Learning How to Learn: The Buddhist Framework That Transformed My Career (and How It Can Revolutionize Yours)

“Learning is a skill—like swimming or riding a bicycle. To navigate life’s currents, you must first master how to learn.”

Atip Muangsuwan
CEO Coach and Coach Supervisor

Years ago, while preparing slides for a global conference at my corporate job, my boss handed me feedback that changed my relationship with learning forever.
His note? “Add the key message to every slide. If you can’t summarize it in one line, you don’t understand it.”
That moment taught me: Learning isn’t about absorbing information—it’s about distilling wisdom.

Today, I blend this lesson with a 2,500-year-old Buddhist framework (Su-Ji-Pu-Li) and modern coaching techniques to help clients unlock exponential growth. Here’s how you can use this trifecta to learn faster, think deeper, and lead better:

The Corporate “Aha Moment” That Shaped My Approach

My boss’s feedback forced me to practice active extraction—the art of identifying core ideas from noise.

• Before: My slides were dense with data, trends, and jargon.
• After: Each slide had a bolded key message at the top (e.g., “Cutting X cost by 15% requires renegotiating supplier contracts in Q3”).

Why this worked:

• It mirrored Su (Listening/Reading Actively) from Buddhism: I had to listen to the data’s story, not just present it.
• It aligned with coaching’s “Active & Deep Listening”: I learned to understand and ask, “What’s the one thing my audience must remember?”

This skill became my secret weapon. Later, as a coach, I applied the same principle:

• When clients share long stories, I listen for their unspoken key message (e.g., “I feel stuck because I fear judgment”).
• I then reflect it back: “What I’m hearing is that confidence, not competence, is the barrier. Does that resonate?”

The Buddhist Framework + Coaching Skills = Learning Mastery

Let’s break down the Su-Ji-Pu-Li cycle with your corporate story and coaching examples:

1. Su (Absorb Deeply)

Buddhist Wisdom: Listen/read with full presence or with mindfulness.
Coaching Skill: Active & Deep Listening to surface hidden themes.

Example:

• Corporate You: Listening to stakeholders’ needs to identify the slide’s key message.
• Coach You: Hearing a client say, “I’m too busy to lead,” and detecting their deeper struggle: delegation guilt.

2. Ji (Reflect Critically)

Buddhist Wisdom: Analyze and connect ideas, insights or wisdom.
Coaching Skill: Provide reflections for clarity.

Example:

• Corporate You: Asking, “Does this chart support the key message, or distract from it?”
• Coach You: “I’m hearing you mentioned ‘busy’ 5 times—could you explain more about this busyness?”

3. Pu (Clarify Relentlessly)

Buddhist Wisdom: Ask to dissolve confusion or to gain understanding.
Coaching Skill: Ask powerful questions.

Example:

• Corporate You: “Can you explain why this metric matters to the board?”
• Coach You: “What would happen if you stopped doing this task yourself?”

4. Li (Articulate Strategically)

Buddhist Wisdom: Write/teach to crystallize understanding, insights or wisdom.
Coaching Skill: Share insights to solidify learning.

Example:

• Corporate You: Turning a 50-slide deck into a 5-key-message executive summary.
• Coach You: Ending sessions with: “How could you convert these key insights into actionable steps?” to empower clients to own their progress.

How to Apply This Today (Even If You’re Overwhelmed)

Try this: After your next meeting, training, or coaching session:
1️⃣ Su: Jot 3 keywords you heard.
2️⃣ Ji: Link one to a past experience. (Example: “Client’s fear of delegation → My old habit of micromanaging.”)
3️⃣ Pu: Ask yourself: “What’s the key learning here?”
4️⃣ Li: Summarize your takeaway in 1 sentence and share it with a colleague.

Why this works: You’re not just consuming information—you’re curating and connecting it.

The Bottom Line

Learning how to learn is about intentionality, not intelligence. Whether you’re crafting a presentation, coaching your subordinates, or navigating a career pivot:

• Extract key messages (like my boss taught me).
• Cycle through Su-Ji-Pu-Li (like the Buddha advised).
• Turn insights into action (like a coach empowers).

Your turn: What’s one key message from this article you’ll apply today?

About Atip Muangsuwan: Atip Muangsuwan is the Founder & CEO of The Best Coach International Co., Ltd. He is a CEO & UHNWI Coach, Certified Mentor & Supervisor for global executive coaches, Holistic Life Transformation Expert, Business & Life Strategist, and Corporate Facilitator/Trainer. With a proven track record of helping clients achieve their career goals and job promotions, Atip is dedicated to supporting individuals in their personal and professional growth.