Is It Easy to Abandon Identity View?

Here are several sentences about elementary particles excerpted from A Brief History of Everything. Particles are not only extremely small and fast but also fleeting. They can appear and disappear within a time as short as 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 001 seconds.

Just think how busy the Tathagatagarbha is! Extremely busy, yet without any feeling or concept of busyness. Isn't the arising and ceasing of matter incredibly fast? Because it is too fast, exceedingly fast, beyond the range of what the discerning mind can perceive, the discerning mind fails to observe it. Consequently, it considers material changes to be slow, believing there is always enough time.

All sentient beings are fundamentally ignorant. What they cannot observe, they deem non-existent. They forever trust their own observations and are unable to believe the truth.

Such things that arise and cease with extreme rapidity—what reality do they possess? What obstructive nature do they have? Yet we stubbornly cling to the material body, considering it real, solid, unchangeable, and capable of passing freely through space. Because of the Manas's stubborn clinging, this body, originally capable of accommodating and interpenetrating all things, becomes obstructed by all things, possessing not a shred of freedom. In reality, it is the self-mind obstructing the self-mind. Melt the mind away!

Therefore, never assume that severing the view of self is easy, something within easy reach, thinking that reading a couple of books severs the view of self, listening to a few hours of lectures severs the view of self, or that the consciousness pondering a bit severs the view of self, and that from then on one is forever severed from the three evil destinies. Nothing is that simple, nothing is that easy. The idea that throughout the world, everyone who has attained the first fruition has severed the view of self is a fairy tale; it probably wouldn't even appear in a dream.

Cultivation requires earnest, diligent effort and practice; there are no shortcuts, no room for opportunistic cleverness.