What Is Dry Wisdom

Dry wisdom (乾慧): "dry" means without water. Dry wisdom is wisdom without the moisture of meditative concentration (samādhi) to nourish it—wisdom that is parched and barren. Such wisdom has no actual function, just like soil without water: it cannot become proper earth, and without the stickiness of earth, it cannot be used for wall plaster, cannot pave the ground, and cannot be used for construction. It is the same with dry wisdom—wisdom spoken of until the mouth is parched and the tongue dry, which in fact is not drawn out from one's own inner being, not realized through personal verification, but learned, deduced, and analyzed by the mind consciousness. This is merely the kind of person who parrots words; it is not true wisdom. This is the very first stage of practice. If one merely remains at this stage and takes it to be the ultimate, one will come to a standstill, unable to enter the true mountain of treasures.