You have to understand that there are a number of levels of Buddhism. Tier 1 is the moment of Siddthartha’s awakening (bodhi) whereby he became the Buddha. This is a mystery for the simple reason that it cannot be directly shared—only indirectly—and then with a great deal of difficulty because of the human tendency to misunderstand. The body of the Buddha’s teachings spring from tier 1 but they are not in themselves tier 1.

Tier 2 is when we come to the deep personal conviction, after studying the Buddha’s discourses, that Buddhism demands of us that we personally awaken to ultimate reality which can only be uncovered within us by dhyāna (deep introspection) which is a removal process. This means transcending mental confusion and mental distractions which brings about, all at once, the revelation of pure Mind.

Tier 3 has not arrived at tier 2—and knows absolutely nothing about tier 1. Tier 3 is mainly concerned with external, perfunctory practices, moral behavior, reading and chanting scripture, translating, participating in discussions about Buddhism, etc. The life of a monk or a nun would be also included in tier 3.

Tier 4 can be characterized as “pop Buddhism.” Here, individuals (more at beginners) hesitate as to whether or not to take up tier 3. They have a lot of wrong opinions about Buddhism and about life in general. They tend to be young and immature who haven’t graduated from the college of hard knocks yet. Most are still incorrigible and defensive with more youth than wisdom. Still, they see the writing on the wall. Life is not going to get any better as they leave home.