In spiritual practice, the merit of meditative concentration alone is not enough

Whether living in the mundane world or cultivating the supramundane Dharma, the merit of meditative concentration (dhyāna and samādhi) alone is far from sufficient. Non-Buddhist practitioners cultivate only meditative concentration; they have only the merit of concentration, without the merit of wisdom, without the merit of having made the great bodhicitta resolve, and without the merit of generosity (dāna). Such merit can only be enjoyed within concentration—no matter which heaven they dwell in, they enjoy blessings while in samādhi, and once they emerge from concentration, they have nothing at all. Śākyamuni Buddha's non-Buddhist teachers possessed only the merit of meditative concentration, without the merit of wisdom; they cultivated all the way up to the highest concentration in the three realms—the concentration of neither perception nor non-perception—but when they emerge from concentration after many kalpas in future lives, they will commit evil deeds in accordance with the evil vows they once made, and then, following the conditions of that evil karma, they will fall into hell to undergo retribution. Therefore, the merit of meditative concentration alone is still tainted and not ultimate; it cannot guarantee liberation and ease, nor can it guarantee entry into nirvāṇa and the attainment of buddhahood. In learning Buddhism, one should cultivate merit in many ways; only when merit is fully perfected will the path of practice become smoother and smoother, reaching ever further, without limitation.

Even if one has the merit of concentration, or has great merit in other respects, in daily life one should not squander and waste it freely, nor spend it all on worldly living; one must save it for cultivating the Path. Once the Path is accomplished, worldly merit counts for nothing at all. Merit plays an enormously important role in cultivating the Path—with just a tiny bit less merit, a practitioner cannot cross over to the next step. Therefore, practitioners must have lofty aspirations and far-reaching goals; they must not covet the low-grade enjoyments right before their eyes, and must not take conditioned and perishable dharmas seriously. Only then can they reach the eternal that neither arises nor ceases.