People of intermediate and inferior capacities, however, are different from great practitioners. They want to learn, and they study as much Buddhadharma as they can. Yet they question, "Is this the path for me? Do I really want to do this? What's the purpose of all this?"

There is a story of a child in a candy store, whose eyes are bigger than his stomach. He sees jar after jar of candy, and he wants it all. He bites into one piece, tastes it, and spits it out unfinished. He tries another, and another, and works his way through the entire store. Although his mouth is filled with the flavors of many candies, he has not eaten a thing. Then he gets sick and vomits, and ends up with a sour memory of his experience. A person of intermediate or inferior capacity can be like this child.

The Dharma gates of Buddhism ─ the methods of practice ─ are infinite. The third Bodhisattva vow says, "I vow to master limitless approaches to Dharma." This does not mean you should act like a child in a candy shop and try every gate. Before enlightenment, select one path (method), stick to it, learn it, and practice hard. Although you make a vow to master every method, it does not mean that you should dabble with one for a while, drop it, and go to another. You should be practicing, not window shopping.