The Importance of Direct Realization and Empirical Verification

Before attaining enlightenment, many people imagine what True Suchness and Buddha-nature might be like in various ways. Yet after achieving enlightenment through direct realization, they discover that True Suchness and Buddha-nature are actually like this, realizing that all their previous understandings were mistaken. What one hears or learns from others, combined with the processing of one's own conscious thinking, differs significantly from reality. How many people throughout beginningless kalpas have ever imagined it correctly? I believe not a single person has. Therefore, what is most reliable is the personal verification through the mental faculty. To personally verify, one must personally ponder and investigate, rather than directly accepting the results of conscious thought as one's own direct experiential realization. This point is extremely important for studying Buddhism, practicing cultivation, clarifying the mind, and attaining enlightenment.