The study of Buddhist sutras is good. The word sutra means stringing things together, like flowers in a garland or pearls in a necklace; but if you cling to the written word, and study instead of practice, then it is like counting another's treasure. A child who goes into a bank and sees a teller counting stacks of money, might exclaim, "Wow! That person is rich." The child does not realize the teller is counting other people's money.

Once, a man visited the Sixth Patriarch, but he did not prostrate to show his respect. Hui-neng asked, "What is your practice?"

The visitor said, "I recite the Lotus Sutra. I've done so over six hundred times."

Hui-neng replied, "Six hundred copies of the Lotus Sutra inside you? That's heavy! No wonder you can't prostrate."

The visitor thought about it, and then said, "It really is a heavy load. What can I do?"

Hui-neng advised, "From now on, be a useless person, with nothing to do except practice. Forget about whether or not you're good at it. Forget your pride and ability."

It would be best to forget any good experience that you might have had in your practice, or in a previous retreat. Do not call up memories of past experiences, and do not pay attention to those that appear in your mind. If you have a good experience during this retreat, let it pass. If you have never had a good experience, do not worry about it, and do not set your mind on achieving something good, otherwise you will be carrying a heavy weight on your back. At the same time you shoulder your past, you will be grasping for something imaginary in your future. If you practice with all this weight, you will flatten like a pancake.

Since it is hard to just let go of everything, immerse yourself wholeheartedly in the method of practice, and realize that there is nothing else.