What Is the Purpose of Studying Buddhist Dharma Theory?

The purpose of studying the Dharma should be to gain liberation from the bondage of the five aggregates and from the bondage of all kinds of dharmas. Who is liberated? It is the sixth and seventh consciousnesses that are liberated—it is the first seven consciousnesses that are liberated. Because the first seven consciousnesses are bound by the self of the five aggregates, with grasping of self, and are bound by dharmas, with grasping of dharmas, studying the Dharma and its theories is meant precisely to enable the seven consciousnesses to fully and completely recognize the illusory and unreal nature of the five aggregates and the fault of birth-and-death that they cling to, and to fully and completely recognize the illusory and unreal nature of dharmas and their bondage, thereby breaking free of that bondage and attaining liberation. If studying the Dharma is merely to acquire theoretical knowledge, so that the mind consciousness can hang it on its lips and flaunt and show it off everywhere to display erudition, then the mind has been misused; this is another kind of attachment, and it is still ignorance and bondage.

Many people who study the tathāgatagarbha Dharma, no matter what they talk about, force everything onto the tathāgatagarbha, never touching on how the seven consciousnesses and the five aggregates should be cultivated and studied so as to be transformed and to eliminate the bondage of ignorance and afflictions. They never know to compare against the pure mental conduct of the tathāgatagarbha—how to repent of and eliminate the defiled mental conduct of the seven consciousnesses and the five aggregates—cutting the principle of the tathāgatagarbha's purity apart from the five aggregates and the seven consciousnesses. The principle of the tathāgatagarbha merely hangs on their lips, while the mental conduct of the seven consciousnesses remains as it always was. They are keen on pursuing theory, do not devote themselves to introspecting the ignorance and afflictions of their own minds, and even less do they ponder how to remedy the defilements within. Such a way of studying the Dharma has nothing to do with practice; it will only increase the mind of pride—arrogance arises from knowing much, looking down on others—and as a result ignorance and afflictions increase yet again. What is the point of that?

We should all clearly understand that no matter what the tathāgatagarbha is like, it does not represent the mental conduct of the seven consciousnesses. The tathāgatagarbha is the emperor, while your seven consciousnesses and five aggregates are still lowly people, commoners in plain cloth, poor and destitute folk; they cannot substitute for one another. Only by studying the purity and selflessness of the tathāgatagarbha, removing defilements, and gaining merit and wisdom can you rise step by step. Only when your merit, wisdom, and conduct become on a par with the tathāgatagarbha can you, like the tathāgatagarbha, become an emperor, supremely noble. Anyone who does not contemplate their own mind, does not repent of the afflictions in their own mind, has no wish to change themselves, whose body and mind undergo no change whatsoever, and who does not actually set about cultivating precepts, samādhi, and wisdom—none of that can be called practice; it has nothing to do with cultivating the Path. It would already be quite good if the theories they study did not become a burden to them. So please do not, while saying "tathāgatagarbha" at every turn, remain laden with the afflictions of greed, hatred, and delusion without knowing it.