Attainment of Enlightenment Requires the Fullness of Precepts, Meditation, and Wisdom to Avoid Mere Intellectual Understanding

The Buddha taught: From precepts arises meditation, and from meditation arises wisdom. Precepts, meditation, and wisdom must be fully present not only in the conscious mind but also in the manas (the underlying mental faculty). For the manas to possess the wisdom that severs the view of self and the wisdom that realizes the mind, it must also possess meditative concentration. It is within meditative concentration that the manas contemplates and investigates the Dharma of non-self, contemplates and investigates the Tathagatagarbha (Buddha-nature), thereby enabling the severance of the view of self and the realization of mind to see true nature.

If the manas cannot personally contemplate and investigate, it cannot accept the principles instilled in it by the conscious mind, resulting ultimately in mere intellectual understanding by the conscious mind. For the manas to contemplate and investigate the principle of non-self, it equally requires meditative concentration; otherwise, it becomes distracted and scattered. Without meditative concentration, the manas causes the six consciousnesses to scatter. When the six consciousnesses are scattered and constantly engaging in discrimination, they continuously report the content of discrimination to the manas. This forces the manas to constantly divide its attention, unable to concentrate on contemplation, and thus failing to achieve a satisfactory result through investigation.

No method can replace meditation. One must be very cautious with practices leading only to intellectual understanding. Following the methods taught by the World-Honored One is undoubtedly correct. All disciples during the Buddha's time cultivated meditation through seated concentration. This enabled them to contemplate the Dharma with their minds abiding in concentration during all daily activities—walking, standing, sitting, and lying down. Practitioners before the Tang and Song dynasties, and prior to the Ming, Qing, and Republican eras, primarily focused on seated meditation to cultivate concentration. Subsequently, they were able to maintain meditative concentration during all activities—walking, standing, sitting, and lying down—with their minds constantly abiding in concentration. This refined their mental processes, making the conditions for breakthrough easily mature, enabling them to immediately attain realization upon encountering the right conditions. Looking back now, their attainment of the Dharma may seem effortless, but it is unknown that their foundational practice was exceptionally solid. They possessed sufficient wholesome roots and merit, fulfilled the Thirty-seven Aids to Enlightenment (which naturally included the perfection of meditation), and their thinking was sharp and clear. Upon hearing the corresponding Dharma, they could instantly attain enlightenment.

Among all teachings, the Buddha's are the most complete and ultimate. No one surpasses the Buddha's wisdom; trusting the Buddha's words is absolutely without error. Regardless of the era, the Dharma never changes; it is eternally applicable to all times. Reading the Buddhist sutras extensively increases wisdom, prevents one from taking wrong paths, and makes one less susceptible to deception. All teachings by Bodhisattvas, compared to the Buddha's, contain omissions and deficiencies; they are incomplete and non-ultimate. Therefore, in our study and practice of the Dharma, we should primarily rely on the Buddhist sutras.