We Humans Can Be Pretty Slow

Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion

I include myself in this claim, obviously. By every known metric, I’m a pretty smart guy, but the issue for awakening on the Buddhist path is not about intelligence in the ordinary sense.

When I took refuge, the teacher who performed the ceremony gave me the dharma name Intellect Lord, which produced audible guffaws from people in the room who knew me.