So if there is a sense of "I love sentient beings, I want to help sentient beings, " this is not ultimate enlightenment. Genuine enlightenment means being liberated from concepts of self, as well as of sentient beings.

As in Great Angry Determination, before one is sufficiently calm and stable, one should not try to generate this Great Doubt. Great Doubt would not arise, and it would most likely result in scattered mind. Even worse, it would create a lot of anxiety. And when you're overanxious you can't even reach samadhi, much less get enlightened. A person may not have a settled mind and yet anxiously seek an answer. To be hoping for an answer is all right, but to be anxious can be bad. To be overanxious is a great obstruction to practice. So without a reliable Shih-fu, a person should not try to generate Great Angry Determination or Great Doubt. One will lead to anger without determination, and the other to anxiety, both bad for practice.

On the other hand, if you are pursuing Great Doubt in a mild or lukewarm manner, this could lead to scattered mind, or at best you may enter samadhi. So while anxiousness is bad, Great Doubt cannot be raised in a casual way. The hua-t'ou must be followed with energy, persistence, without let-up, in every act, through every moment of practice. Eventually the Ch'an power accumulates, and the door of Ch'an can be entered.

It is hoped that all who go on retreat can fulfill the four conditions. In reality, there will be a few who can begin to fulfill them. For most, this is not possible. Often people can fulfill Great Faith, which can then give rise to Great Vow, but the last two require persistence and practice. Practice is not like giving an injection to a patient to get quick results. It takes time and patience, and the power and energy must come from within. It must be a part of your life. If you're just curious to try Ch'an for a while, that can bring you some benefit, but such a casual approach will never fulfill the four conditions for investigating Ch'an, can never lead you to the ultimate Ch'an.