I have a water cup that I use every day. I wash it daily, and I cover it when it is full to keep the water clean. If I did not keep a lid on it, something might get in the water and make me sick. If I did not need water, or if there were no such thing as water, then there would be no need to cover the cup or clean it. The cup would still be there, but it would have nothing to do with me. If you reach the level of no dharmas, the cup of karmic obstructions will still be there, but it will have nothing to do with you. Karmic obstructions cannot obstruct you when there is no self.

If I committed a serious crime, I might be arrested and executed. If I had a body, it would be easy to find me and kill me. But if I did not have a body, how could the police catch me? By the same token, when you let go of your self, karmic obstructions will no longer be a problem. Letting go of your self does not mean that you do not exist anymore. The existence of self is a partition between you and others. When the distinction drops, self disappears, and you are completely free. Small self and great self vanish, and with them go all karmic obstructions. It is not that past karma disappears. An enlightened being still receives karmic retributions for past actions, but these retributions are no longer obstructions, because the mind of the enlightened being is free.