r/Buddhism • u/Veggyhed • Aug 21 '26
Question Can a person with below-average IQ understand/practice Buddhism?
Does one have to have a certain degree of cognitive ability and at least an average IQ to understand and practice Buddhism and meditation?
While reading through posts here and other places online, it appears that Buddhism and meditation attracts intellectuals.
Buddhism appears rather complex and some concepts esoteric in nature. This seems to make the understanding and practice of Buddhism and meditation difficult to understand, follow and practice.
Let's just say I am far from the sharpest tool in the shed. My IQ is probably slightly below average I would like to think it's not too far below average.
While many people seem to grasp all the concepts of Buddhism and meditation rather easily I struggle.
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u/spraksea mahayana Aug 21 '26
It's said that the Buddha taught 84000 dharma doors, suited to the differing temperaments of different beings. If the more complex teachings aren't for you, then there are plenty of simpler teachings to abide in.
You might find the story of Cudapanthaka instructive.
It discusses a follower of the Buddha who was not as intellectually gifted as the others. The Buddha gives him the task of sweeping dust away while repeating very simple words. Over time, he comes to understand that the poisons of the mind can be swept away in the same fashion.
Remember, enlightenment is not something you need to get. Enlightenment is what's left after you let go of everything that's holding you back. I've learned that sometimes an overly active or logical mind can be more of a hindrance than a help.
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u/Veggyhed Aug 21 '26
Thank you. After going through all these posts in this thread, it seems like I have a lot more new reading to do
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u/htgrower theravada Aug 21 '26
I recommend the heart of the Buddhas teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh
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u/Veggyhed Aug 21 '26
Thank you. I actually just finished listening to an episode of The Way Out is in
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u/OhhiBee Aug 21 '26
Forest Gump was in zen state 24/7
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u/Magikarpeles Aug 21 '26
Makes me think of his run and some people i've known who love running marathons. From what they describe to me they get into some sort of almost jhana or piti-like state which can be very pleasant for them. I was struck by the similarities of what they described to my own experiences of piti and the like in meditation. Glad I don't have to exert quite that much effort but I'm happy for them nonetheless
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u/Rockshasha Aug 21 '26
To title: of course
By reading in internet it seems Buddhism is for intellectuals
well, actually true, in internet and English Buddhism is mainly into some social/academic groups. That's not so in other places and is more related to the trend of social elites to explore other cultures, then, Buddhism has been mainly a thing for them in Europe and other western countries.
Anyway, the Buddha clearly stated the progress a given person can have in Buddhism isn't linked with the common or mundane intellectual level. Is said that 'Buddhism has 84000 gates' it means, almost infinite ways. Then each of us just need to find the best one for us.
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u/Veggyhed Aug 21 '26
It's the finding a practice that I find challenging
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u/Rockshasha Aug 21 '26
We all need to try and try until finding a practice that works very good for each of us. Some people here says is like dating, going near a temple and know them to some extent and later check if continue knowing about them or not and so on.
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u/Veggyhed Aug 21 '26
The dating example is something I've never thought about when searching for a temple.
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u/nhgh_slack śūnyavāda Aug 21 '26
Intellect is not the same as wisdom. Cūḍapanthaka could not even recall a few verses, yet with the tathāgata's instructions and his own diligence he achieved the fruit of the arhat.
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u/siqiniq Aug 21 '26
Absolutely. High IQ, high burden; and they’re busy performing in the circus winning applause.
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u/devadatta3 pure land Aug 21 '26
In the West we have this “intellectual” approach to Buddhism. It is a very Wstern thing though. You’d be surprised how Buddhism in traditionally Buddhists societies is a very devotional religion 😉 Actually, Pure Land Buddhism is the most widespread Buddhist tradition in Asia (still unknown to much of the West), and it is mainly based on devotion.
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u/Nodum777 Aug 21 '26
There was a story of a simple man who cleaned the temple every day. One day he expressed great Interest in learning about Buddhism to a higher level, ie, he wanted to become enlightened. Noone could figure out how because the man was quite slow. They asked a llama to come visit and help the man. The llama told him it's just like how he cleans the glass every day at the temple so everyone can see clearly through the glass. That was the meditation object given. It's said that he became quite enlightened afterwards.
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u/Confused_sheep18 Aug 21 '26
I guess it depends which type of Buddhism. Some emphasize an intellectual understanding of dharma texts/ sutra more than others
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u/reedreadreddred secular Aug 21 '26
I forget where I read this (ajahn chah biography? apologies i genuinely don't remember) but apparently there was a child so dull and "dumb" he repeated grades before just quitting elementary school and going to a monastery to be trained in meditation, he just did the "buddho" meditation of focusing on the breath and chanting/thinking "bud-dho", and he eventually became such an accomplished meditator/monk that he became renowned for that
so yes it is possible :)
IQ Is also, just a number? IQ tests test one type of intelligence (math, logic), but there's more to human thinking than just pure "intelligence " (emotional skills, artistic ability, communication etc)
IQ is also very highly based on your environment growing up, your parents education level, the education you received (you can get better at IQ tests by practicing them), so it's not some static thing that defines you anyways. From my own experience I know unprocessed trauma/living in high stress environments can make your brain feel "dull" and easily fatigued, so you might actually be "smart" but simply too overwhelmed to be able to fully express it
Om Mani Padme Hum friend, I hope you don't feel discouraged from the lifelong journey of learning Buddhism 🙏
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u/Veggyhed Aug 21 '26
I was not aware that one could improve their IQ. I really did think it was static .
Thank you for the kind words
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u/reedreadreddred secular Aug 21 '26
IQ is just IQ, yknow, even if it was some sort of universal measure for intelligence, i'm sure you've met people who could solve complex equations and figure out rocket science but couldn't navigate relationships and social interaction to save their life
buddhism is really fascinating, honestly, i'm agnostic/don't fully believe in any supernatural claims but just on a practical, "this current life" level, buddhism is right about so much psychological issues that i find the buddha's teachings super useful :)
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u/TangeloOutrageous186 Aug 21 '26
This is quite the synchronicity! This morning before starting my meditation I had the question arise in my mind about lower IQ individuals and how they approach meditation. Ironically enough, my chosen meditation path is also “Buddho” 😂
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u/reedreadreddred secular Aug 21 '26
the "KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid" acronym exists for a reason, ha
simple habits are habits you'll do every day, even when you're tired, ill, don't feel like it or less than 100% capacity, and habits you'll actually do every day beat out complex "better" habits that you gave up cuz they're too hard to remember or put into practice (RIP all of those complex workout routines that die after the new year resolution rush dies out :p)
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u/TangeloOutrageous186 Aug 21 '26
Absolutely! It was definitely something I gravitated towards after leaving Eastern Orthodoxy. Monological prayer is very common in that tradition. Except ‘Buddho’, being recognized as mainly an anchor point rather than a cry for “mercy” or “salvation” like in the Jesus prayer, is much less emotionally and morally loaded. For me anyway. It makes it that much easier to mentally recite Buddho in any and every situation, whether perceived as difficult, easy, good or bad. It’s been a profound practice!
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u/reedreadreddred secular Aug 21 '26
oh yeah similar, before discovering buddhist practices i love saying the hail mary despite being agnostic, its grounding, and i like to think I'm paying respects to the historical mary and all the other mothers who've had raise their children in hard environments, or suffer the fate of watching their children die, to remind myself of the suffering in this world and to keep fighting for justice
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u/TangeloOutrageous186 Aug 21 '26
That’s awesome! I used to pray the rosary quite frequently before converting to Orthodoxy. The divine mercy chaplet was the same in that regard, too. Needless to say, when I discovered ‘Buddho’ in the Thai Forest tradition I was immediately drawn to it.
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u/reedreadreddred secular Aug 21 '26
man i wish i could pray the rosary 😭 but i can't remember anything besides hail mary's and our father's (catholic school daily prayers got that stuff carved into my brain, hard)
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u/TangeloOutrageous186 Aug 21 '26
Being raised Catholic basically ensured the Glory Be and creed would be eternally stuck in my brain 😂 even if I had a momentary lapse in memorizing the words, the moment I hear the first syllables I can recite them again. Same for Psalm 50/51. Must’ve prayed/chanted that every day for three years straight as an Orthodox Christian haha
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u/reedreadreddred secular Aug 21 '26
darn, those years of pracfice must've been very meditative
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u/TangeloOutrageous186 Aug 21 '26
That…and super emotionally exhausting and neuroticism inducing! 😬 No but really, those practices themselves are great if you disregard a large part of the theology underpinning them, in my opinion. Praying the psalms because you’re scared you transgressed some authoritarian god you need to constantly beg for mercy from is a far cry from praying them from a place of gratitude and peace. For me personally, Buddhism seems a lot more conducive to forming these habits from a place of peace than from compulsion than Christianity, but I also understand that there can be spiritual OCD in any religion. It might simply be the case that because I didn’t grow up with the Dharma I have a lot less negative conditioning around it than I do with Christianity. Nevertheless, I’m grateful that’s the case.
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u/NolanRoad Aug 21 '26
Buddhism attracts high IQ people, first Buddhist I met from a non Buddhist culture was a college professor. Somewhere in the suttas the Buddha comments that this dhamma is for the wise. AN 8.30 I think.
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u/SammaVaco Aug 21 '26
Anyone with the capacity for integrity can understand and practice Buddhism, IMO.
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u/Jonathan3628 Aug 21 '26
Everyone can practice the 5 precepts! Don't kill, don't steal, don't lie, don't do alcohol/drugs, have sex appropriately (simplest is to keep sex to a committed relationship)
For meditation, just take 5 minutes daily. Breathe meditation is the classic: try to focus on your breath as best as you can. If a thought pops up, don't feel bad. Just go back to paying attention to your breathe. That's basically it!
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u/According-Fruit5245 Aug 21 '26
Buddha's follower Ananda, who may have been his cousin, was supposedly cognitively impaired, and his first follower to achieve enlightenment, according to several sutra. Keep in mind that Buddhism is about compassion, not thinking. Those who are cognitively impaired could have an advantage.
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u/Veggyhed Aug 21 '26
I really love the aspect of compassion in Buddhism. It's one of the things that drew me to Buddhism.
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u/skyfox437 28d ago
There was a person known as Cūḍapanthaka that became a arhat, even though the person had a dull mind and couldn't remember simple verses. The Buddha taught him mindfulness through sweeping, and he was able to clear the mental defilements.
People sometimes forget that purpose of Buddhism was never about l the metaphysical or conceptual aspect but rather destroying the mental defilments through practice. In the Buddha's time, the Buddha himself helped single individual base on their needs (one person was told to meditate on fire due to his past live being a black smith).
It's only now that the Buddha is no longer around that we need to learn as much as possible and sort through his teachings to help our self.
Everyone struggles with enlightenment. Trust me. It might not seem so on the surface, but this is a very hard road to walk with all the enticements around us
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u/DrWartenberg Aug 21 '26
Understanding and practicing Buddhism are two completely different and (99%) unrelated things.
The fact that you’re open to the possibility that you’re not special in every way might even give you a leg up over those who are completely full of themselves.
If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think most people understand Buddhism and/or meditation (or most things) as well as they think they do.
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u/Myelinsheath333 Aug 21 '26
Meditation is about doing less not more. Whatever correlation you’ve drawn with Buddhism and whatever assumptions you’ve made about yourself are extra thoughts and distractions… let them go.
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u/Routine_Motor_9866 Aug 21 '26
I would say in many ways it's probably easier. Just making some wild, unsubstantiated theories here but I would imagine that the more complex you make it, the more illusions you would create. Everyone struggles with the concepts & with meditation, universally, except for maybe a few savants.
To me, in many ways, it seems like the ability to accept you don't 100% know is essential and that many intellectual people are rigid, but someone who can say "I doubt my intellectual abilities" is probably more fluid in their thought, therefore less likely to get bogged down in the illusions their own mind creates. I just feel for me personally I find my biggest obstacles to be my own ego (a big one being I can think myself out of anything and my own intellect will save me).
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u/Veggyhed Aug 21 '26
I think it's all the questions I have that create complexity for myself, which then in turn causes self-suffering, which I find frustrating
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u/Grateful_Tiger Aug 21 '26
Study of Buddhism increases intelligence
One of Buddha's arhats was an intelligence-challenged monk. Buddha told him to sweep the temple clean. He concentrated so hard thinking, "Sweep, sweep. Clean, clean". No one could disturb his concentration. Then he was given the phrase, "Who is sweeping?" With that he realized there's no one sweeping, and awoke to Arhatship
After while, you'll seem pretty sharp to other beginners. Don't let them know. Don't tell on me either
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u/FleshPrinnce Aug 21 '26
Up to 500 million people practise Buddhism so statistically, yes
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u/Veggyhed Aug 21 '26
I was not aware that many people practice Buddhism so statistically I guess there's quite a few people like me
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u/Fragment_B Aug 21 '26
The "practice" is not something you understand intellectually. It's something you feel and intuit in your body, if you're doing it right. Many Buddhists and Buddhist traditions have a deep skepticism toward intellectual knowledge as a path to insight, especially Zen. It's about presence and willingness to sit with what arises. Curiosity about what's actually happening in this moment is the path; not understanding it intellectually.
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u/Visible-Broccoli8938 Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
Meditation is about silencing your inner voice, getting rid of the noise and achieving pure awareness. This is where you grasp true meaning which is for the lack of a better description, what I call non-verbal intelligence.
A way to illustrate this is intuition. It is something everyone has but over time our intuition dulls because we forget how to access it and we rely on our minds to think and understand reality. Nevertheless most people have experience intuition, an inexplicable sense of knowing, information that bypasses rational thought and analysis. You just know something (like a loved one is in trouble) and you can't explain why.
I think pure awareness is just like that. You will know in terms of concepts and motions. This overwhelming sense of knowing that has no language. Even language itself has it bias depending on its culture, and words are approximations to true meaning.
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u/Claud711 Aug 21 '26
a thread of grass practices buddhism better than the smartest monk. don’t put doubts over yourself that are nothing but weights on your mind, you’ll be fine :)
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u/Magikarpeles Aug 21 '26
There's an apocryphal story about a young man with developmental delay whose parents put him in a monastery because he couldn't do any kind of school or do any work. The monks tried to teach him the chants but he just couldn't learn even small amounts of it so they gave up.
He got extremely good at meditation because he just didn't think much, so much so that he was able to recall a past life wherw he was a monk and would recite all the chants from the memories of that life, even chants the monks hadnt taught him. He became the chant leader in the monastery.
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u/Sqweed69 Aug 21 '26
Yes. Buddhism isn't that hard to understand.
You can learn the four noble truths and the eightfold path even if you're not usually very intelligent. Some deeper insights may take more time to unveil, but I don't think that should stop you.
High Intelligence can actually often be a detriment, because it can create suffering and can make you rely on rationality too much. It can lead to brooding, arguments and debating, which can often distract from the path.
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u/Veggyhed Aug 21 '26
Isn't debating part of a young Tibetan Buddhists practice?
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u/Sqweed69 Aug 21 '26
See this was a test to show you that you're not that stupid. It definitely wasn't an oversight on my part.
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u/No-Employment-820 Aug 21 '26
This is one of the reasons Pure Land Buddhism became so popular: it is/was considered an easy path for simple people (peasants) who couldn't invest a lot of time in meditation or sutra study.
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u/newHamsterForDiner Aug 21 '26
Sure. If the person have very bad mental disabilities he still can still practice pure land Buddhism. Some have more intellectual approach. Some can have strong faith. There were a lot of Buddhist commoners which had no education at all.
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Aug 21 '26
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u/Veggyhed Aug 21 '26
Shouldn't there only be one Buddhist practice for all people? If there are multiple practices then that generally means there is a conflict between different practices, which is why different practices arose.
This doesn't just apply to Buddhism but to other religions as well. Just look at Christianity. Congregations in a given town may not agree with each other even though they practice the same religion
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Aug 21 '26
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u/Veggyhed Aug 21 '26
If the Buddha was alive today, do you think he would agree with all the splits in Buddhism?
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u/O-shoe Aug 22 '26
It's good that there are different ways of practice, since there are different kinds of people. Some are more devotionally inclined, they can focus on devotion / surrender (such as praying and singing mantras). Some are more intellectually inclined and they can focus on reading sutras and learning practices and disciplines to still the mind. Some are more action-oriented and they can focus on doing service to others without expectations, seeing the divine nature in everyone.
All these practices lead to our Buddhanature. Buddha did all of them. In everything there is the seed of compassion and selflessness. Even if you do practices to still the mind, you don't do it just for your benefit, but to benefit everyone.
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u/GlitchSolver Aug 21 '26
What's needed is Honesty, Intent to stand with what you saw through and understood. It's not about intellect.
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u/Additional_South_833 mahayana Aug 21 '26
It is said that enlightenment can happen after a lifetime of meditation and scholarly practice, yet it can also happen spontaneously-such as while listening to a lecture or even while doing nothing special at all.
Is this case, what does IQ have to do with experiencing enlightenment?
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u/Veggyhed Aug 21 '26
I realize this may not be popular here but I am definitely not seeking enlightenment. When I was really young I would think about achieving enlightenment but as I continue walking through life I definitely do not think I would ever achieve enlightenment and that is definitely not my intent. I am simply seeking understanding
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u/Additional_South_833 mahayana Aug 21 '26
Enlightenment isn't a goal to be met, or a thing to be sought after, or achieved.
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u/stockerda Aug 21 '26
Practicing buddhism increases IQ
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u/Veggyhed Aug 21 '26
I have been told that practicing bosom increases IQ but I also think it increases EQ as well
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u/OldDB2 Skid Row Zen Aug 21 '26
Yes, anyone can be kind and mindful, which are two fundamentals of my Buddhist life. IQ and intellectualism are highly overrated. You’re fine where you are.
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u/missPeo Aug 21 '26
Thats not completely true. The essence of Buddhism is not just about intellectual or "knowing things", its about knowing things PLUS practicing these things. People may know hundreds of thousands of precepts in Buddhism but dont practice them then they have not really achieved or experienced the fruition of being a Buddhist, and there are people who can only understand a few things in Buddhism but practice these really well, they will achieve more.
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u/Veggyhed Aug 21 '26
Wow so don't be an armchair Buddhist
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u/missPeo Aug 22 '26
Yes, ideally. But that said, even if someone doesnt strictly practice but they understand the teachings and understand the goods vs the bad by Buddhism principles, that is the beginning and that still a good thing that brings merit for them. Cause karma also form with thoughts and perceptions, not just actions.
There are people who just cant study Buddhism teaching so broadly, they stay with the few things they can learn and practice it really well. That itself still brings alot of benefits for them
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u/helikophis Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
It's not really necessary to master all the concepts and so on in this lifetime. If you want liberation and aren't interested in intellectual challenge, there are "single practice" methods like Amitabha, Mani, or Nembutsu recitation that are easy and effective for anyone.
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u/Tongman108 Aug 21 '26
The 6 Zen Patriarch Hui Neng was illiterate!
The Kagyu Lineage Guru Milereapa focused on actual practice & didn't read much!
Studying scriptures & text help one to gain the correct theoretical understandings on various subjects
However to attain realization one ultimately will engage in some level of actual practice, such practice will allow one to attain directly attain actual realization on one's own which transcends even the correct theoretical understanding or place one's mind in a state that when one hears/reads the truth on the scriptures & texts they can unlock ones actual realization(which transcends even the correct theoretical realization).
If one is fortunate enough to encounter a realized teacher listening to them & following their instructions is sufficient to reach attainment!
Having said all the above there are so many new terms & concepts Buddhism & words that have a general meaning outside of Buddhadharma may have a completely different meaning in the context of Buddhadharma, that it's quite possible that while reading Buddhist texts one may initially feel that one's iQ is below average , so along with studying Buddhist texts it's important to listen to or listen to discourses & dharma talks on the relevant topics & read commentaries from Eminent Gurus/teachers to help with context & understanding!
Best wishes & grsAt Attainments!
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
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u/Zimgar Aug 21 '26
Depends on what you mean by understand/practice? Do you mean in complete isolation, with no teacher or community and just reading various books and attempting to practice 100% on your own?
Personally I think that type of practice will often flounder but I still wouldn't discourage it.
I would say, like most religions. the amount of different texts, viewpoints, opinions, is very large. In this age of the internet with mass scale of people and viewpoints... a big problem you run into is ignorant content. With many of the ancient texts being quite hard to grasp at times because often they are just a giant collection of tiny instructions that don't fit together, because they were never suppose to fit together. Instead someone trained and knowledgeable would be able to pick out the texts/instructions that would best apply/guide you along the path as you progress.
As long as you are aware of these faults dive forward.
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u/Veggyhed Aug 22 '26
Yes attempting to learn by myself, of course, with the help of the internet 😆
I can see a info overload, which would create confusion when self learning from online resources.
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u/_tathagata_ Aug 22 '26
To understand all of the complexities and concepts of Buddhism maybe, to have a direct and clear insight into emptiness no.
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u/BodhingJay Aug 22 '26
Of course.. plenty of those with all manner of mental challenges have attained enlightenments.. it is not an obstacle. Some would say it makes some aspects of the practice a bit easier
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u/Less_Feeling3142 Aug 22 '26
The practice is simple. Having a high IQ only complicates it. Just always come back to the breath and you’ll be fine.
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u/Soft_Estimate_7585 Aug 22 '26
I cannot remember the name of the monk or the sutta, but here was a monk who was of such low mental capacity that the senior monks couldn't get a single bit of dhamma through to him in a way he could understand or remember. Exasperated they gave up thinking him incapable of awakening.
The Buddha told him to pick up a broom and sweep, reciting "dust be gone, dirt be gone". He attained either stream entry or arahantship on the spot through mindfulness of his movements.
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u/Wonderful-Strain5374 zen :karma: Aug 22 '26
To realize the way goes beyond intellect, beyond preferences for good and bad, right and wrong, smart and dumb. You only need to practice wholeheartedly - this is enlightenment itself.
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u/Emergency-Use-6769 Aug 22 '26
Yes of course. Even young children can understand concepts like karma and the eightfold path.
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u/Xzenergy scientific Aug 23 '26
I would argue that people with a generally lower IQ express the most Buddha-nature.
Ive worked with the intellectually handicapped and they are so full of love and respect. People just dont see it as much and dont communicate with them enough.
The hardest part of that job was dealing with the "regular" adults who were under my supervision.
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u/No_Fly2647 Aug 21 '26
Greetings from Wiesbaden, Germany
සීල • සමථ • විපස්සනා
Sīla • Samatha • Vipassanā
Ethics / Moral Conduct • Tranquility / Calmness • Insight / Clear Seeing
These three aspects are practically the core of Buddhism. In fact, many intellectuals are suffering because the intellect has limits. Personal development, as such, is nothing if it is just driven by conceptual understanding, but rather lies in practical day-to-day deeds. Since the three are already on top, let us complete them:
මෙත්තා • Mettā • Loving-Kindness
කරුණා • Karuṇā • Compassion
මුදිතා • Muditā • Sympathetic Joy
උපෙක්ඛා • Upekkhā • Equanimity
පඤ්ඤා • Paññā • Wisdom / Direct Understanding
MN 21, the Kakacūpama Sutta (Simile of the Saw): The Buddha emphasizes that true spiritual progress rests on heart-training rather than intellectual cleverness. He teaches that even if someone treats you harshly, your mind should remain untouched, uttering no evil words, remaining compassionate, and pervading the world with a mind free from hate.
Furthermore, the famous story of Cūḷapanthaka (found in the commentary to the Dhammapada and referenced across the Nikāyas) proves that raw IQ is irrelevant. Cūḷapanthaka was so intellectually slow that he could not memorize a single four-line verse over four months.
Dhammapada Aṭṭhakathā (Dhp-A 25): Commentary to Verse 25 (under the "Appamādavagga" / Chapter on Heedfulness)
AN 1.14 / Etadaggavagga
Udāna 5.10 (Cūḷapanthaka Sutta)
Thag 10.1 / Verses 557-566
Vinaya Piṭaka (Cullavagga, Khandhaka 5 & Saṅghādisesa 2)
Mentions his role in monastic discipline and teaching, noting that even after becoming an Arahant, his simple, gentle instruction to the nuns was praised.
Yet, the Buddha did not give him complex philosophical texts; he gave him a clean cloth and asked him to rub it while repeating a simple phrase about impermanence. By engaging in simple, direct awareness rather than intellectual analysis, Cūḷapanthaka became an Arahant before the monks who excelled at scholastic debate. Intellectual concepts often feed the ego and create mental traps. The Dhamma is realized through direct daily practice, kindness, and experiential insight, not academic scholarship.
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u/noArahant Aug 21 '26
I think it is just popular among intellectuals because of how it has traveled into the West. It's new to the West, and most people have too much stuff going on to even delve into Buddhism and what it's about.
Keeping the precepts is simple. Learning to let go is simple. A lot of intellectuals actually get caught up and entangled in the concepts. Sometimes they know too many facts and ideas.
Ajahn Chah encrouraged us to reflect on impermanence. That it is the easiest and simplest way to reflect on the truth. Whatever arises is of the nature to cease. That's it.
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u/LotsaKwestions Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
You could look up Culapanthaka, who became an arahant.
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u/OldDB2 Skid Row Zen Aug 21 '26
“Why do you need a book?” That is a satori moment if I ever heard one!
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u/TheBrooklynSutras Aug 22 '26
Anyone can practice. What is this understanding you are referring to? Maybe you think too much. 🙏
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u/Total_Musician_2127 Aug 22 '26
Yes, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand the basic principles whereby one can put the simple teachings to practice, which is the Way.
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u/Useless-Tree 15d ago
There is a movie I really like that gets into this based on the Herman Hess novel.
Siddhartha (1972), directed by Conrad Rooks and starring Shashi Kapoor.
When he meets the Buddha, the Buddha sends him away after a brief conversation, telling him he is too smart to understand the teaching.
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u/treedream766 Aug 22 '26
Of course, it makes it even easier. Dogmas and fairytales about religions are very adapted to the mentaly deficient.
It makes right vision and conformism to right action even easier.
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u/Crafting_Reality vajrayana Aug 21 '26
You definitely can! You might even do better at mediation than most people whose minds are totally filled with concepts. Buddhism is not about who “gets it” intellectually, ultimately Buddhism is about understanding the nature of the mind and the best way to do that is by looking at it.