These are the levels in general;. But there is one transcending level, and this is the most excellent of all. This person is
aware of the endlessness of entering deeply into a certain Way
arid never thinks of himself as having finished. He truly knows
his own insufficiencies and never in his whole life thinks that
he has succeeded. He has no thoughts of pride but with selfabasement knows the Way to the end. It is said that Master
Yagyu once remarked, “I do not know the way to defeat others,
but the way to defeat myself.”
In one’s life. there are levels in the pursuit of study. In the
lowest level, a person studies but nothing comes of it, and he
feels that both he and others are unskillful. At this point he
is worthless. In the middle level he is still useless but is aware
of his own insufficiencies and can also see the insufficiencies of
others. In a higher level he has pride concerning his own ability,
rejoices in praise from others, and laments the lack of ability in
his fellows. This man has worth. In the highest level a man has
the look of knowing nothing.