Questions to Master Deshimaru

Question

Isn't a personal quest for inner freedom selfish in comparison with the quest for freedom for all?

Answer

Both are necessary. If I can't solve my own problems I will not be able to help other people solve theirs. I have to free myself of my own problems before I can help other people to free themselves. So both are necessary. Westerners always want to help other people. Roman Catholics, too, want to help people for their salvation and for their own good. Mahayana Buddhism is the same, except that first we must understand ourselves.