The Meditative Concentration Required for Chan Meditation

To investigate Chan (can-chan), one needs the first dhyāna of the form realm, or the preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) before the first dhyāna, in order to investigate the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha, and thereby break through and find the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha. That is, the concentration corresponding to the sixth heaven of the desire realm; if the concentration is deeper or shallower than that, it becomes difficult to investigate Chan and realize the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha. If the concentration goes deeper, one enters the second dhyāna, where the eyes do not see forms and the ears do not hear sounds; there are no five sense consciousnesses, only the manas and the mind consciousness, and one cannot find the true mind in the mixture of the true and the false within bodily, verbal, and mental actions. Seeking the tathāgatagarbha within deep meditative concentration is not easy to accomplish, because at that time the mind consciousness is rather weak and not sharp, making it very hard to discover which one is the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha. Moreover, at that time bodily and verbal actions have ceased, leaving only faint mental activity, and the mind consciousness cannot easily find the true mind within mental activity—it is very difficult to find. Seeking the tathāgatagarbha happens at the very moment bodily, verbal, and mental actions are being carried out, especially at the moment bodily and verbal actions are being performed; only when the true and the false are conjoined can the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha, be found.

When the mind consciousness is weak and mental activity is scant, it is very difficult to find the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha. If one is not of the highest spiritual faculties (indriya), one should not expect to see the mind and attain enlightenment within deep concentration. If the concentration is shallow, or there is no concentration at all, the mind consciousness will be rather scattered and the thoughts coarse and restless, and one likewise cannot open wisdom and awaken to the true mind. In the intermediate preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi) or the first dhyāna, the mind consciousness is not scattered and is relatively focused, so one can reach single-minded undisturbed concentration; in this way one's contemplation becomes relatively fine and detailed, and it is easy to open wisdom.

Enlightenment cannot be apart from the mind consciousness gathering the mind in one place, nor can it be apart from this kind of wholehearted power of focus. Therefore, in investigating Chan and attaining enlightenment, one cannot awaken in a state where the concentration is very deep, nor in a state where it is very shallow. After the meditative skill of gathering the mind in one place and fixing the mind in one place has been cultivated, one must still know what this "one place" is. At this point one must know the direction of Chan investigation and where the point of entry lies; otherwise, one still cannot awaken. One must know what one is to awaken to and what the object of awakening is; if one does not know this, there is still no way to attain enlightenment.

After seeing the mind, wisdom opens up, and one knows how the tathāgatagarbha cooperates with the five aggregates (pañca-skandha) and the seven consciousnesses in their functioning, how bodily, verbal, and mental actions are carried out, and one can observe to some extent certain characteristics of the tathāgatagarbha; henceforth one can also know the causes and conditions for the arising of all things. At this time, if one has not attained profound meditative concentration, it is impossible to have supernatural powers, nor can one know secret worldly matters. The realm of enlightenment is different from the realm of meditative concentration; the two must not be mixed together. Knowing everything—that is the realm of supernatural powers and meditative concentration, and has nothing to do with enlightenment; "the void shatters and the great earth sinks level"—that is a realm of meditative concentration, and likewise has nothing to do with the wisdom realm of enlightenment.