You will not make progress if you look only at superficial phenomena and results. You must uncover the foundation, the roots, the causes. If you practice in order to acquire supernormal powers, or with the intention of attaining enlightenment, your efforts will be in vain. If you cling to a master and think, "This person has great wisdom. Maybe some of it will rub off on me, " you are only fooling yourself. You must practice.

Suppose you made a date with a friend to hike up a mountain, but on that day you overslept and she went ahead without you. What would you do? Perhaps you would think, "It's too late now, " and go back to sleep. Or perhaps you would say, "I decided to hike today, and I'm going to do it. Better late than never. If I start right away, I may even catch up with my friend." What if, halfway up the mountain, you met your friend coming down, and she told you the view at the summit was not worth the effort? Would you still go ahead?

The path to Buddhahood is a lonely climb, but after you reach Buddhahood, vast numbers of sentient beings will surround you, all of them wanting your help, your compassion, your wisdom. Since you are a Buddha, naturally you will help every one of them. As an ordinary person, you have a physical body and limited faculties. You have contact with few people, and of those few, you help even fewer. You are alone most of the time, and you do whatever you want to do. But as a Buddha, your presence and power are limitless. Innumerable sentient beings seek your help. If you know Buddhahood is like this, why do you want the job? From our point of view, that of an ordinary sentient being, Buddhahood sounds horrible. But the Buddha does not feel this way, because he does not perceive that he is helping anyone. To a Buddha, there is no such thing as Buddhas or sentient beings.