According to the Buddha, the direct realization of enlightenment comes from practice. In The Way to Buddhahood Venerable Yin-shun, who lives and teaches at a monastery in central Taiwan, explicates his vision of the Dharma. This text, translated by Dr. Wing H. Yeung, is used in many Buddhist schools and academies.
According to Yin-shun, all the "grades of the Way" as taught by the Buddha are grouped into 37 — the four stages of mindfulness, the fourfold diligence, the fourfold basis of supernatural power, the five roots, the five powers, the seven branches of enlightenment, and the eight parts of the right path. "Practice," writes Yin-shun, "is like cutting a knife on a stone, with more rubbing the knife becomes sharper." Steps on the way to Buddhahood include giving with deep compassion and respect, putting the scattered mind to rest through meditation, following the ten good precepts, and embracing the four all-embracing virtues. The explanations Yin-shun gives for these practices are practical and in line with his overall goal of teaching "Buddhism for life in this world."