How to Break Through the Domain of the Aggregate of Form

Only when one truly breaks through the domain of the aggregate of form (rūpa) can one be free from the influence and obstruction of the physical body. Breaking through the domain of the aggregate of form can be accomplished solely through cultivating meditative concentration (dhyāna); meditative concentration must be cultivated to the fourth dhyāna before there is no obstruction, just like the case of Elder Master Xuyun. Theory needs to be accompanied by meditative concentration; without meditative concentration, one is merely playing with words—having thoughts but no power of action. Those theories we study need to be actually contemplated and investigated in practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) within meditative concentration before they can be realized. Only afterward is there some power of action. Without realization, the manas cannot change anything, and one will remain as one was before. No matter how much your mind believes the world is like a dream or an illusion, without realization, saying is saying and doing is doing, and nothing can be changed in the slightest. Change is made by the manas, and action is decided by the manas; only when the manas realizes can it be done.