worthwhile teachings Vs. bad behavior & flawed teachers
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Posted by:
roark ®

10/07/2017, 13:56:56
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Howdy,

I became interested in the thread that Howardyang posted below, and started thinking about a possible conversation here regarding the unevenness between how 'spiritual teachers' behave and what they teach, and why it matters.

I quickly realized I didn't know where to begin, as there is way too much ground to cover with so many intertwined dynamics involved in the discussion, such as:

  • how traditional religions created the 'God' concept, anthropomorphized it with their Godmen, and cued up savior mythologies
  • how entire 'spiritual paths' and philosophies are judged by their few highly visible and vocal proponents Vs. their minions of quiet, anonymous practitioners
  • the tendency to downgrade one's opinion of not only teachers themselves but entire philosophies / practices / wisdom traditions when becoming disenchanted with a particular teacher
  • the egoistic, needy nature of those that are driven to become teachers (many as soon as they think they have learned something), borrowing teachings from established traditions, then taking credit for their own 'extraordinary wisdom'
  • the viral effect of media and our celebrity / hero worship culture, mixed with the immediacy of today's internet
  • the soft underbelly of spiritual tradition histories (including misogamy, persecution, sexual abuse, political power grabs, out-sized wealth accumulation, etc)
  • the soft underbelly of spiritual teachers themselves (including misogamy, persecution, sexual abuse, political power grabs, out-sized wealth accumulation, etc)
  • motives Vs. ethics involved when teachers pretend to be 'above the law', behave badly and shed personal ethical responsibility, using outs such as the Tibetan Buddhist 'Crazy Wisdom' excuse
  • the myth of 'enlightenment' and other imagined, unattainable tail-chasing goals
  • the natural and inherent process of learning from teachers then moving on and discarding them
  • where to draw the line with putting up with teachers' bad behavior / limitations and how to take what you want and move on without closing off pathways to future growth, learning and integration
  • where to draw the line with teachers' bad behavior and limitations, then helping to actively out them in an attempt to help those that remain in their sway or to warn those that are thinking about going there
  • what becomes left over, such as the ethos of integration, what has value (sic: what is the good, true and beautiful?), and the virtue of attempting to match one's actions with deeper   values
I know I missed a bunch of stuff, but as I look at all of these interrelated dynamics, it is easy for me to see that each and every one applies to my own relationship with GMJ and the path I trod for a time.

Mike








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