The True Starting Point of Spiritual Practice

The Buddha's teachings encompass both theoretical aspects and practical cultivation, certainly providing disciples with a starting point for study and practice. Having traversed the path himself and standing at the pinnacle, the Buddha is fully capable of guiding sentient beings from all directions at the foot of the mountain, enabling them to gradually ascend to the slopes and the summit.

Practicing the Dharma taught by the Buddha is far superior to merely worshipping theories that are splendid and lofty yet lack practical, accessible methods. Anyone who cannot provide genuinely feasible methods demonstrates that they themselves have not succeeded in their own cultivation; they have not traversed that path themselves. How, then, could those who follow them possibly succeed?

Those who teach without actual cultivation often direct sentient beings to pluck stars from the sky, yet they fail to provide a ladder to reach them. Consequently, the followers are left pitifully straining on tiptoes, gazing longingly at the starry sky. No matter how hard they strive, the distance to the stars remains unchanged, utterly beyond their reach. Some even delude themselves into thinking they have grasped the stars, when in reality, they have only caught their reflection in water – they have not obtained the genuine fruit. If someone only expounds theory without providing practical methods, one should be vigilant and not waste one's precious time in vain.

Engaging in genuine, concrete practice is key. Once one attains samadhi through a single Dharma door, any other type of samadhi becomes easily accessible. This is because samadhi is interconnected, and the methods are interconnected. By mastering one method and entering through it, one essentially masters the others. The real fear is that people cannot resolve to commit to one method and apply it diligently, unwilling to endure hardship or expend the necessary effort. If one merely dabbles in various methods, skimming the surface like a dragonfly skimming the water, stopping after a shallow attempt, then it becomes impossible to accomplish any Dharma door.