From Precepts Arises Samadhi, From Samadhi Arises Prajna

In the sixth volume of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, the Buddha said: “Ānanda, you have often heard me expound in the Vinaya the three definitive principles of cultivation. Guarding the mind constitutes precepts; from precepts arises concentration; from concentration arises wisdom. This is called the Three Non-Outflow Studies.”

Vinaya is one of the Three Baskets of scriptures—Sūtra, Vinaya, and Śāstra. It refers to the precepts spoken by the Buddha, meaning to subdue one’s own mind and harmonize the activities of body, speech, and thought. The result of this subduing is to conquer and eradicate afflictions, attain a mind free from outflows, and achieve a state where body, speech, and thought are without outflows or afflictions, without habitual tendencies of afflictions, without ignorance, and ultimately attain Buddhahood.

Why does guarding the mind constitute precepts? Which mind must be guarded to accomplish precepts? When the mind is not guarded, the body, speech, and thought will recklessly stir and act chaotically. The body will do what should not be done, go where it should not go, and move when it should not move. In severe cases, it will commit killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct, making it impossible to achieve meditative concentration. Even minor physical restlessness or reckless actions prevent meditative concentration because the body cannot settle, making concentration unattainable.

When the mind is not guarded, the mouth will speak recklessly and chaotically, saying what should not be said and what cannot be said. In severe cases, it will engage in false speech, frivolous speech, and divisive speech, stirring up trouble, violating the Five Precepts and Ten Wholesome Deeds. With an impure mind like this, meditative concentration is impossible. Even if one does not violate the Five Precepts or Ten Wholesome Deeds, because the mouth speaks chaotically and excessively, the mind will inevitably be agitated and think excessively. With too much mental activity, the mind cannot become tranquil, making meditative concentration impossible.

When the mind is not guarded, mental activities will certainly be impure. One will think what should not be thought, ponder what should not be pondered, perceive what should not be perceived, and contemplate what should not be contemplated. Thus, greed, hatred, and delusion will inevitably arise, making the mind-water turbid. How can there be concentration?

If one cannot help thinking about people one should not think about, worrying about matters one should not worry about, or clinging to emotions one should not cling to, how can the mind become tranquil? Who should not be thought about? Some people are emotionally attached, constantly carrying the image of another person in their heart, unable to shake it off—it comes when summoned and cannot be erased. How can there be meditative concentration? During meditation, these images will certainly obstruct the mind, hinder contemplation and reflection, and prevent stillness. How can there be concentration? If one can replace these images with those of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, receiving their blessings, the mind will become pure, and meditative concentration will arise immediately.

Some people do not guard their minds, constantly dwelling on matters unrelated to themselves or not beneficial to others, remembering them at all times, worrying about everything, filling their minds completely without any space. Such a mind is turbulent and agitated, surging and clamorous. How can there be concentration? If the mind is not guarded, constantly clinging to wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep, with the shadows of the six dusts piling up layer upon layer, the mind is not empty but covered by objects. How can there be meditative concentration?

Many people complain about being unable to cultivate concentration well. They should examine themselves to determine why they cannot achieve meditative concentration, what exactly is obstructing their mind. Dig out these things, resolve them, and empty the mind. Then, meditative concentration will naturally be easy to attain. What hinders meditative concentration are the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion—clinging to worldly dharmas, unwilling to let go, regarding everything as real and useful, feeling compelled to grasp them, even willing to die clinging to these worldly dharmas. How can there be concentration?

Even after this explanation, many still do not know how to examine themselves or understand what is truly in their minds. Because the mind has long been habituated to flowing and scattering with external conditions, clinging too tightly to them, unable to separate, it cannot step outside the conditions to observe its own mind. How can there be the wisdom of observation? How can one observe the afflictions and habits of one’s own mind? Only by stepping outside the circle, beyond conditions, beyond the mind, to observe one’s own mind, can one have the wisdom of observation and the power of discernment, discover previously unnoticed phenomena, and have the means to remedy and transform one’s own mind, gaining the strength to subdue it.

What must be done first now is to remove the mind from external conditions, letting the mind be the mind, conditions be conditions, people be people, and objects be objects—all dharmas abide in their own places, unrelated to one’s own mind. When the mind is separated from conditions, the power of awareness becomes strong, making it easy to realize the true nature of all dharmas. Meditative concentration will naturally increase, and wisdom will naturally arise.

The above explains the principle of how concentration arises from precepts. Guarding one’s own mind is precepts; the mind not giving rise to wrongdoing is precepts; the mind not thinking chaotically, reflecting chaotically, acting chaotically, deciding chaotically, or creating chaotically is precepts. This mind primarily refers to the seventh consciousness, the mental faculty (manas). The contact, attention, feeling, thinking, and cognition of the mental faculty can trigger the attention, contact, feeling, thinking, and cognition of the six consciousnesses, leading to the scattered movements of the physical, verbal, and mental actions of the six consciousnesses. Guarding the mental faculty is equivalent to controlling the master switch of the physical, verbal, and mental actions, subduing the general and commander. Then, the subordinate soldiers of the six consciousnesses will obediently follow orders, behaving docilely without reckless movement. Why worry about not having meditative concentration?

The most crucial point in cultivation is that wisdom arises from concentration. “Arises” means to generate or bring forth. The Buddha instructs us that through the power of meditative concentration, a settled mind gains strength, and this strength can generate wisdom. It is like a force that enables a sprout to break through the soil—breaking through is called generation or arising. Wisdom arises from the mind through the power of meditative concentration. Without meditative concentration, the mind lacks strength and cannot give rise to wisdom.

The treasure the Buddha bequeathed to us is the Three Non-Outflow Studies of precepts, concentration, and wisdom. If, because we cannot uphold precepts or cultivate concentration, we discard the first two treasures, claiming they are useless and that one treasure is enough, then we should ask ourselves: Are we not prodigal sons? Ruining the Buddha’s family heirloom, abandoning it without care—are we still the Buddha’s disciples? If we do not protect the Buddha’s family treasure, we are not the Buddha’s filial descendants. Without the first two treasures, the last one cannot be attained. Even if it seems present, it is a counterfeit, not genuine wisdom.

Precepts, if elaborated upon, are inexhaustible. Concentration, if elaborated upon, is inexhaustible. Wisdom, if elaborated upon, is even more inexhaustible. Ultimately, the precepts, concentration, and wisdom of the superficial six consciousnesses must reach the fundamental precepts, concentration, and wisdom of the seventh consciousness, the mental faculty. Only this is genuine precepts, concentration, and wisdom. Genuine precepts, concentration, and wisdom are the precepts, concentration, and wisdom of the mind—not merely the physical and verbal actions of the surface six consciousnesses, nor merely the mental actions of the sixth consciousness, but the mental actions of the seventh consciousness, the mental faculty. If the mental faculty is guarded, not giving rise to wrongdoing and not acting chaotically, wisdom will inevitably be born. The precepts, concentration, and wisdom of the mental faculty govern all dharmas. Ultimately, it is through the precepts, concentration, and wisdom of the mental faculty that one attains complete Buddhahood.