RE: Not so brave....
I would say, in response to the quotes posted about knowledge and gurus etc, that it is fine to open our minds and ears to other people, tolet ideas flow in, or out...... the real key, in my book, is to be fully aware and confident that each of us ourselves has all of the knowledge and strength we will ever need, here, now, ready and waiting inside us, and all we need to do is look....
Whatever anyone else says to you, any guru etc, all of the understanding must come from oursleves.... the *problem* as I see it, is not in listening to others, but in assuming that they can put knowledge *in* to us..... the knowledge is alreadt there.....
X
RE: Not so brave....
Hi
In my very humble opinion a good teacher is someone who encorouges others to look within themselves for their knowledge & show them that they can guide themselves or learn from theirselves, somone who'd encorouge others to use disernment when it comes to taking on thoughts from others believes...to only take the knowledge that 'hits a cord' with them & not to take all that is told as truth & feel intimiated to say "No, sorry that doesn't sound right to me"
I sometimes wonder if theres people who put themselves in the postion of "Spiritual Teacher" for the glory...smug feeling that they are more enlightend or more special then others...& likewise I wonder if some people need someone to look up to...does it give them a safe feeling???
Having never met either teacher or student face 2 face in my life I'm not makeing a statment here...just thinking out loud....& also...the idea of living in a universe of love & equalitity....I'm sorry but I don't see that happening either..not with the human race...someone will always assume the postion of top dog...& some people always feel they need to be lead
Love
Amy
RE: Not so brave....
Perhaps we each carry the resources, knowledge, etc., within ourselves.
I believe so.
I love to read and hear the opinions of others - but that doesn't make any of those words mine.
I believe a good teacher will encourage you to plumb the depths within yourself and come to your own self-actualization not try to fill you up with their own ideas etc. And yes, I do believe there is sometimes a feeling of smugness on behalf of some spiritual teachers (and the ordinary teachers!!) - a sort of "I am more enlightened because I have read.....and it says there that.......so it must be true" There are, though, those who seem to need/want a "parent" type figure and that's okay too - most of us hate making decisions anyway - providing that Trust doesn't get abused by the "teachers" Ego.
In whatever we read/hear/see there is a great percentage of "own interpretation/perception" - what might be written is stone to one person may seem like a message in the sand to another.
Good grief, I'm waffling again and it's nearly tea-time. Must be a sugar low.
Be true to your Self and don't be afraid to question things that don't feel "right" to you.
Love
Glenys
RE: Not so brave....
Yes, Gilly, exactly!
We can gain great understanding from the sharing of other, sometimes alternate, points of view. However, the most important part of the listening is the ability to suspend what you know now in order to truly hear the "new" words.
What you know can keep you in a static place and as you gain new understanding you can move to a place of deeper relationship. The conversations you have with others can allow you to find where your next step leads. They also can help you discern where you will NOT go. The openness, the willingness to learn, while being true to the self is the key.
RE: Not so brave....
Hello Xia,
How wise, your words. If we were only to know Love, we would not need to be embodied for that is the condition of Spirit. It is through becoming human that we are able to experience all that is not Love and those experiences increase our wisdom.
We are truly all we need to be, for BEing is the assignment. Healing (or perhaps better stated, BEing with Spirit) can help us move through this life more easily. We do not think of 'healing' as fixing something that is wrong, but rather experiencing oneness. It becomes a growth process as we increase our understanding and expand our experiences.
As we teach discernment the individual learns to choose how to respond to the situations that arise in his/her life. We all can make things easier on ourselves if we internalise only those things that affirm our sense of being fine the way we are.