Kay:

Hey Questers, it is Tuesday, April 20th and this is episode 337. Today we have a quote from Buddha. Now, normally we save Buddha quotes for Friday. For those who know, you know, but it is 4/20 and today is Tuesday so we’re bringing Buddha to you today on Tuesday, April 20th. Buddha tells us that, “A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again; but if he is peaceful, loving and fearless then he is in truth called wise.”

Shi:

Well, whether you are partaking in the 4/20 festivities or just symbolically celebrating this Buddha quote there’s a lot to be offered here and a lot to unpack. But I want to start with saying I love that he kind of tells us to shut up in the beginning. A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again. Intrinsically, it’s easy to understand this, but sometimes I hear myself just going and going and going or that you get older, you get a little wiser and you can with strain, but don’t, you guys just feel that internal, you want to just start talking over somebody or you get an idea, and you want to share it, or you just keep explaining it because you want to really make sure that you’re understood. All of a sudden you’ve been talking and talking and talking and you don’t think you’re helping. I know I’ve certainly been there and love that it gets pointed out first thing off in this quote.

Kay:

I think it’s easy to look at a person on a stage or look at a professor in front of a classroom who has to say the same thing over and over again, and think, well, that equals wisdom. But what they might not realize is that that person at the front of the room is doing more work preparing for that 60 minutes than they probably realized and that it’s not just about talking at the front of a room. It’s about this idea of being peaceful, loving, and fearless. So, wanting to take these three adjectives here, peaceful, loving, and fearless, because this is what Buddha’s saying that we should be doing in regards to being a wise person. There’s something really cool. I think about the way that he puts this together is that loving, peaceful, and fearless are not love, peace and fear. They are all active versions of those words.

Shi:

We’re big fans of verbs and making things into active statements so that you can better apply them to your life and therefore measure the results. But as much as the first sentence tells you to shut up the second sentence, doesn’t say you have to stay quiet. It just says, make sure you’ve got these three things down. That way when you do open your mouth, you really can come across as wise. It’s not just because of the words that you say, but because of the feelings that you emanate and the actions that you take back up those feelings and there’s that verb, that active piece that Kay just talked about.

Kay:

Well, ‘loving’ is really: love in action. If you are a loving person, it means that you are actively displaying that trait of love that emanates from within you. Being a peaceful person means that you are a person who was full of peace. You are calm, you are collected even in the face of the storm. Shi, I’m not taking fearless away because you say it so well.

Shi:

Well, as our dear friend and mentor and business partner, Joseph McClendon III points out that there aren’t really fearless people, but there are people who fear-less. What he means by that is that when we get into the feeling of fear, like we all do, because we’re human beings, finding ways to pull ourselves out of it or reroute that energy so that it’s more constructive for our lives is the best thing that we can do. It is certainly wise, as Buddha would tell us here. So, not striving necessarily to be completely absent of fear, but to be fearless when it does come across.

Kay:

So, I mean, isn’t that the makings of a wise person? Think about a person who you would consider wise. Now would you think that that person is loving in their action? Would you think that they are full of peace and do you think they probably fear less than others? Maybe because of that peace and love and likely because of some good old, internal hard work? Well, the answer to that is yes then Buddha’s quote here will ring true for you on your quest to be wise. He says, “A man is not called wise because he talks and talks again; but if he is peaceful, loving and fearless then he is in truth called wise.”

Shi:

Alright, well talk about a perfect 4/20 hippie quote, full of love and peace man…

Kay:

Buddha Friday on a Tuesday.

Kay:

That brings you to your 4/20 quest today but don’t worry. It is not a 4/20 quest. It is an Opportunity Quest. We want you to find an opportunity today to practice just one of the three things that Buddha tells us that it takes to truly be wise. So, display fearlessness, as in fearing less, do loving inaction, or carry a peaceful demeanor with you today. Are you ready?

Kay & Shi:

Let’s quest!