I had the rare opportunity to have tea with my teacher Chetsang Xian Rinposhe. As we sat, sipped tea, and engaged in conversation, I asked him the following question. “Teacher, if you had one success tip to share with the world what would that be?” True to my beloved teachers character and style he answered me by first sharing the following story:
There is an ancient story about two monks who sought to achieve enlightenment at a well-known monastery. The first monk, named Druki, did not like to share his knowledge with others, but the second monk, named Chiko, shared his knowledge with everyone who would listen.
Druki thought, “If I share my knowledge on achieving the path of enlightenment with the others, they will become my competitor in the monastery”. But Chiko thought differently, remembering the Buddha’s teachings that, “To give is to gain”.
Druki was puzzled by Chiko’s actions as he noticed that he spent much of his time answering his fellow monk’s questions about his experience on the path towards enlightenment. Yet never did Druki hear Chiko complain and say, “I am wasting my time answering the questions of my brothers”.
One day, out of curiosity, Druki asked Chiko why he spent the majority of his time sharing his knowledge with the other monks. To which Chiko simply answered by saying, “To give is to gain”.
“What does that mean?” asked Druki.
“It means,” answered Chiko, “that anytime I answer a question, I sharpen my knowledge”.
But Druki did not understand and thought, “How silly. How can he sharpen his knowledge, and what has that to do with the path of enlightenment?”
Not soon after his encounter with Druki, Chiko achieved the state of enlightenment; and he was greatly revered by the other monks for he achieved so much in so little time. It was only then that Druki understood that; to give knowledge is to gain knowledge.
At the end of the story Xian Rinposhe said this, “As the knife that is constantly sharpened loses its effectiveness, so is knowledge gleaned that is not shared. The greatest success tip of all time then is to share what you know with others.”
Master Xian’s answer had a profound effect on me, causing me to contemplate the value of sharing what you know with others, instead of selfishly hoarding it. I began to realize that knowledge freely shared is like a Cosmic ripple, evolving not only the consciousness of the teacher but also the student.
There is an ancient proverb that says, “The tribute to learning is teaching.” When you share your knowledge with other people you receive back that knowledge with a deeper understanding of its intrinsic meaning; and this type of clarity is power.
Sharing your knowledge with others increases their experience and wisdom, and that new found wisdom broadens not only the student’s perspective on the subject, but also the teachers perspective as well.
Learning something new increases the student’s joy, enthusiasm, and zest for life. This excitement and passion is contagious and carries over from the student to the teacher.
Take some time today to find ways you can share what you know with others. Teach a class, write an article, create a blog or podcast. As you share your knowledge and experience with others, you will find that you want to share even more. Sharing your knowledge with others is a way of ‘paying it forward’.
Everyone has a unique and transferrable form of wisdom to pass onto to others, and freely sharing that wisdom creates a lasting legacy for both teacher and student. “Share your knowledge with others,” says His Holiness the Dalai Lama. “It is a way to achieve immortality.”
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