The second mistake is the reverse of the first. Some people only focus on meditation without any study or contemplation because they assume that meditation is the real deal. While there is a term in Buddhism called "the actual practice," it can be misleading in many cases.
The actual practice does not require knowledge of many terms and their definitions; instead, it involves persistent meditation. However, the true meaning of the actual practice is to examine and train the mind through effective practice. If this is not the case, it should be called blind practice. Unfortunately, many people blindly practice Buddhadharma, which is not effective.
Many practitioners in our meditation center fall into this category - they are professional practitioners who resemble ordained monks and nuns, with the exception that they do not shave their hair and receive financial support from patrons for their basic needs. Their primary focus is to immerse themselves in meditation day and night, which leads to experiencing joyfulness and clarity within their body and mind.
This state of comfort in meditation is known as Joy, while the refreshment and clarity experienced by the body and mind are called Clearness, which may even lead to the development of supernatural abilities. Achieving the high levels of meditation practice, represented by Joy, Clearness, and No Discursive Thoughts, requires the ability to sit on cushions for extended periods without giving rise to any discursive thoughts or even blinking. Some practitioners can even sit for 12 hours straight without blinking. However, many of them tend to get stuck in this comfort zone and fail to progress further in their practice.
All of them do the five preliminaries, as they are the prerequisites for the actual practice of Dzogchen. Although they work really hard for it, when it comes to the reason for them doing so, you would disappointingly find out it is just to make up the numbers. Since they do not study and contemplate, neither do they truly understand what the five preliminaries are made for nor the essence and methodological techniques of carrying it out effectively.
For example, what do they need to achieve by taking refugees in the Three Jewels? How do they go about it? Likewise, what is the goal of practicing Vajrasattva? What is the key to it?
All of them perform the five preliminaries, which serve as prerequisites for the actual practice of Dzogchen. Despite working hard on them, it is disappointing to discover that they do so merely to fulfill a requirement. They neither study nor contemplate the purpose of the preliminaries, nor do they truly understand their essence and effective methodology. For instance, what is the aim of taking refuge in the Three Jewels, and how can one achieve it? Similarly, what is the objective of practicing Vajrasattva, and what is the key to success?
People in the first category tend to study Budhadharma without performing the actual practice, and this often makes them arrogant. For instance, during group discussions when discussing terms and theories, they tend to talk excessively, creating an impression that they know everything, but in reality, they are merely reciting words and playing with concepts in their minds.
The people in the second category are even worse. They believe that they are truly practicing, as they meditate very well and have completed the five preliminaries multiple times. Some of them may have even had some basic experience of Mere Emptiness. However, since they do not study the theoretical aspects, they become arrogant and think that they are special and superior to others. They believe that they will become a Buddha in this lifetime, which is not an authentic practice of Buddhism. Nonetheless, practicing the five preliminaries may bring them some merits as it is impossible to say that there are no merits in doing so. Even reciting Amitabha once has its own merit.
Many practitioners strive to achieve awakening or enlightenment in one lifetime, but they must realize that sitting on a cushion to meditate alone is not enough. If a person frequently enters the stages of Joy, Clearness, and No Discursive Thoughts through meditation, it could be a sign that they may easily be reborn in the realm of heaven or the realm of the long-lived god. (If one is often in the state of No Discursive Thoughts, they tend to be reborn in the realm of the long-lived god, which is one of the eight adversities that prevent people from practicing Buddhadharma.) It is a serious issue when study is not involved. Without guidance from study, practice is like a bird without a head.
Excerpted from: The Relationship Between Buddhist Theory and Practice
