(31) The more critical a practitioner is of the worldly life, the sincerer his faith in Buddhism would be. And the more eager he would become in his self-cultivation. That is why in preaching the four noble truths (arayasatya), our Chan masters tend to start their sermons with a lecture on the truth of suffering (duhkha). When, instead of having a deep sense of shame and repugnance for the worldly life, an individual remains fascinated with that way of living, he is not likely to harbor sincere faith in Buddhism. Even if he becomes interested in Buddhism, he would at best study it merely for amplifying his stock of knowledge.