Why Are There More Obstacles the More Diligent One Is?

Practicing and cultivating Buddhism is like driving a cart against the wind or rowing a boat against the current: the faster the cart and boat go, the greater the resistance. Karmic conditions are like wind and water—going along with them leads to saṃsāra and the three evil destinies; going against them leads to liberation and nirvāṇa. Of course, going along with them feels comfortable—you slide down automatically without exerting any effort—whereas going against them means heavy resistance and arduous progress. But a practitioner should be brave, unafraid of obstructive conditions. The greater the resistance and the greater the obstructions, the more courageously one must break through them, never willingly submitting to the manipulation and control of karmic power.

Breaking through the barrier of karmic obstructions in one vigorous push is the most effortless approach. If you retreat when meeting resistance, there will always be barriers before you, obstructing liberation. For those who practice Buddhism lukewarmly, no obstructive conditions will ever appear: the family is harmonious, the career goes smoothly, health is good, money keeps accumulating, and everything in worldly life goes smoothly, without interference or demonic obstructions. Because you are not diligent and show no signs of wanting to leave saṃsāra, there is no need to disturb you—you are, after all, a guest bound for the three evil destinies, so creditors need not worry about collecting their debts, and your karmic adversaries do not fear that you will slip out of their grasp. Because of your lack of diligence, the karmic seeds cannot be stirred up, and cannot be prompted to ripen early and yield retribution; once the retribution is received, you are free of debt and unburdened, and your practice proceeds smoothly. But if the karmic seeds do not ripen and karmic conditions do not appear, they remain dormant within the tathāgatagarbha, dragging you through birth and death in the six destinies with nothing to rely on—an obstacle to liberation forever.