One who always knows their own faults becomes a teacher of all beings

How is it that one person can become an exemplary teacher admired by so many others? Only because this person constantly knows their own faults – the key lies right there, not in high degrees, not in eloquence or a way with words...

Because they constantly know their own faults, their spirit opens day by day, advancing day by day and going far beyond other beings. Precisely because they know their own faults so thoroughly and so closely, practising and correcting as far as they know, they also know very clearly the faults of beings, and understand, sympathise and teach rather than blame, with no attachment whatever. In this way, even without claiming the title or speaking of it, they stand in a higher position as a teacher of beings. When we meet teachers like this, our hearts feel at peace, how much love and respect we feel, and we truly gain a great deal of benefit.

Knowing our own faults is the starting point of practice, but unexpectedly, through this practice all wonders come to us: the spiritual path, the path of sagehood, the path of liberation opens. And a person who, day after day of their life, keeps seeking out one fault of their own after another is moving forward very fast, gradually becoming a teacher of beings. Often beings do not know it, but invisibly the holy ones all know, so they cherish and bless that person; the spirits know too, so they respect and stand in awe of that person.

The starting point of practice is knowing our faults, but the surprising thing is that the end of the road is also knowing our faults. When a non-returner attains the fruit of arahantship, he passes beyond the five higher fetters, among which the most terrible fetter is ignorance. All beings are ignorant, but if we ask, “What is ignorance?” no one can say, no one can see it, because it is so deeply hidden and mysterious. Even a non-returning noble one is still ignorant, not knowing and not seeing where it is. Only when he is close to attaining the fruit of arahantship does he see the face of ignorance, and once he has seen it, ignorance instantly dissolves; he becomes a liberated, transcendent arahant in the midst of life, laying down the burden of ignorance and the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

Therefore, knowing our faults is the starting point, but also the place where the path of practice ends. And on that immensely long journey, if there is a single moment when we complacently decide we are already good, at that very moment we are stopped and slide back; thorns will sprout, pits will open again. That is to say, old faults will come looking for us, and new faults will sprout again. So do not stop; keep striving to climb uphill, that is, keep trying to know our faults and correct our faults. That process is extremely arduous, and as we said, “tremble”, because faults are always spread around us.

But a strange reward is given back to us. When we know our faults and correct them much, our mind naturally has a latent happiness, a confidence that gives us steady strength to keep walking – even while continuing to “tremble” at faults. But anyone who confidently thinks they have no more faults has gone down the wrong road. They have committed some very serious fault that has made them lose wisdom and no longer see their own faults. A person who still has merit and wisdom is happy and confident to step forward yet continues to fear faults, with a confidence within humility. That is the sign of a person who has advanced in practice: though not yet realising the path, they are on the way to becoming a noble one, to becoming a teacher of countless beings.

I bow my head to the Compassionate Honoured One,

Help me gain clarity, so that my heart may blossom,

That I may quickly recognise

My faults the moment they first arise;

The world is dark with ignorance

Only because we do not see our own faults.