Minor Good and Great Good

Small goodness leaves traces that can be followed, and is easily noticed and perceived by others; great goodness is formless, not easily perceived, even less easily discovered, not easily understood, and may even be misunderstood.

Small goodness has short-term effects and can only take care of the immediate present; great goodness focuses on the root and the ultimate, on the long-term future, regardless of present gains and losses.

Small goodness is easily regarded as good, while great goodness may be regarded as evil; small goodness can be faked, while great goodness disdains to be known by others; small goodness is praised by everyone, while great goodness is understood by few, and may even be hated. In short, people without wisdom always hold inverted and mistaken views, failing to understand the true principle. If the inverted and mistaken views of worldly people were taken as the standard, then there would be no goodness left in the world!

If one follows the pointing of worldly people, one can only walk toward destruction and saṃsāra; if one turns away from the pointing of worldly people, one will surely be reviled by them. That great goodness is hard to practice and the great path is hard to walk is precisely this principle—all due to the obstructions of worldly people!

Worldly people have diseased eyes that see flowers where there are none, yet they claim others lack the pearl, and heap accusations on them indiscriminately; this is truly the outburst of consumption. With the disease having reached a critical stage, they refuse to heed the physician's advice—hard to save, hard to cure—they can only undergo suffering in accordance with their karma.