【THE THREE TYPES OF PERSONS】- achieving the state of concentration

Here, in passing, I will bring up this minor note: if a person with genuine medium capacity attains serenity, let’s not belittle such concentration. If it is compared with worldly enjoyment, such meditative achievement is exceptionally much better off. Why do I mention this? Now for our practice, often when we have a little bit of understanding, wow, we are overjoyed! After a few recitation of Buddha’s name, ah! We think that we have some attainment. And with a few prostrations to Buddha, one feels very good about it! In addition, one feels so nice about a dream or feels very comfortable in a meditation posture – everyone feels that it is good and stops advancing. Once you feel good about it, you will stop advancing, this we have to recognize. Thus, for the content of Buddha Dharma, if you don’t have accurate recognition, of course, you may have some good developments, but you would stagnate there and unable to advance. In fact, such state of mind is far from the state of concentration. When you chant Buddha’s name up to one-pointedness, you have not entered the domain of the desire realm’s meditative equipoise [v.2 p.230]. By the time you achieve Samadhi of chanting Buddha’s name that is when you achieve concordance with the concentration of the form realm. Of course, chanting Buddha’s name will ensure your progress toward the goal. However, once one has attained the Samadhi of chanting Buddha’s name, the practitioner would no longer form attachment (towards this) because his actual goal is not attached to the joy in the form realm, he is headed toward Pure Land. Thus, rebirth in Pure Land relies on faith and aspiration – it relies on aspiration, not concentration.

SOURCE 来源 :

33A 17’23” Vol 5 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P11 LL4
English Lamrim Vol 1 P130

日常师父法语📡33A 17’23”手抄稿第5册P11 LL4

道次引导 : 得定的境界

这地方顺便提一件小事情，这个真正的中士道，他得到定，我们不要小看那个定，那定比起世间来的话，那是不得了地好。我为什么要提这个？现在我们修行，往往稍微有一点，听懂了一点，哎呀，欢喜得不得了！然后念了几声佛，哎呀！自己得到了一点境界；然后呢拜几下佛，等一下觉得这个好！然后做梦又怎么觉得好，坐的时候觉得舒服又舒服，大家就觉得好得不得了—就不向前了。你一觉得这个好，你就不向前了，这个我们要了解。所以这个佛法的内涵，你没有这个正确的认识，必然产生、难免产生碰到一点好的境界，就停在那里就上不去了。 实际上这一种情况比起于定的境界，那差得不晓得多多少少。你念佛念到一心不乱，还没有真正进入色界根本定，要得到念佛三昧，那个时候才得到这个色相应的这种快乐。当然念佛的话，你一定可以去，但是他这个得到了，真正念佛得到的念佛三昧以后，他不会对它执着的，他真正的目的不是执着在这个色界的快乐，他要去极乐世界。所以这个真正能不能往生—信、愿，它在愿上面，不在那个定上面。