Why is it said that “a wicked person puts down the butcher's knife and immediately becomes a Buddha,” while good people must go through the ninety-nine and eighty-one hardships? Because what this phrase truly aims to express is a complete turning point after humans are endowed with all possibilities. A truly weighty choice must occur under the premise of “I can, but I choose not to.” If a person has no conditions to do evil, no resources to cross boundaries, and no opportunity to indulge, then their restraint is likely just helplessness. When someone has previously been able to do anything, tried everything, but actively stops after seeing the cost, that is a genuine turning point. Therefore, when evaluating a person, one should not only look at what they have done but also whether they have the power to choose.

Being frugal without money may simply be out of necessity; being frugal despite having wealth is true choice. Being loyal without opportunities to betray may not be noble; maintaining self-control despite countless temptations is truly reliable. This is also why many people seem “very upright,” but once conditions change, their stance will also change. Because they were not “not willing” before, but “unable.” The so-called “wicked people seem to have gained deep enlightenment after turning back” is not because they are more noble, but because they have truly seen another path. They have experienced temptation, crossing boundaries, losing control, and have personally borne the consequences. So when they choose to stop, it is a reconstruction after clarity.

Those who have always followed the “correct path” often rely on time to gradually accumulate understanding. Their growth is not a rupture-based turning but a gradual correction, which makes it seem longer and more arduous. In many stories, true enlightenment often occurs in those who have walked to extremes; while rule-abiding people can only confirm their values step by step. Because principles untested by temptation are often unstable. Those who have not truly stood on the edge of a cliff find it hard to be sure whether they would jump. Only when you have truly seen another possibility and still choose restraint, responsibility, and boundaries, does your value system belong to you.

Otherwise, seeing everything with indifference may just be powerlessness; restraining desires may simply be due to insufficient conditions. So, what this phrase truly speaks of is not forgiveness, but awakening: it’s not that you haven't thought about it, but that even after thinking, you still choose not to do so.