Answer: Let’s use the analogy of a house to understand this concept more clearly:
- A person living in a mansion might have their home sometimes dirty, sometimes clean, but it is still a mansion. Similarly, someone who has attained a high level of meditation might sometimes be disturbed and sometimes be calm, yet they remain within their achieved level of meditation.
- A person living in a simple thatched house might find it dirty at times and clean at others, but it is still just a simple thatched house. Likewise, an ordinary person, whether their mind is distracted or tranquil, remains an ordinary person, nothing more.
- A person living in a dilapidated shack may keep it clean and tidy, but it is still a rundown dwelling. Similarly, a mind burdened by deep-seated faults and negative past karma remains afflicted by those karmic obstacles, even if it occasionally experiences moments of stillness.
Understanding this analogy helps us remember that we are still ordinary beings with many hidden faults, even when our minds occasionally become tranquil. We must not secretly declare ourselves enlightened, as this could lead to future downfall.
Similarly, the state of mindfulness differs depending on each person’s level of spiritual attainment. Sometimes, we experience mindfulness at an ordinary level that cannot be compared to the profound mindfulness of highly Enlightened Beings. The safest approach is to always see oneself as still humble, ordinary, sinful and burdened by heavy karma.
BUDDHISM FOR BEGINNERS 
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