Learning Buddhism Requires Simultaneous Effort in Spiritual Cultivation and Practical Methods

The so-called technical aspect in the Dharma refers to learning theoretical knowledge and experiential knowledge; advancing technically means practicing meditation to cultivate concentration, diligently studying theoretical knowledge, earnestly investigating, researching, and contemplating, with the aim of realizing and attaining certain Dharma states, achieving certain levels of fruition and qualifications, gaining reputation, and obtaining a specific result.

The work of mental cultivation refers to observing the selfless nature of the five aggregates, subduing the ego, overcoming afflictions, cultivating a gentle and virtuous mind, embodying the selfless disposition of sages, eliminating selfishness and egoism, thereby enabling self-benefit and the willingness to benefit others. Specifically, it entails the practical implementation of the six paramitas of a bodhisattva: gradually perfecting the accumulation of merit, upholding precepts, enduring all human affairs to tame one's own mind, eliminating laziness and indolence, practicing meditation to enhance contemplative power, subduing afflictions, and steeping the mind in the principle of prajna emptiness, allowing the mind to gradually approach emptiness. Mental cultivation and technical practice complement each other: mental cultivation is the eye, technical practice is the foot; the eye determines the direction and height of technical practice.

In Buddhist practice, one should combine mental cultivation with technical practice, not focusing on one while neglecting the other. Walking on both legs ensures balance. So-called one-sided technical practice means engaging only in theoretical research without subduing the ego, resulting in a disconnect between theory and practice. The Dharma is originally meant to enable sentient beings to subdue the self, realize selflessness, and attain liberation and ease. However, the aim and result of sentient beings' practice of selflessness is instead an increase in egoism, an intensification of self-attachment, and an ever-expanding self. Their mental disposition actually deteriorates compared to before, creating a vast gap from the intended result of practice. This is the outcome of cultivating only technical skills without mental cultivation.

Engaging only in technical practice without mental cultivation results in virtue not matching one's position, leading to great disorder later. Treating the practice of Buddhism as a form of capital, after mastering the technical aspects of the Dharma, one considers oneself superior to all others, stronger than all others, fit to be above others, and thus takes pride in this technical skill, increasing arrogance and using it as capital to overpower others. This is precisely the grave manifestation of the notions of self, others, and sentient beings. It is the result of practicing only at the technical level, a tragic and adverse outcome that runs counter to the Dharma. In severe cases, it can lead to the corruption and disruption of the Dharma and Buddhism through arrogance and self-attachment, undermining sentient beings' faith in the Dharma and Buddhism.

The method of practice cannot be a one-sided technical task focused solely on theoretical research; more importantly, it requires the cultivation and transformation of the mind. If Buddhist practice were merely technical diligence, the Buddha would not have urged sentient beings to make pure and great vows, using the power of vows to guide their practice. If Buddhist practice were only technical diligence, why is it that some people, burying themselves day and night in studying sutras and various theories, diligently engaging in various contemplative practices, able to uncover theories unknown to ordinary people, seemingly having gained some learning, still have intense greed, hatred, and delusion? They may remain stuck for a lifetime at the seventh, sixth, or fifth stages of abiding, despite having studied extensive Yogacara theory, still unable to advance a single step.

If Buddhist practice were merely technical diligence, why is it that some people practice meditation day and night for thirty or fifty years yet still cannot attain the first dhyana, while others attain it within a year or two? Some have been enlightened for thirty years yet still see no trace of the first dhyana. Yet others, not long after encountering Buddhism, upon slight contemplation, are able to realize various levels of fruition, even though many Buddhist terms remain unclear to them, as their contemplative wisdom has already arisen.

If Buddhist practice is merely technical diligence, then are the six paramitas of a bodhisattva technical practice or mental cultivation? Does the paramita of giving belong to the technical level or the mental level? Does the paramita of precepts belong to the technical level or the mental level? Is the paramita of patience technical or mental? Is the paramita of meditation technical or mental? As for wisdom, what kind of wisdom does a person with poor mental disposition possess? Does such wisdom correspond with that of bodhisattvas and Buddhas? Diligence includes right diligence and wrong diligence. Wrong diligence belongs to the technical level, while right diligence is the cultivation of the mind. Can those with ulterior motives gain true benefit from the Dharma? The mark of a bodhisattva's true accomplishment is loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. Without a transformation in mental disposition, one will never manifest the conduct of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, and the bodhisattva's fruition will never be fulfilled.

Whose mental disposition is better, that of an arhat or a bodhisattva? Whose spiritual practice is more advanced? Who is most favored by the Buddha? Who will attain Buddhahood first? Who practices at the technical level, and who practices at the mental level? Regarding those who focus on technical work, did the Buddha not call them withered sprouts and rotten seeds, fallen into the pit of inactivity? The ultimate result of Buddhist practice must be the combination of virtue and talent; one must have both talent and, more importantly, virtue. Without virtue, talent is merely deviant skill, which may be used for unwholesome paths, creating unwholesome karma unknowingly. There are many talented people in the world, but not all use their talents to create wholesome karma; many use them to create unwholesome karma. If used to create unwholesome karma, it would be better to have no talent at all.

For Buddhist practitioners, virtue must occupy the foremost position. With virtue, one need not worry about lacking talent. If a person has only talent but no virtue, no matter how great the talent, it will not be put to right use. A person with virtue but no talent can be nurtured into one with both virtue and talent; with their bodhisattva disposition and the Buddha's blessings, they can attain the Way swiftly.

Therefore, Buddhist practice is not merely technical work; the most crucial aspect is the cultivation of the mind. Only a selfless person is a true bodhisattva. If one's heart contains only oneself, only personal gain, and is solely focused on oneself, such a person is not a true bodhisattva.

Technical work is always many times easier than mental cultivation. Technical work only requires diligent study and research; one is sure to extract something from the texts and gain some harvest. Coupled with intelligence, much technical knowledge can be acquired. But what about mental disposition? A hundred years may not be enough to subdue the mind; inherent nature is hard to change. Bodhisattvas who develop technical skills but have not subdued their minds are still not true bodhisattvas; they are merely nominal, false bodhisattvas, imposters who can never function as bodhisattvas.

Many people painstakingly practice contemplation, research, and study day and night but never examine their own minds. No matter how diligently they study the "science and technology" of the Dharma, they cannot subdue their egoism and selfishness, cannot truly eradicate the view of self, and cannot truly realize the mind and attain enlightenment. Such people are not bodhisattvas, despite having mastered the "science and technology" of the Dharma! In this era, how many people practice Buddhism only by engaging in technical work, never applying effort to their mental cultivation? They develop technical skills, but their virtue does not match their position. Wherever they go, they promote themselves and assert their ego, ultimately causing chaos wherever they are. They practice Buddhism precisely to stand out, to assert their ego, never to subdue the self. The more they study, the more high-profile they become; the more they study, the heavier their ego; the more they study, the more chaotic the world becomes. The world is being thrown into disorder. Many people practice Buddhism precisely to rise above others, stepping on others' shoulders, never considering the need to extinguish the self, to make the self vanish without a trace. Is this eradicating the view of self or increasing it? If Buddhism continues to develop in this way, it will ultimately lead to great chaos in the world.

Therefore, if one truly wishes to cultivate oneself, one must grasp both aspects: diligently applying effort to the ground of the mind, taming oneself, and diligently applying effort to contemplation and investigation, striving for genuine realization, to become a sage in the true sense.