Chapter Ten: Belief and Dedication 7

The Founding Master said, “The reason religious orders check a practitioner’s belief and dedication is because belief is none other than the vessel that holds the dharma, the driving force that resolves all cases for questioning, and the foundation for observing all the precepts. Practice without belief is like fertilizing a dead tree: ultimately, you will never see any result. Therefore, you must first establish genuine belief, so that you may deliver yourself. In teaching others as well, arousing belief in those who lack it is the primary merit.”