Enlightenment Is Best When It Comes Naturally and Steadily

Before enlightenment, it is best to eliminate as much karma as possible, so that after enlightenment one will not be crushed or swept away by karmic forces, rendering the enlightenment a wasted effort. If merit is insufficient at the time of enlightenment, then once one awakens, karmic obstructions will quickly appear, and all kinds of demonic disturbances will arise. If one's meditative concentration is also insufficient, one may be dragged down, regress, and even lose one's aspiration for the Path. Even if one does not lose the aspiration, the changes to the physical body and in various other aspects can be considerable, and the pressure one must bear is by no means small.

It is best for enlightenment to come about steadily and naturally, as water flows and a channel forms. If all the necessary conditions are not fulfilled, if merit is lacking, and one anxiously strives to awaken, forcing an enlightenment that comes only with great difficulty, demonic obstructions will arrive one after another, and ordinary people can hardly endure them. The most frightening thing is abandoning the Path under such immense pressure—who knows when one might return to it. In ordinary times, one should cultivate more merit, eliminate more karma, repent more, and enjoy fewer pleasures. Only when the crucial moment arrives, with merit providing support, with strong vows providing support for those whose vows are great, and with the protection of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma-protecting deities, can one get through the ordeal.