Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

According to my experience, I will give some reliable
and useful methods for examining realizations.
Do not test them according to whether or not one has
supernormal powers, because the first five powers may
be gained by non-Buddhists as well as Buddhists. If one
has these powers, that is good; if one does not—never
mind. The real testing should be according to three
important conditions:
a. Transformation of Philosophy. There must have been
a philosophic transformation, in which one has a
comprehensive and well detailed knowledge of the way:
through faith in and purification by the Hinayana,
Mahayana sublimation in the void and the
complementary development of bodhicitta, and thence
on to knowledge of the five sorrows and how they are
transformed into the five wisdoms. All these doctrines
should have been studied thoroughly. If one's studies are
complete, there can be no doubt remaining as to where
one stands regarding realization. One will then know
precisely one's attainment; thus, uprightly and with
faithful examination, one avoids the dangers of self
deception. Even if one knows Buddhist philosophy well
and has a good grasp of the whole meditation system as
we have outlined it, still one has to know oneself: "What
is my character? What are my predominant sorrows?"
Standing on a foundation of philosophic knowledge and
transformation, one may reliably judge any realization.
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