Philosophical Sayings About Worldly Matter (XLVI)

What breaks ignorance? Books and the application of what they teach. Ignorance, caused by a lack of understanding of the ways things work, will give way to wisdom when knowledge from books is applied to daily use under the intelligent guidance of a

teacher.

(This is a translation of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III Wan Ko Yeshe Norbu’s philosophical sayings about worldly matters originally written in Chinese.)

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Below is not an official translation, just for reference.

People who are prone to jealousy should never let it grow like a fire in their hearts. If they do, they will burn themselves first. Why is that? Because we, as people, must interact with others, we all live together, and we see each other. everyone will see your words and actions and form an impression of you. People form impressions of you based on your words and actions. Jealousy is a negative trait that people often dislike and find repulsive. If they see that you are a jealous person, they could be turned off by you and may even blame or avoid you. So, the first one who gets hurt is not the other person, but yourself.

How can we change the situation of being foolish and stupid, and how can we become smart? How can we avoid falling into foolish and ignorant habits, and how can we become more wise instead? The only way to gain knowledge and avoid foolishness is to study hard and learn a lot. The main reason for foolishness is that you lack comprehension of the essence of the matter, so actions will naturally be done wrong. So in practice - via books - there is a lot of knowledge and plenty of examples we can learn from. There is also a lot that we can learn from society; if we are more attentive and observant, then we can collect and utilize it. Naturally, we will become smarter.

Therefore, the masters said that the main reason for  foolishness is that one's knowledge is not substantial enough, or their insight is shallow. Therefore, we should seek knowledge in books and other mediums to strengthen our knowledge, and participate in society to increase our insight.

However, the most important thing is to follow the regular guidance of a knowledgeable teacher to turn foolishness into wisdom. If the teacher guides you in the wrong direction, you will still fall victim to foolishness. Therefore, there is a saying of "following the right guidance of the teacher."