Eight Qualities Are Fit to Share This Message

Monks, a Monk who is possessed of eight qualities is fit to share this message.

What are the eight?

Herein, Monks,

(1) A Monk is a listener

(2) One who engages others to listen

(3) One who assesses or analyzes

(4) One who recollects (recalls/remembers)

(5) One who is a knower (wise)

(6) One who is an expounder (explains)

(7) One skilled in (recognizing) accordance and non-accordance

(8) One who is not a maker of arguments.

Who, to some high assembled council comes, wavers not, nor in discourse fails, nor hides The Teachings, nor speaks in doubtfulness, and who, being questioned, is not agitated, a Monk like this is fit to share this message.

(Reference: The Book of the Discipline (Vinaya-Pitaka), Vol. 5: Cullavagga by I.B. Horner)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares “Eight Qualities” of an individual that, once developed, is able to then share The Teachings with others as a Teacher.

“Fit to share this message” is one who is fit to travel and share The Teachings with others.

(1) First, an individual needs to be “a listener”. To share these Teachings with others, one needs to be able to listen to their Students. Through listening to the challenges a Student experiences on a day-to-day basis, a Teacher is then best prepared to help a Student learn, reflect, and practice these Teachings to experience the results of an Enlightened mind. If a Teacher is unable or unwilling to listen, they would not be prepared to openly and freely share these Teachings in a way that is beneficial for Students, thus, they would not be “fit to share this message” or in other words, they would not be fit as a good messenger of these Teachings.

(2) Second, an individual needs to be able to “engage others to listen”. Through a Teacher developing their practice of these Teachings, they will establish the ability to engage others in listening to The Teachings of The Buddha. If a Teacher is unable to engage others to listen, they would be unable to be fit as a good messenger of these Teachings as Students would be disinterested to learn The Teachings through spoken discourses and personal guidance.

(3) Third, an individual needs to be “one who assesses or analyzes” The Teachings. One who is able to examine and investigate The Teachings, will then be able to reflect and practice these Teachings experiencing the results of an Enlightened mind while also being able to guide their Students to the same outcome. If a Teacher was unwilling or unable to assess, analyze, examine, or investigate The Teachings of The Buddha, they would be unable to guide others to do the same. An important aspect of these Teachings on The Path to Enlightenment is to practice The Enlightenment factor of Investigation. This requires patience, determination, dedication, and diligence culminating into one who is fit as a good messenger of these Teachings. Without the ability to investigate The Teachings, one would be unable to attain Enlightenment, let alone, share these Teachings as a Teacher. A Teacher needs to be well informed on the discourses from The Buddha and that requires investigation of The Teachings in The Words of The Buddha.

(4) Fourth, an individual needs to be “one who recollects (recalls/remembers)”. Through training the mind to progress towards Enlightenment, the mind will develop crisp clarity with focus, concentration, and deep memory. For one who is fit as a good messenger of these Teachings, they would need to have a sharp memory being able to recall and remember The Teachings so they can be easily and readily shared with Students. A Teacher who shares The Teachings through their own experiences through practicing The Teachings, will find it much easier to recall The Teachings to share with Students while having direct experience of how to apply The Teachings in daily life.

(5) Fifth, an individual needs to be “one who is a knower (wise)”. It is wisdom that eliminates and completely eradicates ignorance (unknowing of true reality). The primary and most significant hindrance to Enlightenment and why the mind is trapped in the unEnlightened state is due to ignorance or unknowing of true reality. It is wisdom that transforms ignorance allowing a Practitioner to experience the results of these Teachings - the Enlightened mind. Anyone who would be fit as a good messenger of these Teachings would need to possess wisdom. Wisdom is acquired through learning, reflecting, and practicing these Teachings to independently observe the truth in these Teachings. Through independent verification of The Teachings, one sees the truth acquiring wisdom and the mind is then gradually liberated and free from strong feelings.

(6) Sixth, an individual needs to be “one who is an expounder (explains)”. A Teacher who is able to not just remember The Teachings but can expound and explain them through their own personal experience would be fit as a good messenger of these Teachings. Providing personal experiences and examples of how to apply The Teachings to one’s own life is beneficial to Students. Students need a Teacher who has lived with The Teachings and can explain them through personal experiences so that their Students can more readily apply these Teachings in their own life.

(7) Seventh, an individual needs to be “one skilled in (recognizing) accordance and non-accordance” to The Teachings. One aspect of being a Teacher and one who would be fit as a good messenger of these Teachings is that an individual needs to be able to clearly see when their Students are or are not practicing these Teachings. Through a Teacher who is able to recognize Students practicing these Teachings in accordance and non-accordance, that Teacher will be best prepared to guide Students on how to improve their practice assisting them towards the attainment of Enlightenment.

(8) Eighth, an individual needs to be “one who is not a maker of arguments”. A person who creates arguments or chooses to argue would not be able to attain Enlightenment until they train the mind to no longer argue. An Enlightened being does not argue with others and surely does not create arguments. All craving/desire/attachment to be “right” and the craving/desire/attachment to have arguments of any type needs to be extinguished in order to attain Enlightenment.

The Buddha then shares additional attributes that are beneficial for one fit to be a messenger of these Teachings beyond the Eight Qualities shared in this Teaching.

- An individual needs to be one “who, to some high assembled council comes, wavers not”. This would be an individual who is not intimidated, scared, or fearful in the presence of people who are in high positions within society. This might include members of royal families, politicians, celebrities, etc. An individual who can share these Teachings widely for the benefit of others would need to not be affected by the social status of the individuals they teach. To attain Enlightenment, all individuals will require the same guidance and attention with the same support no matter the social status of the Student. As part of the guidance, a Teacher will need to correct their Students pointing out areas where they lack understanding and may be practicing The Teachings in a way that is not in accordance to the training guidelines. If a Teacher is intimidated by the social status of an individual, their guidance and support would be compromised and the Student would find it difficult to attain Enlightenment.

An Enlightened being will look at all beings as being equal without regard to social status. They will be unaffected by one’s position in society, their wealth, power, fame, or prestige but instead, stay focused on the goal to share these Teachings in a way that is beneficial for the Student to train the mind leading to Enlightenment. A Teacher who is Enlightened would make for the very best Teacher.

- An individual needs to be one who does not fail to share the discourses in detail as they speak, hides The Teachings, nor is doubtful about what they are sharing as Teachings. The Buddha explains this as “nor in discourse fails, nor hides The Teachings, nor speaks in doubtfulness”. If one is unable to speak effectively and in detail while providing a discourse, they would not be one who is fit as a good messenger of these Teachings. A good messenger of these Teachings needs to not hide The Teachings clinging to them but instead, shares them openly and freely with “all beings”. If a person has doubt, they would not have attained even the first Stage of Enlightenment, therefore, would not be an ideal Teacher. They would lack confidence in delivering The Teachings to Students in discourses that are penetrating with deep meaning to help benefit the Student’s life. To attain Enlightenment, a Student would need to develop confidence in The Buddha, The Teachings, and The Community and if a Teacher has doubt, they would not be helpful in being a role model to guide Students in cultivating confidence on The Path to Enlightenment. If one speaks with doubt, they would be unfit to be a good messenger of these Teachings.

- An individual needs to be one who does not become agitated when questioned. Students on The Path to Enlightenment will have countless questions and need guidance to deeply understand these Teachings. A Teacher would need to have deep and well developed patience as Students will oftentimes need to ask questions and hear the answer to a question, multiple times before it sinks into the mind. The Buddha explains that one would be a good messenger of these Teachings if one “who, being questioned, is not agitated”. An Enlightened being would not be agitated by anything including repeated questions from Students or if challenged by Students through questions about The Teachings. Patience is a virtue (i.e. wholesome moral conduct). In their quest to share these Teachings with others while being a role model for how to practice these Teachings, a Teacher will need sincerity, patience, politeness, kindness, friendliness, and respect for all Students.

If you have an interest in being a Teacher of these Teachings, that requires one to first be a wise and well developed Practitioner of these Teachings. If you are interested in learning about the available courses and retreats to learn these Teachings, including our Buddhist Teacher Training Program, please see this website.

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