By Cultivating the Power of Concentration, One Can Attain Meditative Concentration (Dhyāna-Samādhi)

Meditative concentration is nothing more than a power of focus—concentrating one's energy on doing well what should be done at present, with no other thoughts in mind; only in this way can things be done well. First, one must have a strong sense of responsibility toward what one is doing, and a keen interest in it; only then can one devote oneself wholeheartedly to it and solve the problem. The more focused one is, the better one solves problems, the more one can discover profound and significant principles, and the deeper one's wisdom becomes.

For example, scientific researchers, investigators, and scientists have a strong sense of responsibility toward their research, are deeply fond of it, and have a keen interest in exploration. Therefore they study diligently and tirelessly, day and night, forgetting food and sleep, paying no attention to anything else, and in the end they can achieve certain research results and make astonishing discoveries.

For those whose minds are still scattered, during the day while walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, they should persist in reciting mantras or reciting the Heart Sutra from memory. In their free time they should sit in meditation, so that the mind can settle down, and only afterward can they engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and reflect on the Buddha's teachings. After being able to contemplate the Dharma during sitting meditation, they should then, during the day while walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, train themselves to reflect on simple aspects of the Dharma. As initial training, regarding what one is currently doing, the mind should know it clearly and distinctly; one must not be indeterminate (avyākṛta), scattered, and grasping at objects. Keeping the mind resting on what one is presently doing is a coarse and shallow form of concentration.

For those whose minds are rather scattered, in order to gather the mind, when first beginning to cultivate meditative concentration, it is best to start with reciting the Śūraṅgama Mantra—reciting it three or seven times daily, and ideally reaching the point of reciting it from memory. In this way, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, the mind rests on the Śūraṅgama Mantra, grasping less at the objects of the six sense objects, and gradually meditative concentration can arise. Moreover, reciting the Śūraṅgama Mantra carries the blessing power of all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma-protecting deities, so one's progress on the Path will also be somewhat faster. For those with scattered minds, when sitting in meditation, they should visualize an extremely interesting scenario; the process should be somewhat lengthy and involve a certain degree of mental construction, so that the mind can focus on the visualization, and then meditative concentration will appear. After the meditative concentration stabilizes, one should then relinquish these visualized states and switch to contemplating a principle of the Dharma. If one always takes these states as real, it is easy to go astray.