There are two types of false enlightenment: false enlightenment on the proper path, and false enlightenment on outer, or heterodox, paths. If you experience a false enlightenment but are guided by Buddhadharma, then you will remain on the proper path. No great harm will befall you. In fact, false enlightenments on the proper path can be beneficial to your practice. But false enlightenments can be misleading. If you are not guided by Buddhadharma, they can even be dangerous.

When you have an experience, it is an indication that you are practicing hard, and that you are getting results from the method. People who are below your level of practice may respect you, believing that you are enlightened, but they do not know for sure. Only people on higher levels can ascertain the depth of your experience and determine where you stand. It is difficult to gauge your own practice, so you cannot be certain if your experience is genuine or false. Relying on your own distorted judgment can lead to problems. Therefore, it is necessary to have a teacher who can judge your experience and determine if it is genuine or false.

The third line speaks of seeing one's image in a mirror. Ch'an masters often compare the mind to an ancient mirror that has existed in everyone since beginningless time. Though it is pure, it is covered with the dust of vexation, and has lost the capacity to reflect. Practice is the process of removing the dust and polishing the mirror so that it can reflect again.

The mirror is no ordinary looking glass; rather, it is a mirror of wisdom, which reflects the fundamental problems of all sentient beings. Unlike an ordinary mirror, the mirror of wisdom does not reflect you, because you (the self) do not really exist. When you do not discriminate and are free from vexations and attachments, then wisdom manifests.