The Teacher's Dilemma

Most people live in a fantasy world. They think that their likes and dislikes, their strengths and weaknesses, their hobbies and careers, their families and cultures, their hopes and their dreams all indicate who they are. They're comfortably nestled into the idea that their happiness and success depends on how their lives unfold in relation to this sense of their selves. They've spent their whole lives constructing their images, with enthusiastic encouragement from others. The last thing they want to hear is that their world views are delusional and that they have to dismantle and discard them, if they want to know the truth.

By simply saying that, it's likely that I've just lost a portion of my readers, already.

Speaking this truth directly and without pretense will bounce off of any brain not willing and open to accepting and absorbing it. But this is the way it is. So then, how can a teacher coax people onto a path of spiritual evolution?

It becomes necessary to speak falsely. To promise treasures and greatness for the illusory self, knowing full well that the best prizes don't present themselves until after one has seen through the illusion. The hope being that, once students are dedicated to a path, the false phrasings can be replaced with more accurate depictions.

But, until people release their preconceptions, the truth can't take root. More accurate phrasing might inspire sufficient curiosity to motivate one beyond preconceptions, but hearing descriptions of the indescribable isn't a suitable substitute for the experiences a teacher strives to lead his/her students to.

Pushing too hard will end in rejection and dismissal. Too light a touch won't move students out of their comfort zones. And there's no right touch for all occasions or all students. So a teacher must have a clear sense of where her students are developmentally, know how receptive they are, hone a heightened sensitivity to each students real time reactions, and be able to adjust her words and intensity, on the fly.

The self, the body, families and needs don't evaporate. It's not about destroying the ego and relinquishing all ambitions. It's more a matter of gaining a better understanding of the relationships between the different aspects of self, consciousness and awareness. And then, adopting more appropriate priorities and attitudes.

It's akin to a child realizing that her stuffed animals don't really have feelings or that he's not actually a master ninja. From one perspective, it's a pity to lose the illusion, but the truth is what it is. It's a no brainer which version of reality is better to choose to live within.

No kids want to be told that their fantasies are silly child stuff, and it's certainly not a fun job to do so. But it's an important job that, at some point in time, needs to be done, for the good of the children and the world that they will inherit responsibility for.

So an effective teacher must be tender and loving, patient and kind, helpful and nurturing, respectful and understanding - all without being pushy or demanding. He must simultaneously be motivator and supporter, scout and guide, master and servant. Of course, no one can be all things to all people. He can only strive to provide what aspirants who arrive seeking guidance need, in a form that's digestible for them.

May all teachers continue to learn and grow into the best examples that they can be, and may they lead as many others as they can, forward, in their journeys, for the good of us all.

Om shanti, shanti, shanti