It’s like if you could use google maps to show the map for driving from “ignorance street, usa”, to “the ancient city of nirvana”, you could look at it in multiple views:
- street map view in two dimensional drawings
- topographical map with color
- satellite view
- 3d first perspective view
Similarly, choosing between 8aam, 7sb, sati, 4j, 4ip, etc, is just choosing a different view of the same road to nirvana. Just a slightly different angle and view of the same terrain. And that’s one way you can tell or suspect if Dhamma is being distorted or corrupted. If things don’t link up, you can’t connect the dots and see how it all overlays, overlaps, interpenetrate each other, there might be a serious problem.
This is why sati (remembering, not forgetting) important Dhammas, and the oral tradition way of practicing is so important. If you don’t have the basic fundamental pieces so thoroughly ingrained in your memory, built up from reciting, recollecting (sati) every day, throughout the day, you’re not going to be able to connect the dots, see the connections, understand how it all works together and what you should be doing every moment. Just like the fortress simile says, the memorized Dhammas are your weapons. Don’t have it memorized well, don’t got no weapons. You’ll be going into battle with Mara carrying paper clips and an iphone when what you need is a sword of samadhi + 4, blazing with the white hot heat of pañña, burning so hot it singes Mara’s nose hairs from miles away, shining so bright Mara’s minions have to look away like they’re being blinded by the sun.
The a-sati follower goes into battle frantically swiping his iphone screen, asking Siri for help, flipping through heavy books, looking for answers, but it’s too late. Mara’s horde slices you up to ribbons in seconds.
So you want to be the guy with sati and SoS +4, or the guy with the iphone and a-sati?