The aim of awakening mind is twofold to attain enlightenment and to benefit all sentinent beings. At the present time many people would question whether Buddhahood is something individuals can achieve. This can be effectively answered when we understand that disturbing emotions are only temporary aflictions of the mind. There are powerful and effective opponents, such as the wisdom understanding emptiness, which can totally eradicate them. For this reason it is essential to understand the meaning of emptiness. This requires training, because emptiness does not imply a state of vacuity or nothingness. What are things empty of ? According to the middle Way school, all phenomenons are empty of intrinsic existence.
Here, the process of first coming to understand emptiness and then familiarizing our minds with it is referred to as the ultimate awakening mind. It is called ultimate because it deal with the ultimate because it deals with the ultimate nature of phenomena. The text says that such instructions should be given to a suitable recipient, otherwise they could be harmful. The question is, how do you discriminate who is and who is not a suitable recipient ? from seeing smoke we know there is fire, and from observing the way certain waterbirds behave in the air we know there is a lake nearby. So, by observing certain signs and characteristics we can understand a person's nature.