How to Realize the Dharma

Learning the Dharma is for realizing the Dharma. To realize the Dharma, one must not allow the conscious mind to become overly familiar with the Dharma. Why is this so? Because when the conscious mind becomes overly familiar, one feels that one already understands it, disdaining and lacking interest in further careful contemplation and investigation. This leads to mere lip service—a superficial understanding that obstructs the path. Only when the conscious mind encounters teachings it does not fully grasp will it become interested in delving deeper, prompting the fundamental mind to engage. Only then does the possibility of realizing the Dharma arise.

Because many people fail to attain meditative concentration and are unable to engage in profound contemplation and observation, they have no choice but to recite the Dharma teachings repeatedly and incessantly. As a result, the teachings become overly familiar to them—memorized to the point of recitation in reverse—yet they cannot deeply comprehend their essence, much less realize them. Consequently, they cannot use this understanding to eliminate deep-seated karmic obstacles, which is truly regrettable.

Those who frequently bury themselves in dusty old books possess far less wisdom than those who read little but enjoy deep contemplation. The latter speak in their own words, never rehashing others' phrases, while the former, whenever they speak, merely echo others' voices, repeating what others have said.