The Foundation of Meditative Concentration

Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

21 November 2025.

Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju provides these teachings:

The Path to Concentration

How does one achieve the power of meditative concentration? It is found in walking the path without bias and with a humble heart, not in stubbornly clinging to one's own opinions. If you have a bias and refuse to receive teachings with a humble heart, where will that bias lead you? It will lead you straight away from the righteous path, further and further into the distance, until you are close to the demon path.

If your practice is biased and you do not turn back to the Buddha's path in time, your strong personality will easily be controlled by demonic influences, leading your hearts and actions into the demon path. If your hearts and actions are intense and lean towards demon nature, how can you maintain the Discipline (Precepts) of the Buddha's True Teachings? How can you speak of true meditative concentration, free from the disturbance and control of demons? How can the Buddha's path be achieved?

The Three Learnings and the Six Perfections

How does one achieve the power of meditative concentration? It is found within the Three Learnings of Precepts, Samadhi, and Wisdom. It is found within the Six Perfections:

• Generosity (Giving): The foundation of letting go of attachment.
• Discipline (Precepts): The essential framework for moral conduct.
• Patience (Endurance): The ability to remain steady amidst adversity.
• Diligent practice: The continuous effort to improve.
• Meditation (Concentration): The stillness of the mind.
• Wisdom (Prajna): The clear understanding of reality.

This is the method for achieving success in meditative concentration. If you do not practise generosity and discipline, concentration is difficult to achieve, and wisdom will be obscured and unable to manifest.

Faith and Daily Practice

How does one achieve the power of meditative concentration? It is found in having faith in the Buddha. It is found in your daily practice:

• Diligently performing prostrations to the Buddha.
• Chanting the name of Namo Amituofo.
• Reciting the Sutras.

By doing this, you can receive the Buddha's blessings, allowing your heart to become still and without waves. When the Buddha-Recitation Samadhi is achieved, you can enter the wisdom of the Buddha's name. This is the magnificent benefit of chanting the Buddha's name.

Overcoming the Obstacles of the Ego

Who is unable to maintain the Discipline (Precepts)? Those who have strong ego-attachment, strong views, and arrogance, and those who are suspicious. These are people who are attached, subjective, and arrogant, making it difficult for them to trust others. This character is a manifestation of karma, which obstructs the success of their practice. Therefore, they do not value the importance of the Discipline (Precepts) and find it difficult to maintain them. Instead of following the Discipline (Precepts), they follow their own ego-attachment and views. They are controlled by karma, easily fluctuate, and find it difficult to be self-reliant, thus suffering the karmic retribution of Aging, sickness, and death. In such a state, how can one speak of concentration? How can the Buddha's path be achieved?

Meditative concentration is the vital reason for achieving success in practice, free from the obstacles of karma and demonic interference.

Namo Amituofo