Don't Be a Cowherd: Is It Studying More or Practicing More That Constitutes Cultivation?

Have you ever wondered: Do I come to the Buddha's teachings to study more or to practice more? If I only enjoy reading sutras and listening to lectures, but become restless with leg pain every time I sit in meditation, am I truly on the right path? The Dhammapada contains a very pertinent story about this very question.

**Two Friends, Two Paths**

During the time of the Buddha, two close friends from wealthy, upper-class families. After hearing the Buddha's Dharma talk, both resolved to renounce the world and become monks. For the first five years, they trained together in the monastic precepts. Then, when they sought deeper guidance from the Buddha, one requested to go practice meditative concentration, while the other asked to remain and study the scriptures. From then on, their two paths diverged.

**The Hired Cowherd**

The friend who remained to study the scriptures became very learned, memorizing many discourses and lecturing eloquently, attracting many disciples. The friend who went to practice attained realization and became enlightened, also gaining many disciples. On the surface, both seemed accomplished. But one day, when the enlightened monk returned to visit the Buddha, the learned friend stirred with a competitive mind, wanting to challenge him to see who was superior.

The Buddha, aware of this thought, appeared at that moment. He questioned them about the stages of meditative concentration—the first, second, third, and fourth jhāna. The learned monk answered correctly in theory but could not describe the actual experiential states. In contrast, the enlightened monk explained each mental state and its transformations in detail. The Buddha praised the enlightened one, which caused the disciples of the learned monk to feel slighted and murmur among themselves. The Buddha then admonished them with a verse: "Though one speaks the scriptures fluently but is lazy in practice, they are like a hired cowherd, unworthy of the monastic life."

**Study Without Practice**

One who only studies without practicing is like a hired cowherd for someone else. Every morning, he leads the cattle out to graze, and in the evening, he counts them to report to the owner. But throughout his life, he never receives a single cow for himself. Studying the scriptures this way is the same: no matter how many texts one memorizes or how much theory one knows, without practice, one gains nothing for the spirit. As Venerable Chân Quang once said, "The benefit of action is greater than that of words."

Concrete actions such as sitting in meditation, observing the mind, and maintaining moral discipline are what lead to liberation.

**The Power of Practice**

The other disciple, though he did not speak extensively about the scriptures, was diligent in his practice. Through many lifetimes of attending upon, making offerings to, and helping all beings, his accumulated merit had helped open his mind. Venerable Chân Quang explained: "When you, as devoted lay practitioners, have generated much merit, it is now time to practice, to sit cross-legged in meditation, to gather the mind, and to awaken your spiritual awareness to enter the realm of liberation."

It was precisely through practice that this disciple attained true spiritual results and was praised by the Buddha. The Buddha said: "Though he does not speak much of the scriptures, he is diligent in practice, abandoning greed, hatred, and delusion, his mind bright with liberation, unattached to both lives, truly worthy of the monastic life."

**Study and Practice: Do Not Become a Cowherd**

If you notice that you prefer study over practice, reflect: Do you often praise the Three Jewels with words, but have not truly exerted effort to serve and help others? Conversely, if you have already performed many meritorious deeds, then it is time to sit in meditation and transform your mind. Study is for knowing the path; practice is for reaching the destination. Do not stop at memorizing scriptures and forget the practice.

Today, ask yourself: Am I being a hired cowherd? If so, start practicing now. Sit in meditation for ten minutes each day, recite the Buddha's name every morning, and perform even the smallest acts of kindness. By simply beginning, you will see your mind grow brighter, just as the Buddha taught. This is the path that leads to liberation.