Master Ta-hui was abbot of several temples, and in each temple were hundreds, sometimes thousands, of monks and nuns. Of these thousands of disciples, who devoted their entire lives to practice, perhaps one hundred reached enlightenment. This does not mean that the rest wasted their time. At least they practiced. Practicing is better than not practicing, just as being enlightened is better than not being enlightened.

The song says that monks are poor in body but rich in Tao. Tao does not only mean enlightenment. Here, it means the Path, and refers to practice. Master Hsu-yun, the recent Ch'an Patriarch, who died in 1959, practiced with unshakeable determination for years, long after most people would have given up. He finally achieved enlightenment when he was fifty-six. By ordinary standards, this is rather late in life, but Hsu-yun lived to be 119. While he struggled, he never said, "This takes too long. I'm giving up. I'm not going to be a monk if I can't get enlightened." Achieving enlightenment should not be the only reason for practicing. Cultivating practice is what is important. Practice is the means and the end.

These priceless treasures have endless functions;
There is no hesitation in helping others.
The three bodies and four wisdoms are complete in essence;
The eight liberations and six psychic powers are the mind-ground seal.