Someone said to me, "I see it as a thin sheet of paper. One side is my self, and the other side is enlightenment. It's that close."

I said, "It's even closer than that. Right now, if you drop your past, future and present, you will see your self-nature. In the past you were an ordinary sentient being. In the future you will, unless you attain enlightenment, be an ordinary sentient being. At this moment you are an ordinary sentient being. But if you drop them, then you are a Buddha."

Another student was sad because she still did not know who she was. I told her, "As long as you have thoughts in your mind, you will not know who you are. Drop your thoughts, and you will know. Just telling yourself to drop your thoughts won't work. First, you must pull your thoughts together. Focus your scattered mind into a concentrated mind. Then pull your concentrated mind into a unified mind. Finally, let go of your unified mind. When you train your mind to do this, you will know your self."

It is easy to attain enlightenment. Can you drop your past, future and present? If not, it is because you are unwilling to let go. You may intellectually want to let go, but deep down you are not ready to relinquish your self.

A young man who meditated at my temple wore socks that smelled vile. I suggested that he throw them out, but he said it was his shoes that smelled, not his socks. I asked him to throw his shoes away, and he did, but his socks still smelled awful. I asked again that he throw his socks away, and he threw them aside. Later, he picked them up, sniffed them, and said, "They do smell bad, but it's my own body. If I wash them, they'll be okay." He put his socks back on.