【Description】
A famous Spanish saying goes like this: “Jewels don’t make people shine, wisdom does.”
Many wish to become wise.
First, you must understand the difference between knowledge and wisdom.
What happens when someone has knowledge but not wisdom? What about those who have both?
And what does the “capacity for enlightenment” in Buddhist teachings refer to?
Watch to this video to hear Grandmaster JinBodhi’s answers.
【You will learn】
- The difference between knowledge and wisdom
- What is “capacity for enlightenment”
【Featured aphorisms】
- Remembering, but not understanding, the law of life is knowledge not wisdom; to be wise is to understand what the laws are and benefit from them.
- Intelligence is a flower; wisdom is its fragrance.
- Having wisdom liberates you by allowing you to understand the truths of the Universe, like the fragrance of a flower.
【Content】
People are clever if they care only about present benefits. People are wise if they can see the final result through principles; they can see further. Wisdom comprises intelligence and perceptive ability. Zhi, intelligence, is the blossoming flower; Hui, perceptive ability, is its floral fragrance. Zhi is the understanding of natural laws; Hui is the beautiful result of your understanding of Nature.
Zhi is the summary of the rules about Nature and substance. Hui is compassion, kindness, and the positive outcome that lies ahead. Only with all those is it Hui. Buddhism often mentions the root of wisdom. What is the root of wisdom? Accumulated merits. What are merits? Doing good deeds. Hui is the fruit of kindness.
A person’s karmic verdict works like this: If you have accumulated enough good deeds, you will be rich and healthy, and live a long life; you won’t get murdered or end up in jail. Only a few people live like this; they are wise people. They are successful. They are not greedy, as they see the beautiful future and build it.
Being intelligent is not easy. Intelligence is comprised of rationality; it means to be well-read and talented, and understand the rules of life. These are aspects of intelligence, not Hui. Hui is the liberation after understanding. It’s the fragrance that emanates from blooming flowers. Analyzing and clearly remembering are merely Zhi, not Hui. Hui must be the result that comes after chemical reactions.
Intelligence is rational, and means understanding the principles of Nature. Hui is the liberation after understanding Nature and its beautiful result.