Common Ailments of Modern Buddhist Practitioners

People nowadays do not know how to cultivate in a down-to-earth manner; all day long they just open their mouths and talk, talking everywhere and endlessly. No matter what they say, what is it ultimately for, and what are they seeking? Is learning Buddhism and practicing the Dharma really just to show off oneself, to make others think that one is cultivated and knows a lot? Some people have quite a rich imagination, but they are far too lacking in actual practice and personal realization. They often speculate about the Buddha-Dharma instead of engaging in actual contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), and they are still very confident about it. Any deliberation (manasikāra/manana) without meditative concentration (samādhi) belongs to speculation; deliberating on the Buddha-Dharma that is far removed from one's own practice and realization also belongs to speculation; and debating with others using one's own speculated Buddha-Dharma—all of this belongs to that category of people who are showing off themselves.