One. What should you do when studying doesn't feel appealing? Simple answer: devote more time to your studies. Whatever a person invests time in eventually becomes dear to them. Time deepens sincerity in any relationship. When you invest time in learning, a gradual, heartfelt bond forms with your studies.
Two. You study but find little peace in it; still, you must continue, because no one studies to find peace — they study to bring peace. People pursue learning to grasp new things and expand their mind's capacity. If you don't study when you should, the restlessness that pervades your later life becomes unbearable to endure. The suffering that comes later burns more fiercely than present hardships.
Three. You must sit down to study regularly, keeping yourself anchored among books and papers. Then your mind will make room for learning. The greatest achievement from this is: during the times when you're not actively studying, your mind will rest and your consciousness will unconsciously contemplate and work with everything you've learned through your studies. This is how human awareness awakens and people learn to create. Creation is impossible from a state of empty ignorance.
Four. Should you give up sports and recreation for studies? The answer is: if by sports and recreation you mean spending time on Facebook or online, then absolutely give it up. Proper sports — even two hours becomes difficult to stretch to two and a quarter hours, yet it's terribly easy to enter Facebook planning to spend fifteen minutes and end up wasting fifteen hours there. Facebook is never a place for learning.
Five. Why must you study? Because learning strengthens the mind, draws it away from unnecessary emotions and desires of the spirit, and keeps it focused. When someone becomes absorbed in their studies, both mind and spirit remain devoted to the practice of reaching their goal. This is why you must study even when your heart isn't in it.
Six. Some people feel sluggish when they try to study. The way out of this is: study anyway. Not studying only increases the sluggishness. Keeping the mind active is largely impossible without studying.
Seven. To those who can't study because of despair, I say: only by studying can you overcome all despair. Sitting quietly with your hands and feet tucked under you won't make despair disappear on its own, will it? Learning is the mother of hope.
Eight. When you sit down to study and can't understand anything, you must study even harder. There's no easier path to understanding than this. When you don't grasp something, instead of abandoning it, you must read it again and again. Once you give up, it's all over! When reading English novels, even if you don't understand every word, you can still catch the essence. Remarkably, you'll come to understand the meanings of words you never knew before, if you persist patiently with your reading practice.
Nine. Do you know when the mind expands? When you study and apply your acquired knowledge to work. Regular practice of this will surely bear fruit. Then when does the mind of a learned person fail to expand? When a person only reads, learns nothing, or fails to apply what they've learned.
Ten. This question troubles many minds: which is more important — spiritual practice or academic study? Let me answer this way... when we ask a child, "Who do you love more — your father or your mother?" the child naturally falls into confusion. Both mother and father are equally important in the child's life. If the child is wise, they'll say, "I love both equally." ... Actually, such questions have no answers, and asking them is foolish. Similarly, studying is not separate from spiritual practice — it's an integral part of practice itself. How can a student who doesn't even study properly focus their mind on spiritual discipline?
Eleven. When we learn something from someone, first we must listen attentively to their words. Without this, concentration in work doesn't come. However, if someone's words won't be useful, there's no need to listen even if your heart wants to. You must completely ignore them and devote time to other work. Many people, in the name of seeking a teacher, hover around fools, hoping in their vanity to consider themselves teachers. Beware of those who forcefully try to become teachers! To recognize whether someone is a teacher or a fool, good education is essential.
Twelve. When does the mind become weary? From excessive mental work? Certainly not. The mind becomes weary from lethargy. And mental lethargy comes from not devoting sufficient time to study. The more you can make your mind work, the less tired you become. An idle mind is the home of weariness.
Thirteen. For those who cannot work hard, first check whether they have any physical problems. If so, that must be treated first. If not, then it's certain — they can work hard, but they choose not to. Study isn't a path to happiness, but if you walk this path properly, your immediate destination will become something like happiness — from there, you can joyfully begin your journey again. For all this, even if it goes against your mind's wishes initially, you must study.
Fourteen. Just as you must accept light wherever it comes from to dispel darkness, likewise, whatever the source of knowledge, you must be mentally prepared to receive it. There is only one teacher in this world — God. He exists everywhere, so He reveals Himself in various forms: nature, experience, books, suffering, teachers, any person or source. The source of knowledge isn't important; relevance is.
Fifteen. Good taste is essential for good work. Studying doesn't automatically improve taste, but it helps in taste's development. Generally, someone who has opportunity but doesn't study has better taste than someone who can't study due to lack of opportunity. So when you have the chance, you should try to cultivate taste through learning.
Sixteen. To know, you must first feel that you know nothing. For someone who thinks they know everything, knowing becomes difficult. It's better to avoid such people's company. To pour fresh water into a glass, you must first empty out the old water. A glass content with old water has no need to be filled. A truly wise person always considers themselves empty. Knowledge isn't a final destination, but waypoints along the journey.
Seventeen. Those who don't study despite having books inevitably face sorrow in life. You can't live dependently forever — eventually you must stand on your own feet. If you can't strengthen your legs through study, you'll stumble when you try to stand, you'll have to walk with a limp. If you don't understand this in the beginning, you'll regret it later.
Eighteen. To overcome laziness, you must keep your body healthy. Even after physical strength returns, if laziness persists, then between your studies you must do some work that pleases your heart, ensuring that the time spent on this work doesn't exceed ten percent of the time devoted to your studies.