Do Not Be Eager for Quick Success When Liberating Sentient Beings

So-called saving sentient beings does not mean that one must, in a single stroke, save beings burdened with deep afflictions and karmic obstructions so that they become sages—that alone counts as saving sentient beings. Rather, it means raising beings' cultivation to a corresponding level, achieving a substantial improvement compared with before, and that is sufficient; it is impossible for them to become sages all at once. The result of pulling up seedlings to help them grow is to save beings to death—saving them into the three evil destinies, with Buddhism destroyed. When the causes and conditions for becoming a sage are not yet mature, one can only nurture them through long-term permeation, until they approach the character of a sage; only then can one save them to transcend ordinary worldliness. Saving beings with eager haste for quick results can only save their heads off—their minds remain those of ordinary beings, with head and hands split apart.