Running through the entire [Contemplation of Universal Sage] sutra is a concept expressed in the following words: “Even though they have not yet entered into the contemplation, just because they recite and keep the Great-vehicle they will devote themselves to practicing it.” Only a person who has undergone considerable religious training can concentrate his mind on a single object and enter directly into the mental stage of discriminating the real state of all things. One who has not yet attained such a mental stage, by reciting and keeping the Great-vehicle wholeheartedly, will approach the practice of the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue little by little. Some will approach the practice of this bodhisattva after three times seven days, while others will do so only after three births. In either case, the assurance of approaching such a mental stage step by step is a great encouragement to us in the age of degeneration.