Steadiness, Insight and Disciple 定慧戒 from Collection of Rain Blossoms

On the Buddha’s path, concentration, wisdom, and discipline work together to keep the light steady. Image: Shutterstock.

The first step in learning the Buddha’s way is steadiness and insight. If we don’t understand these two, it’s hard to really get started.

What is Steadiness?

Steadiness means meditation. Meditation is the base that supports everything else we do. In our own lives, this steadiness is our real foundation—it’s as close to us as our own body. But since everyone has a body, why call this steadiness?

It doesn’t just mean having a body—for everyone has that. It means facing the world through our senses without getting dragged around by it. That is real steadiness, the stability of mind.

So what does it mean for the senses to meet the world but not follow along? Before full awakening, it’s nearly impossible to keep our senses fully clear. We’ll always come into contact with things. But even so, we shouldn’t let ourselves get carried away.

If a thought pops up and we run after it, that’s not meditation. To stay steady, we use the teachings to guide our thoughts and keep our actions in check. That’s how we enter real calm. Whatever temptations come, whatever harsh words or criticism we hear, we shouldn’t lose our direction or forget our purpose. And we should always remember the teacher who first pointed us to the Way. That’s what true steadiness—samādhi—is about.

What is Insight?

Out of such steadiness, insight naturally arises. Insight means wisdom—real understanding. It’s the living wisdom that naturally grows out of steadiness. What is wisdom? It’s when the mind is open and clear, able to reflect things as they really are without distortion.

Steadiness and insight aren’t two separate things. They are one. Insight is the activity of steadiness, and steadiness is the practice of insight. When there is steadiness, insight is already there. When there is insight, steadiness is also present. They always rise together.

Think of a crystal lamp. Steadiness is like the glass of the lamp. Insight is the flame. The human heart is the wick. Without the wick, the flame can’t burn. From the outside, the lamp and the flame look like two things, but really they depend on each other.

So inner steadiness and living insight always grow together. If the mind isn’t steady, it’s like a mirror covered in dust—it can’t reflect anything clearly, not even its own flaws. The key is simple: without steadiness, wisdom doesn’t arise.

Why Discipline is Needed

The first step, then, is to build steadiness and insight. The second step is discipline. What is discipline? It means stopping wrong before it starts, and cutting off wrong that’s already begun.

Why do we need discipline as well? Think again of the lamp. When it’s lit, that’s like having both steadiness and insight together. But the flame can’t keep burning unless oil is added. Discipline is the oil. Without it, the flame won’t last. With discipline, steadiness holds firm and wisdom shines on.

定慧戒

雨花集

濟公活佛

定慧是佛門第一步, 明白此兩字之真諦, 才懂得如何去學佛。

何謂定? 定就是禪定, 禪定是事之體, 以人而言, 定就是本體, 亦可說作本人之身體。但身體人人有, 何以叫做定? 人體能在六根涉境中而不隨緣, 始得謂定。

何謂「六根涉境不隨緣」呢? 人到底是人, 在未成正果之前, 頗難說得六根清淨, 所以時時有涉境之時, 但雖涉境, 萬不可隨緣。思念已經不到, 如果再隨緣實行, 就完全不入禪定。要時時用禪理去制定你的思維, 管束住你的行動, 方能入定。任何邪魔引誘, 任何邪說譭謗, 亦不變其旨, 不改其宗, 不忘其點傳之師, 是謂之定。

慧,是智慧。屬於用, 是給體之用。何謂慧? 「心體俱空,一切鑒照」謂之慧。定慧不是二體, 等於一而二, 二而一。慧為定用, 定為慧行。不是二體。即定時, 慧在定; 即慧時, 定在慧。

譬如琉璃燈, 定就是體, 等於一個玻璃杯, 慧就是火光, 人心就是燈草, 無燈草則無光, 所以說慧為定用。從裡面看, 火光與琉璃燈, 似是二體, 其實是有相連相因之關係, 由此說明, 便知定慧之形成, 入不攝其心, 即心不入定, 心不入定, 入明鏡蒙塵, 怎能鑒照一切? 連自己污點如何, 亦不見得。故得總訣, 就是「不入定, 慧不生」。

以上是佛門第一步, 第二步就要加多一個戒字。何謂戒? 防非止惡謂之戒。未做之壞事謂之非, 既做之壞事謂之惡。

何以修定慧之外, 又要守戒? 譬如琉璃燈點著了火,等於定慧俱全。但不能不加油, 戒是油, 不加油不能長燃也。

A Personal Reflection

When I get even a small taste of steadiness or a glimpse of insight, it makes me want to keep going with discipline. I know that’s the only way I’ll ever touch those moments again.

At first, though, it was tough. Discipline felt invisible, like planting a seed underground. You sense something might be happening, but since nothing has broken through the soil yet, it’s easy to feel discouraged. That’s how it was for me too.

What helped was something I learned from Joseph Goldstein. He said that when we watch the mind, we usually notice when a craving pops up — like wanting a bag of chips. But do we also notice when the craving isn’t there? That question stayed with me. So I tried it out.

It took a while to get used to, but slowly I got better at it. And sure enough, I began to notice those small, quiet gaps when a thought, craving, or emotion wasn’t there. It was like watching a seed sprout in a glass container — finally, you can see it pushing toward the surface. Growth is happening, and I can catch glimpses of it. That discovery was encouraging. Little by little, those small moments gave me the motivation to keep up with the discipline.

This translated text is a chapter from Collection of Rain Blossoms, a scripture written by JiGong Living Buddha in the 1900s through spirit writing. Here the link to the original Chinese source.

If you are interested in other chapters of this book, here is the link to the table of contents.