Śamatha and Vipaśyanā Are Samādhi and Prajñā

Śamatha is meditative concentration (samādhi), and vipaśyanā is wisdom; practice means the joint operation of śamatha and vipaśyanā, the equal cultivation of Samādhi and Prajñā. Śamatha means gathering and holding the mind on a single state, focusing on one dharma without wavering; vipaśyanā means contemplating, deliberating, investigating, and reflecting upon the dharma that is the object of focus. Śamatha and vipaśyanā are interconnected and mutually linked: without śamatha, one cannot practice vipaśyanā; without contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), wisdom cannot arise. At the same time, practicing vipaśyanā can also give rise to concentration and attain śamatha—the two complement each other. Without wisdom, there can be no concentration; without concentration, wisdom cannot arise.

When one has wisdom, one can make discerning choices regarding the Dharma, able to abandon unnecessary worldly dharmas, set aside the interference of other miscellaneous matters that are temporarily useless, and choose the most important things to do. Once the choice is made well, the mind can come to rest in one place. Wisdom is the result of the mind consciousness understanding principles through deep and subtle deliberation (manasikāra/manana), and in the process of that deep and subtle deliberation, further re-transforming and persuading the manas.

Whether it is śamatha or vipaśyanā, both involve the practice of the seven consciousnesses—letting the seven consciousnesses focus on a single state, so that the mind consciousness discriminates only one object. With concentrated energy and an undistracted mind, one can think a problem through thoroughly and understand the hidden principles within it, thereby gaining the wisdom of the Buddha-Dharma. Contemplative wisdom giving rise to concentration means that after the mind consciousness understands the principles, it further permeates and transforms the manas, persuading the manas not to cling to worldly dharmas, thereby avoiding the scattering of the mind consciousness. Whether śamatha or vipaśyanā, both involve applying effort on the seven consciousnesses—letting the seven consciousnesses focus on a single state and the mind consciousness discriminate only one object. With concentrated energy, deliberation can become thorough, and one can then understand the true meaning within, gaining genuine wisdom. Although the seventh consciousness cannot focus on a single state alone, He can nevertheless reduce His grasping and engage less in attention (manaskāra) and deliberation (manasikāra), gradually tending toward concentration. Only then can the mind consciousness have concentration and attain śamatha; otherwise, if the manas grasps at objects everywhere, the mind consciousness can in no way come to rest in one place.

Concentration is the foundation and prerequisite for enlightenment. Among the bodhisattva's six perfections and the bodhisattva's threefold pure training, concentration is one of them—this shows the importance of cultivating concentration. Without the power of concentration, contemplative practice is impossible; if the power of concentration is shallow, contemplative practice cannot go deep, nor can it be fine-grained, and wisdom cannot be developed. If one can cultivate the highest concentration of the desire realm—preparatory concentration (anāgamya-samādhi)—contemplative practice will become effective. It is a type of concentration prior to the first dhyāna of the form realm. With this concentration, when investigating Chan, investigating a dharma meaning, or contemplating the illusoriness of the five aggregates (pañca-skandha), the mind can become single-pointed, and one's deliberation will be both profound and very subtle. Only in this way can one think the dharma principles through thoroughly, and only then is there the possibility of breaking through and attaining enlightenment.

Because the result and purpose of practice is to develop wisdom—only with wisdom can one escape the cycle of birth and death and attain liberation, and only with wisdom can one accomplish the Buddha Way. Awakening to the Way and opening wisdom is more precious and more important than the various states of concentration. If one has only the power of concentration without the wisdom of liberation, at most one can ascend to the heavens to enjoy blessings, but when the merit is exhausted, one will still fall into the three evil destinies to suffer. Therefore, one must equally cultivate Samādhi and Prajñā and must not practice only one side.

With the joint operation of śamatha and vipaśyanā and the equal cultivation of concentration and wisdom, one's study of Buddhism will surely bear fruit. One who has wisdom without concentration has wild wisdom; one with wild wisdom does not necessarily have virtue, for one's views may not be true and reliable, and afflictions after all cannot be subdued—therefore it is said such a person does not necessarily have virtue. One who has concentration without wisdom clings to foolishness; one who is obstinate and uncomprehending has no Way. One who has both concentration and wisdom will surely realize liberation and obtain genuine dharma benefit—such a person is a great man within the Buddha-Dharma.