If a mendicant dedicated to the higher mind focuses solely on the foundation of immersion, it’s likely their mind will incline to laziness.
I.e., one must not rely on immersion alone, but accompany it with a broader practice:
But when a mendicant dedicated to the higher mind focuses from time to time on the foundation of immersion, the foundation of exertion, and the foundation of equanimity, their mind becomes pliable, workable, and radiant, not brittle, and has properly entered immersion for the ending of defilements.
I haven’t visited here in a while but that’s good to know. I’m sorry about that though difficult to discuss certain things without discussing experience.
I’m actually not going to post anymore until I achieve more because discussion isn’t really interesting to me anymore experience is.
Words if they don’t correlate to something related to our perceptions are quite meaningless.
Then different people can interpret the same words differently.
And then words by themselves do not equate to practice.
But back to the OP topic it could be interpreted either way.
If meditation is difficult for you personally then other practices like the practice of metta (loving-kindness) would benefit.
The intense practice of metta seems to be only slightly below the achievement of the four jhanas:
“Bhikkhus, whatever grounds there are for making merit productive of a future birth, all these do not equal a sixteenth part of the mind-release of loving-kindness. The mind-release of loving-kindness surpasses them and shines forth, bright and brilliant." (Mettābhāvanā Sutta, Iti 27)
“Monks, for one whose awareness-release through metta is cultivated, developed, pursued, handed the reins and taken as a basis, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, and well-undertaken, eleven benefits can be expected. Which eleven?
“One sleeps easily, wakes easily, dreams no evil dreams. One is dear to human beings, dear to non-human beings. The devas protect one. Neither fire, poison, nor weapons can touch one. One’s mind gains concentration quickly. One’s complexion is bright. One dies unconfused and—if penetrating no higher—is headed for the Brahma worlds." (Mettā Sutta, AN 11.15)
But then it says that all achieve arahantship through the development of iddhi:
“Mendicants, all the mendicants in the past … future … present who realize the undefiled freedom of heart and freedom by wisdom in this very life, and who live having realized it with their own insight due to the ending of defilements, do so by developing and cultivating the four bases of iddhi power” (Bhikkhu Sutta, SN 51.7)
Which means without something like meditation achieving arahantship is impossible.
The four bases of iddhi seem to be described as developing concentration founded on desire, persistence, intent, and discrimination (from SN 51.20).
In MN 36 when describing the process of enlightenment the Sambuddha Gautama explains achieving the four jhanas first, then the 1st (pubbe-nivāsanussati), 2nd (dibba-cakkhu) , and 3rd ( āsavakkhaya) higher knowledges which required iddhi.
The development of iddhi seems to be distinctly different from the achievement of the jhanas.
Looks like it took Sariputta a slightly longer time than Moggallana to achieve arahantship who was skilled in iddhi (two weeks vs. one week).
So meditation is important but not the main practice if you’re personally having difficulties with it. The practice of merit, virtue, and other things makes achieving arahantship easier.
“You yourselves must strive; the Buddhas only point the way. Those meditative ones who tread the path are released from the bonds of Mara.” (Dhammapada, 276)
