How to Break Through the Realm of the Form Skandha?

Only when one truly breaks through the realm of form aggregates can they be unaffected and unobstructed by the physical body. To break through the realm of form aggregates through solitary meditation, one must attain the fourth dhyāna, thereby achieving complete freedom from obstruction, as exemplified by the Venerable Hsu Yun. Theoretical understanding must be accompanied by meditative concentration; without dhyāna, it is merely intellectual play—empty words devoid of practical power. The theories we study must be practically observed and investigated within the state of dhyāna before they can be genuinely realized. Only after such realization does one gain some capacity for action. Without genuine realization, the mental faculty cannot effect any change, and one remains bound to habitual patterns. Regardless of how much one mentally perceives the world as illusory, without genuine realization, saying one thing and doing another cannot effect the slightest change. Change is initiated by the mental faculty; action is determined by the mental faculty. Only through the genuine realization of the mental faculty can such transformation be achieved.