Regarding to Buddha:
The practice of the stages of the path to liberation can be
condensed into the three trainings of higher moral discipline,
higher concentration and higher wisdom.

The nature of moral discipline is a virtuous determination
to abandon inappropriate actions. When we practise moral
discipline we abandon inappropriate actions, maintain pure
behaviour and perform every action correctly with a virtuous
motivation. Moral discipline is most important for everybody
in order to prevent future problems for ourself and for others.

It makes us pure because it makes our actions pure. We need
to be clean and pure ourself; just having a clean body is not
enough. Moral discipline is like a great earth that supports
and nurtures the crops of spiritual realizations. Without
practising moral discipline, it is very difficult to make progress
in spiritual training.

The second higher training is training in higher
concentration. The nature of concentration is a single-pointed
virtuous mind. For as long as we remain with this mind we
shall experience mental peace, and thus we shall be happy.
When we practise concentration we prevent distractions and
concentrate on virtuous objects. It is very important to train
in concentration, as with distractions we cannot accomplish
anything. Training in higher concentration is learning to
be deeply familiar with the ability to stop distractions
and concentrate on virtuous objects. If our concentration
is clear and strong it is very easy to make progress.

Normally, distraction is the main obstacle to our practice.
The practice of moral discipline prevents
gross distractions, and concentration prevents subtle
distractions; together they give rise to quick results.

The third higher training is training in higher wisdom. The
nature of wisdom is a virtuous intelligent mind that functions
to understand meaningful objects such as the existence of
past and future lives, karma and emptiness. Understanding
these objects brings great meaning to this life and countless
future lives. Many people are very intelligent in destroying
their enemies, caring for their families, finding what they
want and so forth, but this is not wisdom. Even animals have
such intelligence.

Worldly intelligence is deceptive, whereas
wisdom will never deceive us. The subject of
karma is very extensive and subtle, and we can understand it
only through wisdom. Training in higher wisdom is learning
to develop and increase our wisdom realizing emptiness
through contemplating and meditating on emptiness, with
a motivation of renunciation.

The three higher trainings are the actual method to attain
permanent liberation from the suffering of this life and
countless future lives. This can be understood by the following
analogy. When we cut down a tree using a saw, the saw alone
cannot cut the tree without the use of our hands, which in turn
depend upon our body. Training in higher moral discipline
is like our body, training in higher concentration is like our
hands, and training in higher wisdom is like the saw. By using
these three together, we can cut down the poisonous tree
of our self-grasping ignorance, and automatically all other
delusions – its branches – and all our suffering and problems
– its fruits – will cease completely.