How can one attain the first Dhyāna?

Some people say that by persistently sitting in meditation for several hours every day, one can attain the meditative concentration of the first dhyāna. This is not necessarily so. Entering the meditative concentration of the first dhyāna does not depend on how long one sits in meditation, but on whether the mind can relinquish the cravings of the desire realm. Many people, even if they can remain in meditative concentration for a year or half a year without eating or drinking, still cannot enter the meditative concentration of the first dhyāna, because their craving for the desire realm is heavy and they cannot relinquish and depart from the dharmas of the desire realm. As for the dharmas of the desire realm, relinquish as much as you can relinquish; the more you relinquish, the deeper your meditative concentration will be. 

The meditative concentration of the first dhyāna corresponds to the First Dhyāna Heaven of the form realm; only when the mind is the mind of a deva of the First Dhyāna Heaven can there be the meditative concentration of the first dhyāna. Since one must have the mind of a deva of the form realm, then the mind must not contain the various dharmas of the desire realm. If every day you strive to relinquish the dharmas of the desire realm and distance yourself from the dharmas of the desire realm, the mind will come to correspond with the states of the form realm heavens, and at that time the meditative concentration of the first dhyāna will inevitably arise—it comes uninvited. If you wish to relinquish the dharmas of the desire realm, you must contemplate which dharmas belong to the desire realm, what dharmas exist in the desire realm, and how to relinquish them.