Cultivating the No-Thought, No-Conception Samādhi for a Long Time Cannot Lead to Seeing the Path and Opening Wisdom.

Some people have long cultivated the samādhi of no-thought and no-conception, yet no matter how long they cultivate, the first dhyāna does not arise, nor do they see the Path and develop wisdom. Cultivating in this way wastes precious time for studying Buddhism. Long-term absence of thought and conception, without proper deliberation (manasikāra) and contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) on the Buddha's teachings, cannot give rise to any wisdom and cannot lead to realization of the Path. At the end of life, how will one settle this tainted body?

If one cultivates only the body and not the mind, no matter how long one enters meditative concentration, the first dhyāna concentration will not appear. Only by being free of desire for the desire realm, removing greed and attachment, can the first dhyāna concentration appear. What benefit is there in long abiding in the dark realm of preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi)?

When the power of meditative concentration has been well cultivated and one's views are complete, then within meditative concentration one must have the thought of investigation, and can no longer remain with nothing at all in mind. Only with thoughts and questioning doubt can one break through the questioning doubt and obtain wisdom. Without meditative concentration, having questioning doubt is—in blunt terms—called blind speculation.