Listening helps! In China, there was a Buddhist teacher who taught throughout the country. He was very respected, his wisdom was legendary, many people attended his talks. As a monk of his monastery he was popular, many brothers listened to him. When he was about to leave for another reading tour, a novice (aspiring monk) approached him and asked if he could accompany him. Since the two men were about the same age, and the travels were exhausting him more and more, the teacher agreed, and together they traveled. At each lesson the Buddhist student now sat in the auditorium, soon he knew every interpretation of the teacher, every sentence was well known to him, he listened again and again to the words of this master. The brothers used the evenings to talk about what had happened, to further deepen the contents of the teaching speeches. Often the teacher noticed that the disciple already knew his lectures almost by heart, that also his argumentation and his expression improved constantly, he was taken with the novice. In the teacher grew the realization that the student had reached the end of his training, that he had also become a master by "listening". This filled the teacher with deep joy. One morning, as the two of them were leaving for another course in the dining hall of a temple, the teacher said to the novice, "I want you to give the lecture today, you have heard my words often enough now, you will surely do the job as well as I have"! So it was! The novice did his job well, the people listened to him with pleasure, he could "reach" the visitors with his lecture, the Buddha's teaching came easily and loosely over his lips. After the lecture, those present approached him, praised his calm manner, his lecture was a success. From then on, the teacher and the disciple took turns in giving further lectures, and the novice became better and better in his lectures. Back in their temple, the teacher went to his abbot, he explained to him that the novice could now also spread the teachings on his own, that he was now qualified to be a monk. The novice was soon ordained as a monk because of the intercession. A short time later, he was preparing for his own first lecture tour when a novice approached him and asked if he could accompany him. As long as one talks oneself, one learns nothing - Marie Freifrau Ebner von Eschenbach - writer - 1830 to 1916 In reality there are only the atoms and the void - Democritus - Greek philosopher - 460 to 370 B.C. Copyright: https://shaolin-rainer.de (Please also download my app "Buddha-Blog English" from the Apple and Android stores) Please rate us on Apple, Google, or Spotify podcast to help us promote the show