A Wise Student
Goodness and badness can both become our teacher. We have to be good students in order to learn about each of them. About learning, there is a good saying: “A smart man can learn from smart men, but a wise man can learn from everyone”. Therefore, we should learn to be a wise person, so we can learn everything from everyone. If we are a wise student, we will find a good teacher and learn wherever we go. In fact the teacher is not another person. We are our own teacher. As the Buddha said, “You are your own teacher. You are your own refuge. Who else can save you? You have to help or save yourself”. And this is so true. Whatever we want in life, we have to learn to do for ourselves. We cannot plead and beg others to do it for us. Please read books for me! Please sit my exam for me! please eat and drink for me, I’m too busy right now! and so on. In our lives we have to fulfill our own needs. We can see this in real life; we cannot seek others as our refuge. “Learn a way of life and live that life!” is the advice of the Buddha.
In this world, there are many ways of life. We have to learn to determine which is a good or suitable way of living. The question is, “How can we know it is a good or suitable way of life for us personally?”. The answer is simply, “You will know when you learn and understand”. This understanding will provide you with the realization about which way of life is good or suitable for you. There are many schools, colleges, universities, temples, churches, mosques, synagogues and so on, so we cannot make the excuse that we don’t know.
Education is initially important for human beings and it is endless. We learn until we die. The Buddha advised and encouraged the world to learn to understand, not to believe. Understanding is a real benefit that comes from education because if we understand, we can make use of it to guide our life. To be successful, students must be open to learn from everyone and everything. There is a story about this. Here is the story:
Word spread across the countryside about a wise Holy Man who lived in a small house at the top of the mountain. A man from the village decided to make the long and difficult journey to visit him. When he arrived at the house, he saw an old servant inside who greeted him at the door. "I would like to see the wise Holy Man," he said to the servant. The servant smiled and led him inside. As they walked through the house, the man from the village looked eagerly around the house, anticipating his encounter with the Holy Man. Before he knew it, he had been led to the back door and escorted outside. He stopped and turned to the servant, "But I want to see the Holy Man!" "You already have," said the old man, "Everyone you may meet in life, even if they appear plain and insignificant… see each of them as a wise Holy Man. If you do this, then you can learn from everyone who you meet, and everything which you face is a good lesson for you".
It is true that a wise student can learn from everyone he meets and everything he faces. Remember, this world is our classroom! Our nature is the main subject for us to learn and all living beings are our teacher, including ourselves! Be a wise student! You can learn so much more! Are you ready to start learning now?
