It is said that there are 84,000 different Dharma methods for realizing the end of the cycle of birth and death. The appropriate method needs to be matched to meet the particular karmic destiny and capabilities of each person. One method is basic. You must attain prajna and understand your original nature.
Dorje Pa Mu often talked of there being “so many different birds in the forest.” She used this to express delight in all the myriad of types of living beings that exist and their unique karmic conditions. Dharma King Dodrupchen also refers to living “here in the forest of many birds.” These great holy beings understood very well why the Buddha taught so many different methods to enable living beings to be free from suffering and to leave samsara.
There is a lot of talk about high and low dharmas and which dharma is best and so forth. This is nonsense. If there were only one “Best” method why would the Buddha have taught 84,000 different approaches? If one size or method would fit every one, you wouldn’t need all the different approaches. The highest and best method is the one you have a karmic affinity to follow and YOU DO FOLLOW. This is not about this theoretical approach or that concept, it is about what you actually do to become enlightened. It is true that some methods are quicker than others and may seem easier than others, but if you do not have the karmic affinity–if your morality, concentration, and wisdom are not at an appropriate level–it will not do you any good to seek or attempt to practice that dharma. You must first master the basics: stop doing evil, do good, and help living beings! You must practice “What Is Cultivation!”