The Four Foundations of Mindfulness Contemplation is the Shortcut to Attaining the Fruits

Question: Why did the Buddha say that through diligent practice of the four foundations of mindfulness contemplation, one can attain realization in varying periods of time, from seven years down to seven days?

Answer: This refers to those who have deep roots of goodness, slight afflictions, few obstructions, and who have studied Buddhism for many kalpas in past lives. If they can practice diligently as the Buddha required, they can attain realization within days to years. But those who, over beginningless kalpas, have studied Buddhism for only a short time, whose afflictions are deep and heavy, and whose obstructions are grave, need more than seven years of diligent practice to attain realization. Perhaps most people could not attain realization even in a hundred years; some cannot even contemplate the breath properly—no matter what, their minds simply cannot settle down, let alone talk of attaining realization.

However, just as the Buddha said, no matter who one is, as long as one diligently practices the contemplation of the four foundations of mindfulness, so that every thought and every moment is the four foundations of mindfulness, and every thought and moment involves contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), changing the habit of clinging to the world of the five aggregates (pañcaskandha) accumulated over beginningless kalpas, and subduing afflictions and karmic obstructions, then attaining realization is not difficult. The difficulty lies in not being able to pass through the barrier of karmic obstructions, in being unwilling to resolve oneself to apply effort to the Path, and in being unable to subdue the habit of distraction. If one can truly practice with heroic diligence and cultivate as described in the Buddhist sutras, one will certainly attain realization.

This method of cultivating the contemplation of the four foundations of mindfulness is extremely excellent. Do not disdain the practice of the Small Vehicle; in fact, this is the shortcut of practice. The shortcut taught by the Buddha is truly the shortcut of practice—complete with precepts, meditative concentration (samādhi), and wisdom, involving genuine practice and genuine realization, not mere verbal skill, not emotional speculation and intellectual understanding, and not the kind where one attains realization just by thinking it over and pondering a bit.

From the methods of practice the Buddha taught us, we should come to understand what genuine practice and genuine realization really are, and what price must be paid. It is not like what some people imagine—that the mind consciousness merely understands intellectually, without paying any price at all, without keeping any precepts, without cultivating any meditative concentration, and that the dry wisdom of intellectual understanding counts as attaining realization.

We should have deep faith in the Buddha's wisdom and follow the Buddha's teachings; only then will our own practice reap great benefit.