What Is Wrong with Intellectual Understanding?

Question: Why is it said that if everyone who studies and practices Buddhism only reaches intellectual understanding, the true Buddhadharma will gradually disappear and perish? The vast majority of us cannot even get close to intellectual understanding—isn't intellectual understanding of the Buddhadharma already quite good?

Answer: Let me give an example. Suppose everyone buys a book to learn driving skills, or listens in person to someone explaining driving techniques. Everyone feels they understand, and believes they can drive. Yet they have never actually driven a car, never even touched a steering wheel.

Then these people go on to write books and teach others driving skills. In that case, what would driving skills become after being passed down for a while? Would this skill still have any practical, hands-on value? Would anyone still drive in the future? Would there still be anyone who knows how to drive? After this, wouldn't the skill of driving be lost and turn into a mere armchair game of paper talk?

The Buddhadharma is the same. If everyone only reaches intellectual understanding without any real realization, and one person passes it to another, then eventually even those with intellectual understanding will cease to exist, and even the intellectually understood Buddhadharma will become distorted, and the true Buddhadharma will be lost. This is a situation the Buddha cannot bear to see, and as the Buddha's true disciples, we would also feel deep pain over it.