Some practitioners are like this — stubborn and self-righteous. Some of them cling to the Ten Virtuous Actions and the path of the human and heavenly realms. If you share the path to liberation with them, they won’t listen; they just block it.
Some practitioners who have taken the path to liberation are also like this. If you talk to them about the way of the Bodhisattva, they will block it out and refuse to listen. Such cases are not rare. This is a relative thing. We should be receptive, yet also stabilize the positive states we have. Those who are too quick in accepting or very unstable are not good. We should be relatively stable and make steady progress. Some people, when they first learn about the path to liberation, consider it good. Yet after reading about the way of the Bodhisattva the next day, they no longer want to practice the path to liberation, as they consider it inferior to the Bodhisattva path. After reading about realizing the nature of mind on the following day, they feel that this is even better and abandon the previous two. They change too rapidly. Actually, you’ve only gained a superficial understanding of the earlier stages, while you think you can move forward. In reality, you haven’t really practiced; what you have is merely a superficial understanding or an intellectual insight, but it doesn’t mean you have truly attained these states. Many people believe they can move forward or elevate themselves to higher energy levels. But it’s like climbing on a single thread — if the thread breaks, you will fall off the cliff. This is not stable. Our spiritual practice should be like a pyramid — stabilize and strengthen the base before progressing upward. You can’t build a rope-like building — if the base is too thin, it will collapse as you build upward. Like stacking items, if the bottom is as thin as the top, it will easily collapse. Whereas, if you build a wide foundation and gradually move upward, it will never collapse. Only after we’ve built a strong foundation can we truly progress on our spiritual journey in a solid way. However, we can’t always stay at the same level. We should be receptive. This is where we need guidance from our spiritual mentor: When do we need to move forward? Don’t be self-righteous; this is crucial. Don’t be self-righteous. Don’t think, “Now I can move forward,” as that is being self-righteous. You need to pass tests, be approved by your spiritual mentor and confirmed by your fellow practitioners before moving forward. Of course, sometimes we can first elevate a bit, and then go back to make some amendments, back and forth. The spiritual journey is not simply moving forward in a straight line; it is moving forward in a spiral way. It’s not simply moving forward. This is a metaphor for the process of elevation. Spiritual practice is quite complex, like a construction project. First, you need to establish the framework, and then start to decorate from the ground floor. It’s not a simple upgrade; it’s a complex project. There are further decorations coming later. This is just an analogy which can’t fully represent the actual practice. As you occasionally experience a higher state, you will know what is the next step. Each step requires a different solution. Now that we have encountered the path to liberation, each step needs a different solution. However, if you haven’t mastered the basics, you won’t be able to elevate to higher states.
