Theoretical Knowledge Does Not Represent Direct Realization

If in learning Buddhism one always relies on memorization and blind faith, how can one's progress on the Path advance? How can wisdom grow? Having finally obtained a human body and encountered the Mahāyāna definitive dharma (Mahāyāna-nītārtha-dharma), if one does not make good use of one's own mind, contemplate deeply and subtly, and seek personal realization, then one has obtained a human body in vain and encountered the true and genuine Buddhadharma in vain. After decades pass, one still amounts to nothing—how regrettable would that be? One should try one's best to change one's incorrect and unreasonable ways of learning Buddhism. Do not merely count treasures for others; put treasures into your own pocket. Counting for others is useless—in the end it is still all emptiness. One must cultivate meditative concentration (samādhi) and contemplate the Buddhadharma within concentration. Apart from concentration, even understanding cannot reach its proper place, let alone realization. Only realized wisdom is ultimate wisdom, wisdom that belongs to oneself. Intellectual understanding is unreliable—how much more so when the understanding does not even reach its proper place.

No matter how fluently one can recite the Tripiṭaka and the twelve divisions of the scriptures, if the manas has not been successfully permeated, these items of knowledge will be of no use in the neutrino-body (antarā-bhava). Theoretical knowledge is, after all, just knowledge. If one has not realized it oneself and does not hold it in one's own grasp, it simply does not function. That is why I always emphasize to everyone the power of meditative concentration and contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā)—these are far more important than knowledge. Moreover, matters of fruition have nothing to do with theoretical knowledge. No matter how much Buddhadharma you can recite, without realization your fruition is zero. For a person who has realized the Buddhadharma, even without that much theoretical knowledge, one's actual realization determines the level of one's fruition.