TEACHER ? TEACHER.TXT ************************************************************************ THE QUESTION IS OFTEN ASKED, "DOES ONE NEED A TEACHER TO MAKE THE JOURNEY INTO THE LIGHT?". SOME SAY NO TEACHER IS NEEDED, YOU CAN MAKE THE JOURNEY ALONE. THEY ARE CORRECT. SOME SAY YOU MUST HAVE A TEACHER, YOU CAN NOT MAKE THE JOURNEY ALONE. THEY ARE CORRECT. SOME SAY YOU CAN MAKE MOST OF THE JOURNEY ALONE, HOWEVER WHEN NEAR THE END OF THE JOURNEY, A TEACHER IS NEEDED. THEY ARE CORRECT. YOU COULD REPLACE THE WORD TEACHER WITH THE WORD MASTER AND THE STATEMENTS ARE STILL CORRECT. THIS IS ONE PROBLEM ABOUT ABOUT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TO THEM! THIS ONE SAYS ALL THE ABOVE ANSWERS ARE LIKELY CORRECT FOR SOME SEEKER IN SPECIFIC, AND LIKELY NONE ARE CORRECT FOR ALL SEEKERS. IF ONE IS BLESSED TO SIT WITH A TRUE MASTER, AN ENLIGHTENED BEING, AND LISTEN TO THE QUESTIONS ASKED AND THE ANSWERS GIVEN, A STRANGE THING MAY EVENTUALLY BE OBSERVED. ONE MAY SEE THREE DIFFERENT SEEKERS COME TO THE MASTER WITH THE EXACT QUESTION, ASKED IN THE EXACT WORDS, AT THREE DIFFERENT TIMES AND HEAR THE MASTER GIVE THREE TOTALLY DIFFERENT ANSWERS, THE ANSWERS MAY EVEN BE FULLY CONTRADICTORY TO EACH OTHER. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE IN THE ABOVE EXAMPLE. THINK DEEPLY ABOUT THIS AND SEE WHAT YOU COME UP WITH. RETURNING TO SPEAKING OF TEACHERS. IF A SEEKER HAS A TEACHER WHO IS REASONABLY DEVELOPED, THE SEEKER IS FULLY OPEN TO WHAT THE TEACHER SHARES, IS WILLING TO FOLLOW THE TEACHER'S INSTRUCTIONS DEVOTEDLY, HAS SOME DISCIPLINE AND UNDERSTANDS HIS/HER CURRENT DEVELOPMENT REALISTICALLY, THE SEEKER WILL OBTAIN GREAT BENEFIT FROM SPENDING TIME WITH THE TEACHER. YOU MUST UNDERSTAND, THAT A TEACHER IS NOT A MASTER, NOT AN ENLIGHTENED BEING! A TEACHER MAY BE A HOLY MAN/WOMAN OR THEY MAY NOT BE. A REAL TEACHER IS A SEEKER WHO HAS SPENT A LONG TIME PERIOD EXPLORING, LEARNING, AND EXPERIENCING. A REAL TEACHER HAS DEVELOPED PARTS OF HIS/HER SELF WELL AND STILL HAS MORE SELF-CULTIVATION TO DO. OFTEN A REAL TEACHER HAS SPENT TIME WITH A MASTER, AND OR OTHER BEINGS WHO ARE HIGHLY DEVELOPED. THIS ASSISTED THE TEACHER'S DEVELOPMENT. SOMETIMES: A TEACHER WILL SEND HIS/HER STUDENTS, WHEN THEY HAVE REACHED "CERTAIN LEVELS", TO TEACH WHAT THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED AND LEARNED TO OTHERS. A MASTER WILL SEND A SEEKER OUT TO TEACH OTHERS. A SEEKER REACHES A CERTAIN "LEVEL" OF DEVELOPMENT AND PEOPLE JUST START APPEARING AND ASKING TO LEARN. A SEEKER JUST DECIDES HE/HER IS A TEACHER AND STARTS TEACHING, THEY MAY HAVE VALID THINGS TO SHARE AND THEY MAY NOT. ALL THE ABOVE RESULTS IN THERE BEING TEACHERS WHO ARE "QUALIFIED", AND THOSE WHO ARE NOT. SOMETIMES ITS DIFFICULT TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE. [ One must choose one's SPIRITUAL teachers with great care ! One must continue to evaluate the teacher as time passes. A teacher is not a MASTER! A teacher teaches "through" their sets and belief systems, which may or may not BE TRUE. A teacher can only assist you reach their level of development, no further! A reasonably well developed teacher generally; Exhibits modesty, is polite & seldom exhibits anger. Practices self-cultivation regularly. Is very careful about making commitments & fulfills them consistently. Does not ask a student to do what she/he is unwilling to do. Shares the understanding of no separateness. Shares the understanding that "this" is not reality. Tells his/her students that they are not enlightened. Emphasizes direct experiences, over book reading and the words of others, including his/her words. Directs students attention to consistent daily practice of self-cultivation, to seeing GOD in all others, to the seeing the positive aspects of all others. Directs his/her students to meditate each and every day consistently. Is hesitant about sharing negative information about others, and seldom speaks judgements on others. Usually Shares knowledge and methods without charge. (The teachers of Martial Arts, Tia Chi, and groups having the high overhead of non-paid for facilities are often exceptions to this) It is easy for one with a large ego and a small amount of knowledge, who lives in the illusion that she/he is highly developed and a great teacher, to appear to be so, accept students and teach classes. Such a one may actually have some valuable knowledge, and methods to share. Their students may learn some things, may actually have some powerful direct experiences as a result of practicing the methods taught, BUT, SUCH A TEACHER'S IGNORANCES CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS TO THEIR STUDENTS ! BEWARE OF ANY TEACHER SAYING SHE/HE WILL AWAKEN YOUR KUNDALINI ENERGY ! Some teachers state that those attending the classes offered will be taught how to awaken the KUNDALINI ENERGY asleep at the base of the spine. Awakening the KUNDALINI is one of the VERY FAST methods of spiritual growth, BUT it is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. Awaking the KUNDALINI is a GIFT given by a FULLY ENLIGHTENED MASTER to his/her HIGHLY DEVELOPED DISCIPLES when they are PROPERLY PREPARED and their BODIES AND SPIRITS are FULLY ready for it. IF IMPROPERLY CONTROLLED, AWAKENED KUNDALINI, CAN CAUSE SERIOUS ILLNESS, MADNESS AND EVEN DEATH ! Such DANGERS are one of the reasons that certain spiritual practices have been kept SECRET for thousands of years. The MASTER from Poona states: "The GREATEST SIN that a human being who is not FULLY ENLIGHTENED can do to another human being is to awaken their KUNDALINI". SRI AUROBINDO said: "One of the reasons a GURU (MASTER) is needed, is to -CONTROL - the KUNDALINI in the seeker after it is awakened". DASS says: "The second GREATEST SIN may be to teach a person to awaken their own KUNDALINI, if one is not an ENLIGHTENED MASTER". Every SCRIPTURE this one has consumed, that speaks of KUNDALINI in depth contains similar statements. Every MASTER who this one has been blessed to be in the LIVING PRESENCE OF has made similar statements regarding the KUNDALINI. MORE ABOUT TEACHERS: SOME TEACHERS WHO HAVE BEEN WITH A MASTER HAVE BEEN GIVEN "THE POWER" TO GIVE A STUDENT A DIRECT SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE BY TOUCH BY THEIR MASTER. IF A TEACHER CAN PROVIDE SUCH AN EXPERIENCE, IT IS LIKELY TO BE OF GREAT BENEFIT TO THE STUDENT TO STUDY AND "HANG OUT" WITH THE TEACHER. SOME TEACHERS HAVE A "CIRCLE", A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO CONSISTENTLY "HANG OUT" WITH THE TEACHER, SOME DO NOT. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT ONE APPROACHERS A TEACHER WITH RESPECT AND WITH AN OPEN MIND AND A FULL WILLINGNESS TO LISTEN AND LEARN. A TEACHER IS OPEN TO BEING ASKED ANY AND ALL QUESTIONS. NEVER BE SHY ABOUT POSING A QUESTION, NO MATTER HOW MUNDANE IT MAY SEEM OR ABOUT ASKING FOR SOMETHING FROM THE TEACHER. JUST DO NOT BE "ATTACHED" TO THE ANSWER. THE TEACHER WILL TRY TO ACCESS "THE APPROPRIATENESS" OF THE QUESTION OR REQUEST AND PROCEED FROM THERE. g. das