The Purpose of Studying the Dharma Is to Attain Non-Self

Many people speak every day merely for the sake of speaking, to express themselves and display themselves, speaking without restraint. The "I" in their heart is very heavy, yet they do not know to turn the light inward and introspect upon their physical, verbal, and mental actions. What exactly are they cultivating through their practice? Tell them to say one less word, and they become unhappy. They shout "no-self" every day, yet the "I" in their heart remains very heavy. Examine themselves: what exactly have they cultivated through their practice? Does it have any real strength?

Examine your own mind: why is there an unhappy emotion? If there were truly no "I" in the heart, if the "I" were not heavy, could there be unhappiness? What pleases the "I" brings joy; what displeases the "I" brings sorrow, worry, hatred, and suffering—this is the full-blown "I." This is completely opposite to "no-self." The ultimate purpose of practice is to attain no-self, to melt away the "I" in one's heart every day. This is the best practice. Studying thousands of sutras and treatises aims to achieve no-self; it is not for the sake of studying the Dharma itself. The purpose of studying the Dharma is to attain no-self. If one studies the Dharma every day for the sake of their own "I," to show off, isn't that running counter to the path of cultivation?

The reason the attachment of the seventh consciousness, the mental faculty, is heavy is the clinging to the notion of "I." At every moment, it seeks to highlight itself, express itself, emphasizing how one is this or that. If told they are mistaken, that it's not like that, they immediately defend themselves or walk away in anger—these are all manifestations of a severe "I-mind." If one truly wishes to practice swiftly and rapidly advance on the path, they should examine their afflictive mental factors every day: have they diminished compared to before? Have emotionally driven behaviors decreased? Have arrogance and self-attachment lessened? This is genuine practice. It is not about accumulating a heap of intellectual knowledge only to increase self-attachment and arrogance—that is studying incorrectly, studying backwards.