Only with a solid foundation can realization be attained.

After one has acquired a certain degree of theoretical knowledge necessary for Buddhist practice, one should no longer expend excessive time and energy on theory alone. No matter how much theory one studies, it remains merely theoretical and cannot transform into genuine wisdom capable of liberating one from the cycle of life and death. Only through the actual realization of the Dharma can great wisdom arise, leading to liberation. To achieve this realization, one must begin practicing step by step from the foundational teachings of the Four Noble Truths, progressing through gradual experiential verification, without attempting to leapfrog stages of practice.

We must start by laying a solid foundation, for it is of utmost importance. Without a firm foundation, even the most profound Dharma cannot be mastered completely; it will only form intellectual understanding, reaching the level of comprehension without actual realization. If the theories studied cannot be verified through experience, they will not give rise to true wisdom. Only personally realized wisdom can guide us out of the quagmire of life and death.

Therefore, we must now begin our practice with the contemplation of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, first attaining liberation according to the Hinayana path. Then, by applying this method to delve deeply into Mahayana meditation, we can realize the Tathagatagarbha. Following this, by observing the functions of the Tathagatagarbha, we attain distinctive wisdom. As this wisdom further matures, after transcending the stage of the "firm barrier," we investigate the teachings of Consciousness-Only, thereby refining our understanding of the functional nature of the Tathagatagarbha seeds. Attaining even a fraction of the wisdom pertaining to the seeds of Consciousness-Only—the wisdom of the path—represents an extraordinary accomplishment. However, wisdom of such magnitude cannot be attained in one or even several lifetimes; it is the culmination of merits, virtues, and wholesome roots accumulated over countless eons. It is achieved through step-by-step experiential verification, built upon an exceptionally solid foundation in the fundamental Buddhist teachings from the very beginning.