Someone asked the teacher to explain the four virtues of growth (vuḍḍhi-dhamma), with particular emphasis on the third one — reflecting on the teacher's words.

What Are the Four Virtues of Growth

The four virtues of growth are principles for anyone seeking the sphere of wisdom: 1) associating with good people — finding a good teacher; 2) listening to the true Dhamma — heeding the teacher's words; 3) wise reflection (yoniso manasikāra) — pondering the teacher's words; 4) practicing in accordance with the Dhamma — following the teacher's example. The sphere of wisdom is the essential tool. The Buddha taught that no light equals the light of wisdom. The sphere of wisdom is a mental factor that arises only when deliberately invoked, unlike the sphere of mindfulness, which arises automatically together with a wholesome mind. Wisdom develops in three stages: wisdom from listening (memorizing what is heard), wisdom from reflection (pondering the teacher's words), and wisdom from meditation (progressively stilling the mind).

Step 1: Associating with Good People

Associating with good people is essential, because connecting with the inner knower requires first connecting with an external one. An external teacher has a physical presence — one can question them, become familiar with them. When we associate with a wise teacher, a transmission of wholesome qualities occurs, connecting us to the wholesome system. As the teacher transmits the Dhamma, it appears in our mind and draws in pure energy to cleanse the stains that obscure knowledge. Our mind becomes progressively clearer and purer, elevating our inner dimension — even this first step alone changes our standing.

Step 2: Listening to the True Dhamma

When we listen to the Dhamma attentively, our faith develops — from simply opening our mind to listening, toward respect, reverence, and devotion, in that order — because the merit drawn in to cleanse defilements makes the mind progressively purer, until a new vision of life emerges, we become aware of our true life goal, and begin a new life with the right, good aim.

Step 3: Wise Reflection (Pondering the Teacher's Words)

After believing the teacher's words, we must take them and reflect on them, which requires abiding in right concentration, finding a quiet, secluded place, and contemplating the teaching forward and backward — considering cause leading to effect, then returning from effect back to cause, repeatedly. This is not forceful thinking but a repeated, settled awareness of the content. The result of this sustained awareness is that the stream of merit flows in to progressively cleanse the subtler stains that obscure knowledge, until the hidden knowledge reveals itself automatically, together with a knower who explains its meaning to us. This step differs from the first two, which rely on mindfulness — this one requires the power of concentration to cleanse the stains, so the knowledge gained is far deeper and more refined.

Step 4: Practicing in Accordance with the Dhamma

Once we reach this wondrous knowledge, practicing in accordance with the Dhamma becomes possible, because wise reflection allows us to distill the keywords and key points from content that might otherwise span many pages, so we no longer need to carry all its complexity. We can then follow the teacher's example because we understand its essence — for instance, understanding that "stopping is the accomplishment."

Who Owns the Knowledge, and How Are Teachers Involved

The true owner of any knowledge is the Dhamma body. Teachers of knowledge come in two kinds: human teachers, and celestial knowledge-holders in the Cātumahārājika heaven, who received their knowledge from the very first teacher who reached the Dhamma body, passed down from generation to generation.