Deshi:  Sometimes it feels like awareness and delusion are like a rock and a shallow muddy pool of water.  The rock drops, disperses the muddy water and we can see the bottom of the pool.  But then, very quickly, the muddy water re-envelops the rock and the surface of the pool again covers the bottom.  We gain some awareness, but then very quickly we return to a state of delusion - a state from which even our initial awareness comes to be saturated with the original delusion.  In the end, we lose and misunderstand our chance at awareness.

Sensei:  This is aptly put.

Deshi:  What is it that keeps the rock uncovered?  What stops the muddy pool from going back to its original state?

Sensei:  Training, and the virtues we cultivate through training.

Deshi:  What are those?

Sensei:  Humility, Honesty, Integrity, Fearlessness, Discipline, Wisdom, and Compassion.

Deshi:  These keep the muddy waters under our control – allowing us to force them out of the way, and prevent them from coming back to cover the bottom?

Sensei:  These purify the water so that you can always see the bottom.