Why Can People Who Neither Believe in nor Study Buddhism Discover Truth and Facts?

Many psychologists and other members of society do not believe in or practice Buddhism, yet they can clearly distinguish between consciousness and the subconscious. We who study Buddhism and Yogācāra, however, cannot distinguish between the two—it is truly embarrassing and shameful to admit. If the observational and deliberative wisdom of Yogācāra scholars and experts is inferior to that of a psychologist who has neither meditative concentration (samādhi) nor the prajñā wisdom of Yogācāra, then what kind of Yogācāra expert or scholar can they even be considered? I do not know why such a situation has arisen.

A: This is how I understand it: Some scholars, artists, and scientific researchers, because of their constant research, think about their work day and night, and as a result their power of meditative concentration becomes quite strong, and they often enter a state of meditative absorption (samādhi) without realizing it—this is why they are able to observe subtle details.

B: It is because they are not attached to the rigid rules and frameworks of religion, nor to religious disputes over right and wrong. I have seen many religious adherents who, on the contrary, restrict themselves and live in a world of concepts and thinking.

Right, they have meditative concentration, but it was not cultivated deliberately; rather, it arises from immense interest and passion.

These scholars have enthusiasm and a sense of responsibility for their research and inquiry, and thus they can focus single-pointedly, uninterested in anything else, and thereby discover truth and facts.