All accomplished ones throughout the kalpas are endowed with meditative concentration.

The method of contemplation taught in the Zuochan Sanmei Jing (Sūtra on Sitting Dhyāna Meditative Concentration) is precisely an instruction in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), with a clear line of thought, only somewhat coarse. Meditative concentration combined with contemplative practice is sufficient to attain the fruits of realization and to attain various meditative absorptions (samādhi); if one also strictly upholds the precepts in daily life, then precepts, concentration, and wisdom are all cultivated together. When the Buddha was in the world, after his disciples heard the Dharma, they cultivated meditative concentration and contemplated through contemplative practice, and then attained the fruits of realization—that was the path of practice at that time, and it was highly efficient. It was the same in the Tang and Song dynasties: the assembly cultivated concentration and contemplated in Chan investigation, Chan masters gave teachings from the hall, and when the conditions of the season were complete, they saw the mind and saw their nature (enlightenment).

As for the non-Buddhist practitioners (tīrthikas), every one of them had meditative concentration. When they met the World-Honored One, as soon as He taught the Dharma, they could immediately contemplate and practice, and attained the fruits of realization right then. So do not merely look at the final step of their realization—gaining wisdom the moment they heard the Dharma. Before that, meditative concentration had already been accomplished, the mind had already been purified, and the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment had already been cultivated; all that was lacking was correct knowledge and view. When the World-Honored One taught the Dharma, He supplied their correct knowledge and view, and so they attained realization the very moment they heard the Dharma. We should not look only at people's final results; we should observe the process of their cultivation. The process is very important—without a proper process, there cannot be a correct result.

The cases recorded in the Āgama sūtras and the cases recorded in the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra are all authentic. Indeed, there were some non-Buddhist practitioners who, after cultivating the four dhyānas and eight concentrations, heard the Buddha teach the Dharma, and after only a few minutes of contemplation eradicated the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi-prahāṇa) and eradicated self-grasping, becoming arhats of the fourth fruit, and then entered Nirvāṇa without remainder (Anupadhiśeṣa-nirvāṇa). These non-Buddhist practitioners were extraordinary, and the merit of the four dhyānas and eight concentrations was extraordinary. Many of us hear the Buddha's Dharma for a whole lifetime and still cannot eradicate the view of self, whereas the non-Buddhists with the four dhyānas and eight concentrations needed only a few minutes or even less—not only to eradicate the view of self, but also to eradicate self-grasping and immediately enter Nirvāṇa without remainder. This is truly inconceivable.

Consider why they were of such sharp faculties: because in the course of cultivating the four dhyānas and eight concentrations, with such deep meditative concentration, the mind consciousness was extremely subtle and keen, and the manas had already been subdued; there was only one mistaken view remaining that had not been clarified and eradicated. Once that wrong view (mithyā-dṛṣṭi) was eradicated, all afflictions and attachments fell away at that very moment—such is the merit of the four dhyānas and eight concentrations. From this we can see that subduing the afflictions of the manas is very closely related to the four dhyānas and eight concentrations; meditative concentration is extremely important.

The Chan patriarchs of the past were all masters of cultivating concentration; their disciples all had meditative concentration, and the bodhisattva's six perfections had all been fully cultivated—the process of practice had already been completed. When the Chan master gave a teaching from the hall, the disciples seated below would awaken. That is how the fruit appeared. We must not look only at the results of those who have achieved success; the most important thing is to look at the process of their cultivation, including what level they had reached in previous lives, how they practiced, and what kind of foundation they had. For those whose foundation has already been laid, hearing the Dharma can bring sudden enlightenment on the spot, without gradual cultivation, because previously, or in past lives, they had already cultivated gradually and completed that stretch of the journey. To take only the final segment of a practitioner's path of cultivation is a serious case of quoting out of context, and it does great harm to people.

Those new to studying Buddhism should read more about the Buddha's jātaka deeds (stories of His previous lives), and consider the path the Buddha traveled in cultivation from the moment He first generated the aspiration; this should be a great inspiration to us. To study Buddhism means we should learn everything of the Buddha. Even if one can read ten thousand volumes but does not understand their meaning, that is not true diligence either. The fundamental purpose of studying the Dharma is to gain wisdom, not to amass countless items of knowledge and learning, not to study for the sake of studying, and even less to study for show to others. Therefore, in order to gain wisdom, what we should do and how we should do it is something we ought to ponder carefully. To study Buddhism is to study the Buddha's mind and conduct—not to collect all of the Buddha's words, but through the Buddha's words to understand the Buddha's mind, and then to learn the Buddha's mind and emulate the Buddha's conduct; only then can one ultimately be equal to the Buddha without difference, and be compassionate toward people.