Only When Body and Mind Attain Bliss Can the State of Calm-and-Insight Samādhi Arise

Original text of the Samādhi-vimokṣa Sūtra, the chapter on Maitreya Bodhisattva's questions: 尔时圣者弥勒菩萨。白佛言。世尊。菩萨未得内心观像。未得身乐。未得心乐。佛说彼观。名何等观。佛言。弥勒。非奢摩他。是随顺奢摩他。是故我说名为随顺信奢摩他。弥勒菩萨言。世尊。菩萨未得身乐心乐。观于内身三昧境界。思惟彼法。如是观心。佛说彼观名何等观。佛言。弥勒。我说彼观非毗婆舍那。名随顺信毗婆舍那。

Explanation: At this time the noble Maitreya Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, if a bodhisattva has not yet attained the image of the contemplated object within the mind, has not attained pleasure of the body, and has not attained pleasure of the mind, what does the Buddha call this kind of contemplation?" The Buddha said: "Maitreya, this is not śamatha; it is conformity to śamatha. Therefore I call it faith-conformity śamatha."

Maitreya Bodhisattva said: "World-Honored One, if a bodhisattva has not attained pleasure of the body or pleasure of the mind, yet contemplates the meditative concentration (samādhi) realm of the inner body and deliberates (manasikāra) upon those dharmas—such contemplation of the mind—what kind of contemplation does the Buddha say it is?" The Buddha said: "Maitreya, I say this contemplation is not vipaśyanā; it is called faith-conformity vipaśyanā."

What is faith-conformity? It means having studied a certain dharma or certain dharmas and believing in them wholeheartedly, without the slightest doubt, but without deliberating through to penetration—that is, without present-life direct realization, without the image of the meditative concentration realm appearing. This is called faith-conformity. Faith is not the same as realization. For example, some people have studied the tathāgatagarbha dharma and firmly believe that the tathāgatagarbha truly exists, firmly believe that the tathāgatagarbha has such functions and powers, and firmly believe that the tathāgatagarbha exists within the operation of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha), and so on. Because of this firm belief, they constantly declare that all dharmas are the tathāgatagarbha and all possess the tathāgatagarbha's sustaining function, and thus mistakenly believe they have realized the tathāgatagarbha and attained samādhi. In fact, this is merely faith-conformity; there is still a distance, long or short, before realization. Both śamatha and vipaśyanā are insufficient, and only after they are supplemented can there be direct realization.

Because śamatha is insufficient and meditative concentration is inadequate, neither body nor mind has attained pleasure, and the seven factors of enlightenment are therefore incomplete. If one deliberates upon the Buddha-dharma with great concentration, the dharma principles enter the mind deeply, and one joyfully accepts the dharma with faith, then meditative concentration will arise, the mind will rest upon the meaning of the dharma, and gradually one will attain pleasure. What we previously called false enlightenment—part of it can be called faith-conformity, but most does not even reach faith-conformity; it contains a great deal of water (is highly inflated).

What is the merit of attaining pleasure of body and mind? The merit is subduing or eradicating afflictions. Because the mind abides in a blissful state, the mind's capacity and outlook open up; one sees through many things and no longer cares about them; greed diminishes, anger lightens, or there is no greed or anger at all. For example, the devas of the desire realm are very happy; apart from being busy enjoying pleasures, they pay no attention to anything else. Because everything is complete for them, coming naturally, self-sufficient, needing nothing from outside, they do not fight or grab, and there are no disputes or schemes. Even when they look at the emperors of the human world, they disdain to give them a glance; everything in the human world is trivial to the devas—it is on a very low level. The devas of the form realm, meanwhile, all enjoy the supreme bliss of the four dhyānas and eight samādhis; apart from this they need nothing at all—they do not even have gender, and they disdain the pleasures of the desire realm.

When one's cultivation reaches a considerable degree, the mind holds only the cultivation of the Path and enjoys the bliss of dharma; nothing else fits in it. One likewise disdains the fame, profit, power, and influence that worldly people all compete for. The world is just like children at different stages playing with different toys—nothing is remarkable about it. Whoever wants to compete may compete; with the Path in hand, one no longer cares about anything else. Therefore the merit of meditative concentration is subduing and eradicating afflictions, with both body and mind attaining pleasure.