tiness remained – the emptiness of his citta. Emerging from this
profound state, he contemplated the teaching of the Lord Buddha
which prescribed the means for removing the defiling pollutants
that exist in the hearts of all living beings – a knowledge arising
from the incisive genius of the Lord Buddha’s wisdom. The more
he contemplated this matter, the more he understood the amazing
sagacity of the Buddha – and the more profoundly saddened he
was by his own ignorance. He realized the paramount importance
of proper training and instruction. Even such common bodily
functions as eating food and relieving ourselves must be taught
to us. We learn to perform them properly by undergoing training
and instruction. Washing and dressing ourselves, in fact all of our
daily activities, must be learned through education – otherwise,
they will never be done correctly. Worse than doing them incor-
rectly, we may end up doing something seriously wrong, which
could have grievous moral consequences. Just as it’s necessary to
receive training in how to take care of our bodies, so it is essen-
tial to receive proper guidance in how to take care of our minds.
If our minds don’t undergo the appropriate training, then we’re
bound to make serious mistakes, regardless of our age, gender, or
position in society.
The average person in this world resembles a young child
who needs adult guidance and constant attention to safely grow
to maturity. Most of us tend to grow up only in appearance. Our
titles, our status, and our self-importance tend to increase ever
more; but the knowledge and wisdom of the right way to achieve
peace and happiness for ourselves and others, don’t grow to matu-
rity with them; nor do we show an interest in developing these.
Consequently, we always experience difficulties wherever we go.
jacob rumans
(Jacob Rumans)
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