How Can One Realize the Dharma?

Studying the Dharma is for the sake of realizing the Dharma. If one wishes to realize the Dharma, one must not let the mind consciousness become overly saturated with the Buddha-Dharma. Why is this said? Because when the mind consciousness has the teachings thoroughly memorized, it will feel that it already understands them, and will disdain and lose interest in carefully deliberating and investigating them further. In this way, one will degenerate into mere "Chan of the mouth," half-understanding, which greatly obstructs the Path. Only toward teachings that the mind consciousness does not quite understand will it be interested in probing deeply, and the manas will thereby become involved, so that there is a possibility of realizing the Dharma.

Because many people are unable to cultivate meditative concentration (samādhi) and cannot deliberate deeply and finely or engage in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), they have no choice but to read and recite the Dharma teachings over and over again, until the teachings are thoroughly engrained in their minds and can be recited backwards—yet they are unable to profoundly comprehend their meaning, let alone realize them, and cannot thereby eliminate their deep and heavy karmic obstructions. This is truly a pity.

Those who constantly bury themselves in old books and texts have wisdom far inferior to those who do not read much but love to think deeply. What the latter say is expressed in their own words, never parroting others; as soon as the former speak, it is all the voices of others, merely repeating the words of others.