Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

as such. If one continually changes from one to the
other, avoiding first the sleepy and then the disturbed
mind, neither samatha nor samapatti can fructify, and
neither type of diseased mind can be cured.
These confusing instructions seem to have been an
obstacle to the attainment of deep meditation by many
of the patriarchs and yogis of this school. This we may
see clearly enough from the emphasis that some of them
have laid upon the repetition of Amitabha Buddha's
name, even upon their death-beds practicing this
samatha of recitation.
On the other hand, if one first gains accomplishment in
samatha and then takes up samapatti, then one can
easily succeed. With the samatha force, it is quite
possible to see disturbances arising in samapatti as the
truth itself (samapatti of samapatti, see Ch. VII, H). One
also knows that the sleepy mind is void. Above all, if
one has real accomplishment in samatha, then these two
hindrances will never arise.
For the reasons given above, we should read his work
carefully and take whatever material from it as appears
to be consistent with the usual practice of samatha and
samapatti in the Buddha's teachings. What is written in
this book is in accordance with the Lord's teachings in
the Sandhinirmocana Sutra and there, as in many other
places, he says that one must have success in samatha
before samapatti.
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