A student came to her master to ask about something that puzzled her.
She asked the master, “When I hear your great wisdom, I recognize its value. But then I have so much trouble trying to implement it in my life. Why is this so?”
The master looked at her and replied, “You are very young. You don’t yet have the experience or the coordination to pick up difficult tools and use them with skill.
“The first thing you must recognize is that they are tools. That will be a very good first step. Then, you have to memorize them and slowly let their medicines seep in.
“Great knowledge is like a key. And your mind and your consciousness are like a lock. They don’t take information in unless the key to the lock fits.
“So, even if you recognize certain items of information, it doesn’t mean that your brain will take them in right away. You have to give it time, and you also have to have experiences. They will be the bridge that brings the knowledge directly to the mind and merges the two.”
And all at once, the student was immediately enlightened.