Why Can Those Who Do Not Believe in Buddhism or Study Buddhism Discover Truth and Facts

Many psychologists and other members of society do not believe in or practice Buddhism, yet they can clearly distinguish between consciousness and the subconscious. We who study Buddhism and Yogācāra, however, cannot distinguish between the two—it is truly shameful and embarrassing to say. As for Yogācāra scholars and experts, if their observational and deliberative wisdom is inferior even to that of a psychologist who has neither meditative concentration (samādhi) nor the prajñā wisdom of Yogācāra, then what kind of Yogācāra expert or scholar can they even be considered? I do not know why such a situation has arisen.

A: This is how I understand it: Some scholars, artists, and scientific researchers, through constant investigation, think about their subjects day and night, and as a result their power of meditative concentration becomes quite strong, and they often enter a state of meditative absorption (samādhi) without even realizing it—which is why they are able to observe with such subtlety.

B: It is because they are not attached to the rigid rules and frameworks of religion, nor to religious disputes over right and wrong. I have seen many religious adherents who, on the contrary, restrict themselves and live in a world of concepts and thought.

Right, they have meditative concentration (samādhi), but it was not cultivated deliberately; rather, it comes from having an immense passion and love for their work.

These scholars have enthusiasm and a sense of responsibility for their research and inquiry, and thus they can focus single-mindedly, taking no interest in anything else, and thereby they can discover truth and facts.