerate Age (saddharma-vipralopa). Regardless of how many feel unwilling to accept it, this is the fact. It corresponds and matches the faculties of sentient beings and the background of this era in the Degenerate Age. It will not be better than in the True Dharma Age (saddharma) or the Semblance Dharma Age (pratirupaka-dharma); absolutely not.