Why Can Contemplative Practice in Meditative Concentration Give Rise to Wisdom and Attain Liberation?

Question: How can contemplation give rise to wisdom? For example, in contemplating the breath, in the early stages one can only observe the dynamic movements of the breath, which only strengthens one's power of attention, and wisdom cannot arise. Only after extremely deep meditative concentration, when the coarse breathing ceases, does one realize that the breath is a conditioned phenomenon subject to impermanence. But everyone knows that a person's breathing will eventually cease—it is impermanent. Another example is the contemplation of the skeleton (white bones contemplation): we do not need to sit in meditation to contemplate it, for everyone understands that one day a person's remains will turn to dust and return to the void. What I do not understand is: why should one contemplate truths that everyone already understands? And what wisdom can be gained from it? 

Answer: The mind consciousness understands everything, but what use is all this understanding? The mind consciousness understands that one should not have the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion, and that creating afflicted karmic actions will bring evil retribution—but what use is such understanding of the mind consciousness? The mind consciousness also understands how one can become a Buddha—what use is that? What problem has ultimately been solved by all the understanding of everyone's mind consciousness? The key is that the manas, which is the master over bodily, verbal, and mental actions, does not understand. How can the manas, without understanding, refrain from acting as master and create pure karmic actions free from greed, hatred, and delusion? How can it act as master to choose the correct and reasonable direction and goal in studying and practicing the Buddha-dharma? If the manas does not understand that the activities of the five aggregates, such as breathing, are subject to arising and ceasing and impermanence, how can one realize that the five aggregates are without self? If the manas does not realize that the five aggregates are without self, how can it act as master to create pure karmic actions free from self? Without pure karmic actions, how can one become a Buddha? Although the mind consciousness understands that everyone ultimately becomes a skeleton of white bones, the manas does not understand, and so it clings to the body, taking the body as self, causing birth and death to flow on without cease. 

Therefore, if one does not diligently cultivate meditative concentration, does not diligently observe the breath, and does not diligently practice the white bones contemplation, then no matter how much the mind consciousness understands, one can ultimately not be without self, and cannot act as master to attain liberation. All the cultivation of meditative concentration and the skill of contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) serve to permeate the manas and impel the manas to understand. Once the manas understands, the wisdom state of meditative absorption (samādhi) appears; only with such wisdom can there be liberation of the mind, liberation through wisdom, and attainment of buddhahood through wisdom. If the manas does not understand, there is no wisdom state of meditative absorption, and liberation cannot be attained. If one does not want to cultivate concentration, does not want to diligently engage in contemplative practice, and is content merely with the intellectual understanding of the mind consciousness, then one is no different from an ordinary being bound by the obstructions of karma and saṃsāra; the karmic seeds do not change, and at the end of life one will still follow the obstructions of karma and undergo suffering retribution in the cycle of birth and death.