The most difficult things for people to give up are their notions. Some people cannot change—even if they have to give up their lives for false doctrines. Yet such notions are themselves acquired postnatally. Man always believes that such unshakable ideas—ideas which can make him pay any price without a second thought—are his own thoughts. Even when he sees the truth he will reject it. In fact, other than one’s innate purity and innocence, all notions are acquired postnatally and are not one’s actual self.

If these acquired notions become very strong, they will reverse their role and dictate one’s real thinking and behavior. At this point, a person may still think that they are his own ideas. This is the case for almost all contemporary people.

In dealing with relevant, important issues, if a life can really, without any preconceptions, assess issues, then this person is truly able to take charge of himself. Such soberness is wisdom, and it is different from average people’s so-called "intelligence." If a person cannot do that, then he is dictated by acquired notions or external thoughts. He may even devote his entire life to struggling for them; but when he gets old, he will not even know what he has been doing this lifetime. Though he has achieved nothing in his lifetime, he has committed innumerable mistakes while being driven by these acquired notions. Therefore, in his next life he must pay for the karma according to his own wrong deeds.

When a person becomes agitated, what controls his thoughts and feelings is not reason, but emotion. When a person’s various notions, such as his faith in science, religion, or an ideology, etc., are being challenged by the truth of the Buddha Fa, he will also become agitated. This causes the evil side of human nature to predominate, thereby making him become even more irrational; it is a result of being controlled by the acquired notions. He will blindly jump to conclusions or complicate the matter. Even a person with a predestined relationship can lose this preordained opportunity because of this, turning his own actions into eternal, deep regrets.