But he still didn't wash them, and when I saw him, they smelled even worse. We went through the same routine, and he promised to wash them, but he never got around to it. He said, "If I wash them, they'll only get smelly again. If I throw them out and buy a new pair, eventually they'll reek, too. So what's the point? I might as well stick to these old, smelly ones."

Practitioners know that the self is the source of all vexations. We know we should drop the self, yet we cannot. We like it too much. We think we might need it later. Even if we do throw it out, we pick it up again. It is like holding on to putrid socks.

Every one of us has a pair of stinking socks. Are you ready to throw them out? Maybe not. Maybe your nose is accustomed to the smell. You pick them up, sniff them, and say to yourself, "They don't smell that bad."

It is not easy to be free of all dharmas. All dharmas are related to the self. If a dharma is not related to the self, then it does not exist. It does not matter if it is virtuous dharma, evil dharma, or even Buddhadharma; if you cannot let go completely, then you will not become a Tathagata. Holding on to any dharma, including Buddhadharma, is like holding on to the finger instead of following it to the moon.