The Scripture of the Fo...

Dictionary

The Scripture of the Founding Master

Chapter Three: Practice

16

The Founding Master said, “There are two paths to attaining the power of Cultivation: one is the cultivation of temperament, and the other is the cultivation of the mind-nature. For example, a soldier who attains an immovable state of mind by disciplining his mind in actual combat exemplifies the cultivation of the external dis-cipline of temperament; a practitioner of the Way who attains an immovable state of mind with regard to any favorable or adverse conditions by conquering the minions of Māra amid the sensory conditions of the five desires is an instance of the cultivation of the internal discipline of the mind-nature. Even though a soldier may externally attain the power of the cultivation of temperament, it will not be the full power of cultivation if he does not also attain internally the power of the cultivation of the mind-nature. And even though a practitioner of the Way attains internally the power of the cultivation of the mind-nature, the power of cultivation, too, will remain incomplete unless one attains the power of the culti-vation of temperament amid actual sensory conditions.”