Buddhist Study and Practice Cannot Be Rushed for Quick Success

Many modern Buddhist practitioners like to engage in research, especially literati and scholars of various kinds. In fact, research is the domain of the conscious mind (manovijñāna), similar to emotional speculation and intellectual understanding. In reality, the cultivation and realization of the Buddha-dharma is absolutely not a matter of doing research, nor can it rely on emotional speculation, intellectual understanding, or conjecturing beneath concepts. The Chan patriarchs of the past also most abhorred such conjecturing beneath concepts. Yet nowadays it is all done openly—conjecturing and emotional speculation carried out brazenly, without honestly and genuinely doing the real work—while we watch Buddhism gradually degenerate. What can be done?

In the mundane world, the pace of life has quickened, and fast food is very fashionable, leaving people in poor health. Buddhism has also gone along with the trend, serving up fast food, with the result that people's thinking has become unhealthy, manifesting a kind of pathological state—yet without being aware of it, and instead displaying this pathology as something beautiful. Buddhist fast food arises from the restless, agitated minds of the masses, and its result is even greater restlessness; there are many who are glib and slick-tongued and do not engage in genuine practice. Therefore Buddhism is not a religion of research; it is one that requires verification and down-to-earth, step-by-step practice. Hence it requires letting go of body and mind, requires a complete awakening from the very marrow of one's heart, and requires the total transformation of body and mind, from head to toe, from inside out. Only then can one truly transform consciousness into wisdom, only then can an entirely new self appear, and a five-aggregate world like the Buddha's come forth.

The path of practice is long; take it slowly. Sometimes one truly cannot rush. What is important is to lay a solid foundation in the Buddha-dharma. One must not seek quick success, must not build skyscrapers on a sandy beach—without a foundation, no matter how tall the building, it will eventually collapse. In studying the Dharma, we should be steady and down-to-earth, and must not pursue rapid seeing of the mind and realization of one's nature; otherwise the consequences are very serious, detrimental both to Buddhism and to the individual. I hope everyone, when conditions are not yet ripe and merit is lacking, will not rush into investigating Chan, will not rush to see the mind. A shaky foundation is like building a castle in the air, which may one day collapse. The drawbacks of rapid enlightenment will gradually appear: progress on the path will be very slow, and arrogance can easily arise—that is the greatest obstruction to the Path—and one may even create unwholesome karma and suffer its retribution in the future.

When conditions are not yet complete, do not pursue rapid enlightenment. Instead, one should contemplate and practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) the principle of no-self more, and eradicate the view of self (satkāya-dṛṣṭi) in a solid, thorough way. This brings great benefit to oneself, to others, and to the community. People in today's world have especially heavy afflictions, all arising from the "self." Once the view of self is thoroughly eradicated, afflictions become slight, and the likelihood of creating unwholesome karma diminishes. But if one sees the mind without having thoroughly eradicated the view of self, one will still create unwholesome karma because of the "self," without knowing it—perhaps even creating unwholesome karma with a clear conscience, believing it to be wholesome karma. Thus we can see that the merit and benefit of truly eradicating the view of self is very great; this is the most important link in learning Buddhism and practicing the Path.