Thanks for your input. As should be obvious, I'm ignoring any responses from
the MGC, because we all knew what they would be before they were ever posted --
variants on "Get Barry," because he posted yet another idea they didn't like. I
figure if I ignore them, they'll repeat their pattern and move on soon to
"getting Share," and then we can *all* ignore them. :-)
Your suggestion has merit, however. True, it presents an ideal situation --
being able to find a "master" of an instrument who would take you on as a
student. Most will start with lesser teachers and progress to better teachers
only when they need (and deserve) them. A Segovia, after all, is not gonna
waste his time giving a "Master Class" to someone like me, with my rudimentary
skills on the guitar.
But I like the notion of "practice," and of its necessity. That's what I was
getting at in my bullet point about shakti. Yes, there are people who can give
your state of attention a temporary "boost," and shift you into a very
different SoA. But what I've seen all too often is that students who spend a
lot of time around such "transmission" teachers tend to "ride the energy," and
*NOT* practice themselves.
The theory, as I understand it, is to temporarily lift the student who is
trudging up the mountain and fly them to the top for a few moments, to give
them a clearer vision of the goal. Then they get deposited back on the path,
right where they were before the shakti-fest, and it's *their job* to start
walking again and get to the top on their own.
But as a wise man once said, "In theory, theory and practice are the same. In
practice, they are not." What I've seen happen is that the students -- having
gotten a temporary "boost" -- just kick back and save up their money for the
next one. They become in essence "shakti junkies," waiting for the next
"darshan session" or "Amma hug" or whatever they believe shifted their SoA in
the first place. And they *don't* practice, and they *don't* really exhibit any
spiritual progress.
My experience of teachers who I would consider capable of teaching "advanced
meditation" is that they can provide that temporary "boost." You can sit with
them and gain levels of clarity that you might not have stumbled upon for
months or years on your own. But the "meat" of such teachings is that you're
then supposed to go back and figure out how to achieve them on your own. Many
do not. They just wait for the next opportunity to shoot up. Among the *good*
teachers I've met who were capable of providing these "boosts," their reaction
to a student trying to "ride the energy" like this would be to "cut them off,"
cold turkey. No more shakti-fests until they demonstrate some progress on their
own. The *bad* teachers just keep collecting the money for the shakti-fests and
succeed mainly in amplifying their own egos and impeding their students'
long-term progress. In my opinion, of course.
________________________________
From: "Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net [FairfieldLife]"
<FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com>
As I've said many a time: it should be
like learning to play a musical instrument. You go to a master of
the instrument to learn how to play it. You don't practice, you
don't learn. And you might learn from another teacher to learn a
different style or approach.
On 06/20/2014 03:11 AM, TurquoiseBee turquoi...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife] wrote:
>Work for the week finished, I thought I'd sit in this canalside cafe and rap a
>bit about some of the attributes I think would be refreshing to find in a
>spiritual trip. It's NOT that I'm looking for one, you understand. It's just
>that it struck me as a fun idea to write about some of the things I'd *like*
>to find, as opposed to what I often *do* find.
>
>* It's free. That is, all teaching is either
supported by the people doing it, or by
donations that are actually donations. No one
would ever be pressured to contribute, whether
it be for talks, or instruction. People who are
trying to lay a spiritual trip on others should
pay their audiences for the privilege, not
vice-versa.
>
>* It's fun. This is one of the most important
criteria I would look for in a spiritual trip.
If the people participating in it don't look
like they're having FUN, what possible interest
could it have for me? The very concept of FUN
should be respected as what it is -- an
indicator that you're doing something right,
spiritually.
>
>* Teachers as fellow travelers. Your teacher or
teacher can be your friend or fellow seeker.
There is no sense of distance between teacher
and student. You hang out together and talk
freely to each other, as equals. No ranks, no
hierarchy -- either stated or encouraged
wordlessly by the way that students interact
with the teacher or teachers. No hierarchy for
the students, either -- no "belt rankings" that
allow them to think they're on a higher level
than others around them.
>
>* No sacrosanct dogma. Oh, of course the trip
can have theories about How The World Works, and
present them. But IMO these theories should be
presented *as* theories, not truth, or no-God
forbid, Truth.
>
>* Everything is fair game for questions. The
students have the right to challenge anything
the teacher or teachers say. Anything. No saying
is "holy" in the sense that it becomes "sacred"
and thus exempt from questioning. No claim has
the right to be accepted if someone asks for it
to be documented.
>
>* No cult roles or sex roles. The students
should not be encouraged (verbally or
nonverbally) to act a certain way or dress a
certain way. One of the coolest things ever said
about the Rama students came from the staff of
the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in L.A. They'd seen
*everything*, because the seekers from every
tradition ever known all came to buy books at
their store. And they'd grown adept at "nailing"
which path any customer followed, just by
watching them. It became a kind of game for
them, and they rarely missed. The only students
they couldn't "nail" were the folks who studied
with Rama, because they were all different. In a
similar vein, there should ideally be no
perceived status associated with one's sex --
men and women should be treated pretty much the
same.
>
>* No restrictions on thinking or action. No
"Thou shalt not see other teachers." See who you
bloody want. No "Thou shalt not read Off The
Program books." There should be no "program" to
be off of. People should be encouraged to treat
their curiosity about other spiritual teachers
or teachings as what it is -- a desire to learn
more.
>
>* Parties. Really. Too many spiritual trips have
gatherings that can only be described as
SERIOUS. They're gathering to meditate together,
or chant together, or hear a dharma talk
together, or have a "celebration" that isn't
one. My ideal spiritual trip would be more like
the better days of the Rama trip -- we'd go out
to movies, to dinner, to places of power, and to
discos. We'd actually (Buck, look away) DANCE.
And we'd have actual parties, at which the only
spiritual objective was to have FUN. It gives
more of a community feeling to the community.
>
>* Road Trips. Every so often, the entire group
would just Get The Fuck Out Of Dodge, and take
their act on the road. It could be a day trip to
a nearby place of worship or power, or longer
trips overnight to cool places. Taking the group
consciousness out of its normal (and thus
ignored) environment can do wonders for sparking
spiritual experience.
>
>* No shakti myths. Even if the teacher or
teachers have some phwam! and can shift other
people's states of attention and get them high,
IMO this ability is better presented as a form
of recognition rather than a form of
transmission. If the teacher is able to say,
"Look, I understand that you're getting high
from all this, but it's not me doing it. It's
the universe. You're just recognizing what is
always already present because it may be a
little more lively in me," that teacher might
not be as likely to fall prey to the pitfalls of
ego, and the students might not be as likely to
attribute their spiritual progress to outside
agencies.
>
>* No sex hangups. A student is welcome whether
their sexual preference runs to men, women,
multiples of both of the former, or toasters.
Nobody snoops on anybody else's sexual behavior
because 1) that's their business, and 2)
theoretically everyone is busy enough with their
own sexual behavior that they don't have time to
dwell on anyone else's. That said, actual crimes
like child molestation and sexual harassment and
rape are right out. So too, in almost every
case, is teacher-student sex, unless there is a
genuine commitment (for more than the night or
the month) present.
>
>* Writing assignments. This is another trait I
very much liked about the Rama trip. He was an
English professor, after all, and he knew the
value of writing out one's ideas and experiences
to gain clarity on them. He suggested that
everyone keep a Spiritual Journal, and I think
that's a good idea. He also suggested that
students try to write down any particularly
powerful spiritual experience, and in the day or
two after it happened, because if you wait
longer the experience will have faded. There is
MUCH to be learned from doing this. If you do it
well, going back and reading those stories again
can zap you right back into the state of
attention you wore when you orginally
experienced it.
>
>* A reverence for art. Not just looking at it or
listening to it -- creating it.
>
>* Friends. You should be able to count on your
fellow students, and your teachers. If you come
to them in distress, and wondering how to deal
with a minor stumble on the spiritual path, will
they help you hide the body? :-) More seriously,
will they help you find the help you actually
need?
>
>* Doubt should be seen as positive, not
negative. Faith is for those who are willing to
settle for "easy answers." Curiosity is for
those who keep looking for other answers, and
even other questions.
>
>* Willingness to change. I always liked the
Dalai Lama's take on Buddhism, which
(paraphrased) went something like, "If a
fundamental tenet of Buddhism turns out to be
wrong, we should abandon it and embrace the
truth." Similarly, if the teachers' or the
students' original path turns out to be
unworkable, they should be free to change it
into something that works.
>
>These are just a few thoughts that occurred to
me today, in the moment, in this cafe. If others
have other thoughts on the subject, please feel
free to contribute them.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
