The Great Vow pulls us forward while Great Angry Determination pushes us from behind. But how do we generate Great Angry Determination? A lot of people simply let out their anger, show their temper, or hate themselves, thinking that this is Great Angry Determination. But this is not, especially if Great Faith and Great Vow are lacking. Great Angry Determination can arise from thinking: "I haven't done justice to Sakyamuni Buddha. He suffered tremendously to discover the Path for helping all sentient beings, and transmitted it to us. Yet now that I am on this same Path how can I not strive as hard as I can?" Thinking this way, if we still do not practice hard, we should prostrate in remorse to Sakyamuni Buddha.

The second thing I should dwell on is how rare it is to be born a human being who hears the Buddha Dharma. Imagine! Out of all the people in the world, I am one who has learned of the Path and want to follow it. I should realize how rare it is to have such good karma, and throw my whole self into the practice. I should make the best use of my time and good fortune.

The third thing I should realize is how lucky I am to have a good environment to practice in and to have met someone who is qualified to guide me. If I don't grab it now, what other time will I wait for? If I am a lay person, I should realize that while monks and nuns can practice their whole life, I have less opportunities to practice. This is all the more reason to strive very hard.