Superior Meditation with Inferior Wisdom Is Also a Great Regret (25/6/28)

Shi Ruyuan: I used to frequently contemplate the suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self of the five aggregates, observing where the aggregate bodies of countless lifetimes had gone. One morning, after listening to the Buddha's name in my mind, I contemplated how we sentient beings are born and perish within this aggregate shell, ceaselessly arising and vanishing—where is there any real self? As I contemplated, in a state of concentration, I clearly saw another "me" emerge from this false shell and sit facing me. This state occurred twice in succession, returning to normal in the blink of an eye. At that moment, something suddenly became clear within me; I felt physically and mentally unburdened, almost jumping up from my seat. Unconsciously, I uttered a phrase: "It's Him! Throughout countless lifetimes, He has been silently exercising His impartial functional power." When I emerged from concentration, the vision vanished! On June 23rd, I dreamed of going to the toilet and passing a large amount of golden feces.

Commentary: Shi Ruyuan first developed meditative concentration (dhyāna), then gradually contemplated the Dharma meaning within that concentration, finally gaining clarity about it. Without concentration, her understanding and assimilation of the Dharma meaning would have been very slow. This also illustrates that concentration can give rise to wisdom and enhance it. Shi Ruyuan has always leaned towards concentration; her wisdom is weaker than her concentration. She has not studied much Dharma meaning and has not mastered Buddhist terminology well, resulting in unclear expression and difficult communication.

Among Buddhist practitioners, most lean towards wisdom over concentration. They study theory for a long time without developing concentration, leading to vague, obstructed, and biased understanding. They are also extremely fond of debate, yet their debating lacks logic, and they are completely unaware of this. Those imbalanced towards either concentration or wisdom have leaks (defilements), making communication difficult. Those leaning towards wisdom are even more troublesome, lacking rationality and self-awareness.

We can discuss: Is it better to lean towards concentration, or towards wisdom? Or is cultivating both concentration and wisdom together faster? Especially for those who have studied theory for decades, comparing themselves to Shi Ruyuan, what insights do they have? Shi Ruyuan has only practiced for a few years and still hasn't mastered Buddhist terminology, yet what about her current state? How long would it take for others to catch up? Those leaning towards wisdom who have studied much theory have often caused the master much trouble—they are self-righteous, fond of debate, yet lack intellectual capacity, have illogical reasoning, are stubborn and difficult to transform. Some even consider their wisdom not inferior to the master's, surpassing it in certain aspects. I truly find it hard to articulate.

When Buddhist practice gains strength and begins to eliminate karmic hindrances, one will dream of being in a toilet, with feces and urine extremely filthy, with no place to step. This signifies the elimination of some afflictions and the lessening of karmic obstacles. However, in Shi Ruyuan's current dream, golden feces appeared—not filthy at all, but rather precious. This is a sign that her mind has transformed into purity, free from afflictions and troubles. Such a sign indicates two things: first, her concentration is very deep; second, her mind-ground is pure. If anyone believes they have attained fruition or seen their true nature, they should present evidence regarding body and mind like Shi Ruyuan, clearly displaying the entire cultivation process so others can understand at a glance.

After these days of communication with Shi Ruyuan, deeply and meticulously understanding her current state of concentration and wisdom, it can be confirmed: Regarding concentration, Shi Ruyuan is almost at the first dhyāna. Her mind is constantly in a state of joy, uninterrupted. Her body and mind are always in concentration—no matter what she does, she does not leave concentration. Eating and sleeping do not hinder her concentration; farming and cleaning do not hinder it; even conversing with others does not hinder it. She sleeps very little, at most four hours a day. There is always an energy flow in her chest and dantian, and her body's energy channels circulate continuously, showing preliminary characteristics of the first dhyāna. However, it cannot be definitively confirmed yet because she still has attachment to food. Further observation of subsequent circumstances is needed for final confirmation.

Regarding Mahāyāna "seeing the mind" (understanding the mind-ground), observing her inner wisdom and cognition, it can be confirmed she has attained intellectual understanding (解悟, jiewu), but experiential realization (证悟, zhengwu) is not yet definitively confirmed. Further communication and observation are needed. Her language expression is poor, making communication very difficult. Studying more theory would prevent this, but this is already quite good; one cannot demand perfection. Even if she only has intellectual understanding now, attaining experiential realization could happen in an instant, as effortless as play, requiring no effort at all.

However, Shi Ruyuan has a misconception: she believes she can perceive the functioning of the Tathāgatagarbha (如来藏, Buddha-nature) in external phenomena like flowers, plants, and trees. But this is impossible. Because the external six dusts (objects of the senses) are the collective functioning of numerous Tathāgatagarbhas, not something a single individual's Tathāgatagarbha can operate. Even after realization, one lacks the ability to discern the functioning of an individual Tathāgatagarbha upon the six dusts.

Therefore, no matter how deep the concentration, we cannot be certain. One hundred percent of the Chan (Zen) contemplation within concentration is the function of the manas (意根, the seventh consciousness, the thinking mind). The mano-consciousness (意识, the sixth consciousness, the discriminating mind)—this thief—can also sneak in to cause trouble. Insufficient wisdom also won't do. People with deep concentration are like this; those without concentration are definitely ten thousand percent using the thief of the mano-consciousness to think, analyze, speculate, and reason. In that case, intellectual understanding wouldn't even appear in their dreams.