To Study Dharma is to Study the Mind

What is it to study the Dharma? It is not about reading books, memorising the words, and bringing them to mind. The very purpose of the Dharma is to change and transform the mind. It is very important that we relate to the Dharma in this way; instead of thinking that it is something in the books that we are trying to learn.

To study Dharma is to study the mind, its positive and negative qualities. Dharma is not something deep and distant; far removed from us. It is very direct and immediate. ‘Right now, what is going on in my mind? How is it that I am thinking?’ It is about constantly pay-ing attention to our way of thinking, and coming to see our habits and faults which have been causing us all sorts of trouble.

A Dharma practitioner uses Dharma to examine himself, constantly looking for his own faults. ‘Ah, so this is desire! I see, that is jealousy trying to creep in! I’ve been so self-centred!’ If through the study of Dharma, you come to recognise your mind poisons, you can say you have some Dharma understanding. As a beginner, that is where we should direct our efforts, to rooting out our faults.

To practice the Dharma is to work at reducing the negative traits of mind and cultivating the positive ones. If the practice of Dharma is going well, a transformation of mind will def-initely take place; there will be a change in one’s whole way of being. If not, the practice hasn’t been done effectively.

So keep track of your mind. Have a look to see which mind poisons are the strongest in you. What are your faults? Have you improved as a person since you started learning the Dharma. If you can keep an eye on your mind in this way, you are studying and practising the Dharma.