Miscellaneous Studies Are Not Right Effort

We study Buddhism and practice to resolve the fundamental issue of life and death, not to pursue theoretical knowledge. Acquiring some theoretical knowledge sufficient for practical cultivation is adequate; there's no need to delve deeper. Focus your mind on the crucial points. Once the wisdom of the mental faculty is developed, all previously incomprehensible Dharma principles will become clear, and all unknown knowledge will be understood. Then, you can summarize your own wisdom and transmit it, transforming it into the theoretical knowledge others need, bringing immeasurable benefit to both self and others.

After attaining the fourth stage of Arhatship, Cūḍapanthaka still couldn't expound the Dharma eloquently; he was inarticulate. Yet, he accomplished everything, possessing the wisdom of liberation and non-arising—he just couldn’t express it, and his breadth of knowledge was limited. Nevertheless, this did not hinder him from being a sage with the wisdom to liberate himself from the cycle of birth and death in the three realms. The apple is eaten and digested—this is concrete reality. How much more powerful is this than those eloquent ordinary beings, burdened with greed, hatred, and delusion, who can write a hundred books?

Many people do not understand Buddhist study and practice. Day after day, they delight in collecting knowledge everywhere, diligently gathering everything regardless of its usefulness, picking up mere sesame seeds, only to forget some of it later. They fail to develop the inexhaustible treasure within, unaware of how to grasp the golden key in their hands. They appear diligent, but this is actually perverse diligence—the more diligent they are, the further they stray from the path.

Some people are fond of studying the patterns in a kaleidoscope. Before they can figure out the first pattern, they switch to the second. They chase after ten thousand shifting patterns, dazzling their eyes without ever truly understanding any. The unwise do not realize they should study how to make the kaleidoscope itself. With the kaleidoscope, all patterns and designs can be mastered at will—wouldn’t that be joyful? The world’s knowledge is immeasurable, exploding in volume. What can you gain by chasing it day after day? Instead, generate the great bodhicitta mind, strive to become a reservoir of knowledge, so that all knowledge flows ceaselessly from your own heart. Sentient beings can then draw nourishment from this reservoir—how wonderful would that be?

Why is it that some practitioners attain deep meditative concentration, clear contemplative wisdom, and unwavering samādhi after only a short time, while others practice for decades without manifesting concentration and possess weak wisdom? Like a foolish dog chasing stones, they focus on everything external, finding it all fascinating. They scroll through various platforms daily, studying every kind of knowledge, yet achieve nothing to this day. Often, those who achieve the least are the most confident—on what basis?

If you could open the back of some people’s heads, you’d find a tangle of loose threads, chaotic and disordered. Their thoughts lack logic; one sentence doesn’t connect to the next. Yet they go out and recklessly study illogical things, adding more tangled threads to their minds. Human thought patterns and methods are impressionable—learning from someone means adopting their way of thinking. Without discernment, haphazard study only worsens matters. Already weak in wisdom, they further imprint chaotic thinking patterns, making their thoughts even less linear. They speak in circles, never reaching the root or the point. With such misguided thought patterns, how can they attain fruition or realize the mind?

Those who cultivate well remain deeply immersed in meditative concentration and contemplation. Not only do they avoid learning or looking at external distractions, but they don’t even have the mind to listen when the Teacher speaks. While I am speaking, their minds are engaged in contemplation—after all, doing the work is urgent; the great matter of life and death is urgent. Yet those who achieve nothing after decades are busy every day chaotically absorbing all sorts of disordered knowledge, delighting in their busyness. What exactly is there to delight in? Their brains are utterly clogged, not a single clear line of thought remains.