“Only through the guidance of someone who has the proper perception to help us to see our faults can we generate the mentality to reject them. In addition, we also need further recognition of the faults with the proper understanding and the accordant application to remove them. Only then are we able to transform. The [above: recognizing faults, understanding their causes and how to remove them] concept is clear. To reflect upon them mindfully is what we should be seriously doing as first step.So we have to remember that we are here to learn from Buddha.” - Master Jih-Chang
Global Lamrim 2, Lecture 0016 BW Monastery 吉祥宝聚寺 — Lecture No. 0016
Why do we sometimes forget that we are learning from Buddha?
Is it possible? Has it happened to you before?
If our teachers are not teaching what the Buddha taught, I don’t think we will want to learn from them. So actually, everyone will agree that we really want to learn from the Buddha, but do we remember? Knowing something doesn’t mean that we will remember it, especially when we are in the situation where our afflictions may arise. We also have this tendency to forget things that we know are important. For example children will forget that they need to go to school. Similarly being beginners, we are like Primary school students in Buddhism so we will still tend to forget things that we ought to remember, such as the important practice of making offerings to the three jewels, we need to be reminded again and again.