To study Buddhism, one must first lay a solid foundation of cultivation and realization at the Śrāvaka stage.

To subdue afflictions, elevate one's mind and nature, and cultivate the character of a sage, one must begin with the contemplation of the four foundations of mindfulness, and begin with the various practices of śamatha and vipaśyanā. The path of śamatha and vipaśyanā is a long one, not a swift one. Only by contemplating and practicing in all directions and from all angles, cultivating meditative concentration, and subduing one's own mind can a person gradually transform and shed the ordinary mortal frame, acquiring the bones of a sage, being completely renewed from the inside out, and only then can one become a true sage and a guide and leader for sentient beings. Only after pulling one's own legs out of the mud can one lead and pull sentient beings with affinities out of the mire. If one is powerless to pull one's own legs out of the mire, how can one pull others out of it?

The Buddha said that the entire Buddha-dharma is the One Buddha Vehicle dharma, with neither a second nor a third. The cultivation and realization of the stage of the śrāvakas is one part of the One Vehicle dharma—the most foundational part, and also a very important part. The practice within this stage is the process of subduing and eradicating afflictions and gradually becoming accordant with sagely nature and Buddha-nature, and it is indispensable. If this foundation is not laid well, yet one single-mindedly sets out to build a high-rise tower, even if it could be built it would be a castle in the air, doomed to collapse sooner or later. Therefore, the practice of all bodhisattvas must be down-to-earth, consolidating the foundation, emphasizing the cultivation of precepts, meditative concentration, and wisdom, and diligently extinguishing greed, hatred, and delusion. One must not merely shout slogans without substantive means of practice, while still claiming to be engaged in genuine, authentic cultivation.