The Path to Liberation in Buddhism : หน้า 181/263

the defilements from their minds and to attain liberation. The conclusion we can draw from seeing Koṇḍañña at- tain stream-entry after a relatively short teaching (and also from seeing the rebirth of beings in heaven or the Brahmá world) is that favourable attainment comes as a result of wholesome deeds accumulated all the way from one's dis- tant past, possibly from previous lifetimes and in combina- tion with the good deeds performed in one's present life- time. One may have accrued many good deeds in one's past, however, if one hadn't had the opportunity to come into contact with the Lord Buddha, or at least his undistorted teachings, then again, it would be impossible to attain the stages of liberation or Sainthood. It is thus the immense fortune of anyone who comes into contact with Buddhism in the course of their life, to have the opportunity to study and practice Buddhism until reach- ing a true understanding of it, to dedicate one's life and ef- forts to unwavering practice in the Lord Buddha's footsteps — at least to the point where confidence is gained that one is on the right track — ultimately the speed with which one can attain one's final goal is influenced by many factors. Supposing you were to plant a fruit tree — it is difficult to predict when you will be able to obtain fruit from the tree. All we can say is that if the tree is in good soil and is well maintained with water and fertilizer, undisturbed by weeds, it will give fruit more quickly than if all these factors are neglected. Neglect of the tree will slow its production of fruit or even kill the tree before it has the chance to bear fruit. In the same way, the best we can do for our progress is to make sure that we optimise the conditions of life and mind we set for ourselves.