Chapter Overview
"Meditation and wisdom" (dinghui, 定慧) are the two core practices in Buddhism. "Meditation" (samādhi, 三摩地) refers to the mind's concentration and tranquility; "wisdom" (prajñā, 般若) refers to the wisdom that perceives reality as it is. Traditional Buddhism treated the two as separate practices to be cultivated sequentially — first cultivate meditation, then develop wisdom. Huineng proposed the revolutionary doctrine of "meditation and wisdom as one," completely breaking through the traditional framework of separating meditation and wisdom.
Although this chapter is not long, its depth of thought is no less than the Prajñā chapter. The proposition "meditation is the substance of wisdom; wisdom is the function of meditation" is the cornerstone of Chan Buddhist theory of practice.
1. Meditation and Wisdom as One: The Relationship of Lamp and Light
Sutra Text
The Master addressed the assembly: "Good friends! This Dharma gate takes meditation and wisdom as its foundation. Do not be confused and say that meditation and wisdom are different. Meditation and wisdom are one, not two. Meditation is the substance of wisdom; wisdom is the function of meditation. When there is wisdom, meditation is within wisdom. When there is meditation, wisdom is within meditation. If you understand this meaning, you are practicing the equality of meditation and wisdom."
Huineng states his thesis clearly: meditation and wisdom are not two separate things but two aspects of the same thing. "Meditation is the substance of wisdom" — meditation is the foundation of wisdom. "Wisdom is the function of meditation" — wisdom is the expression of meditation. Like a lamp and its light: where there is a lamp, there is light; where there is light, there is a lamp. Lamp and light cannot be separated.
The Lamp and Light Analogy
Good friends! What are meditation and wisdom like? They are like a lamp and its light. With a lamp, there is light; without a lamp, there is darkness. The lamp is the substance of the light; the light is the function of the lamp. Though the names are two, the substance is fundamentally one. The Dharma of meditation and wisdom is also like this.
Huineng uses the analogy of "lamp and light" to explain the relationship between meditation and wisdom: the lamp is the substance of the light; the light is the function of the lamp. Though there are two names, the substance is one and the same. The relationship of meditation and wisdom is likewise — meditation is the substance of wisdom; wisdom is the function of meditation.
2. Criticism of Separating Meditation and Wisdom
Sutra Text
Good friends! What are meditation and wisdom like? They are like a lamp and its light. With a lamp, there is light; without a lamp, there is darkness. The lamp is the substance of the light; the light is the function of the lamp. Though the names are two, the substance is fundamentally one. The Dharma of meditation and wisdom is also like this.
Huineng criticizes the prevailing practice of separating meditation and wisdom:
Do not say first meditation then wisdom, or first wisdom then meditation, as if they were separate. Those who hold this view see dharma as having two aspects. They speak good words with their mouths, but their minds are not good. They have the names of meditation and wisdom in vain, but meditation and wisdom are not equal. If mind and mouth are both good, and inner and outer are consistent — then meditation and wisdom are equal.
"Do not say first meditation then wisdom" — do not speak of cultivating meditation first and wisdom later. If one treats meditation and wisdom as two sequential steps, one falls into the discrimination of "dharma having two aspects." Speaking good words with the mouth while the mind is not good is having the empty names of meditation and wisdom without the reality. Only when mind and mouth are consistent, inner and outer aligned, are meditation and wisdom truly equal.
3. Ekavyūha-Samādhi: The Practice of Meditation and Wisdom
Sutra Text
Good friends! Ekavyūha-samādhi (一行三昧) means that in all places, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, one constantly practices a straightforward mind. The Vimalakīrti Sūtra says: "A straightforward mind is the place of practice; a straightforward mind is the Pure Land." Do not let the mind act in a crooked way while the mouth only speaks of straightforwardness. If one speaks of ekavyūha-samādhi but does not practice a straightforward mind, one merely mouths the name. Simply practice a straightforward mind; in all dharmas, have no attachment.
Huineng redefines "ekavyūha-samādhi" as "in all places, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, constantly practicing a straightforward mind." "Straightforward mind" does not mean simple directness but a mind that is not crooked, not attached, not discriminating. "A straightforward mind is the place of practice; a straightforward mind is the Pure Land" — the true place of practice and the true Pure Land are in a straightforward mind.
Good friends! The Way must flow freely — why should it be stagnant? When the mind does not abide in dharmas, the Way flows freely. Abiding in the mind to enter concentration is called "being bound by purity." Those who practice immovability should not see the faults of others — this is the immovability of self-nature. Deluded people keep their bodies still but open their mouths to speak of the rights and wrongs, merits and faults of others — this goes against the Way.
"The Way must flow freely" — the Way (the path to awakening) should be unobstructed and flowing, not stagnant. If the mind clings to entering concentration, it is instead bound by "purity." True "immovability" is not the body being still but not seeing the faults of others — this is the original immovability of self-nature.
4. Immovability and Seeing One's Nature
Good friends! There are also those who teach people to sit, to look at the mind and observe purity, to be still and not rise, and to practice in this way. Deluded people do not understand and become attached, going insane. There are many such people. Teaching in this way, one should know, is a great error.
Huineng specifically criticizes the meditation method of "looking at the mind, observing purity, being still and not rising." This method teaches people to sit and watch their own minds, observe purity, and take physical immobility as practice. Huineng considers this the approach of "deluded people" — mistaking physical stillness for the immovability of mind-nature, resulting in a perverted practice.
True meditation is not sitting in a lifeless stupor but maintaining the illuminating awareness of wisdom in all circumstances. True wisdom is not analytical reasoning but an intuitive insight that naturally emerges from meditative stillness.
5. Key Themes of This Chapter
The core ideas of the Meditation and Wisdom chapter can be summarized as:
- Meditation and wisdom are one — Meditation and wisdom are not two separate things but two aspects of the same substance
- Lamp and light — Meditation is like the lamp; wisdom is like the light. Where there is a lamp, there is light; where there is light, there is a lamp
- Ekavyūha-samādhi — Constantly practicing a straightforward mind in walking, standing, sitting, and lying down is true meditation
- The Way must flow freely — Practice should not cling to form; a mind that does not abide in dharmas is true practice
- Immovability is in the mind — True immovability is not seeing the faults of others, not the body being still
These ideas have important implications for the contemporary mindfulness movement: concentration and awareness are inherently one and need not be trained separately. Maintaining awareness in daily life is the best meditation.
Further Reading
→ Chapter 2: Prajñā
→ Chapter 5: Sitting Meditation
→ Meditation and Wisdom as One: A Philosophical Interpretation
→ Mindfulness and Mental Health