SN55.5 gives what is often translated as the “four factors for stream entry”:
For the factors of stream-entry are associating with good people, listening to the true teaching, proper attention, and practicing in line with the teaching.
The typical situation in the suttas when a person’s Dhamma eye opens is when listening to a Dhamma discourse (not in meditation), e.g. in Ud5.3:
When the Gracious One knew that the leper Suppabuddha was of ready mind, malleable mind, unhindered mind, uplifted mind, trusting mind, then he explained the Dhamma teaching the Awakened Ones have discovered themselves: suffering, origination, cessation, path.
8Just as it is known that a clean cloth without a stain would take the dye well, so to the leper Suppabuddha on that very seat, the dust-free, stainless Vision-of-the-Dhamma arose: “Whatever has the nature of arising, all that has the nature of ceasing.”
Though, as someone earlier pointed out, it probably usually takes quite a bit of work for a person to have a mind that is close to being ready, malleable, unhindered, uplifted and trusting.
I interpret the four factors for stream entry above as factors helping and making more likely the arising of this process. It seems very likely that one of the items, “practicing in line with the teaching”, includes meditation. Though whether it is beyond being very helpful and strictly always a prerequisite is another question.
There are also the four factors of stream entry. These are listed as the “mirror of the Dhamma” in suttas such as the Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta (attributes that one should have when one is a stream enterer): unshakeable faith in the Buddha, dhamma and sangha and having the virtues dear to the noble ones, but these seem to be characteristics after stream entry.
There’s also a whole debate about whether not just regular meditation but rather advanced meditation like jhana is needed for stream entry. I made a post on this here only recently arguing jhana is not needed. However, many well-known teachers such as Thanissaro Bhikkhu would disagree (as well Bhante Sujato of SuttaCentral who responded to some of my points that thread). It’s not a straightforward topic! 