Learning Buddhism is to be aware of one's own mind and subdue afflictions.

Many people have studied Buddhism for over a decade or even twenty to thirty years, yet to this day they do not know what studying Buddhism is for. They have learned a great deal of Buddhist doctrine, yet still do not know how to use it to introspect their own mind, subdue their own mind, and transform their own mind; instead, they insist on using it to scrutinize others. As a result, when they encounter troublesome people and affairs, great waves arise in their minds and they remain unable to calm down for a long time; disputes and conflicts are incessant, and they deviate from the purpose and direction of studying and practicing Buddhism. The doctrine they have learned remains mere doctrine, and the affairs they encounter remain mere affairs; principle and phenomena cannot be combined, nor can they be harmoniously integrated, and they cannot obtain the meritorious benefit within their own minds. If a Buddhist practitioner's view of affairs severely departs from principle, so that affairs become things existing in isolation, then the doctrine they have learned also loses its meaning.

So how should one face the disputes and afflictions of people and affairs in the Saha world? Those who have studied the Mahāyāna dharma all know that all dharmas are illusorily manifested by the tathāgatagarbha; there are no people, affairs, objects, or principles that actually exist—all are generated by the tathāgatagarbha, this magical illusionist, which outputs the seeds of the seven great elements in accordance with conditions. It is like a painter splashing ink to produce one portrait after another: we should not take the portraits as real things, nor take the figures and landscapes in the portraits as real and thereby develop greed or aversion. All these portraits are merely sprayed and painted with colored ink—just piles of pigment. How could a wise person attach to and discriminate among piles of pigment, giving rise to mental activity and thoughts? A truly wise person likewise should not develop attachments toward the people, affairs, objects, principles, mountains, rivers, and the great earth piled up by the tathāgatagarbha using the seeds of the seven great elements.

If one engages frequently in this contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā) and constantly introspects, one will not let one's own mind sink into disputes over people and affairs and be unable to extricate oneself, thereby failing to obtain the true benefit of studying and practicing Buddhism, wasting one's efforts on the mere accumulation of various Buddhist theoretical knowledge—a painted cake cannot satisfy hunger.