Even Recalling and Upholding Wondrous Principles as Numerous as the Sands of the Ganges Is Merely Frivolous Discourse

The Buddha said to Ānanda in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra: 汝虽忆持十方如来十二部经清净妙理，如恒河沙，只益戏论，积劫闻熏，不能免离摩登伽难。历劫忆持如来秘密妙严，不如一日修无漏业。 This passage from the Śūraṅgama Sūtra precisely points out the pain point of practice for today's students of the Dharma: they merely remain at the stage of extensive learning and study with the mind consciousness, without truly cultivating practice in accordance with the Dharma. If the manas is not cultivated, no matter how many kalpas the mind consciousness cultivates, liberation is impossible. The phenomena of the Dharma-ending age are far more severe than this; the most prominent special case is taking the mind consciousness's learning and immersion as genuine realization—a great misunderstanding—and yet people do not know to reflect on themselves. When death arrives, it will be too late for regret.