Teacher

 

   A ll phenomena are for instruction. All beings are our teachers. We understand ourselves perhaps best when we consider all the impressions that approach our innermost self as a possibility to learn. In this search for knowledge, our attitude towards the impressions we encounter is crucial. A tree may be just a tree to the One, while the seeker may see it as a being born of ignorance, like ourselves, and then follow and REALize the impulse to grow and prosper. We can probably recognize and self-reflect most easily even when we understand our thinking, feeling and acting as reactions to our sensory perceptions. Thus cause and effect are interchanged in our EXPERIENCE and we are put in the precious and profitable position of becoming aware of the determinacy of all Being. Every sentient being we meet on our paths is useful for our maturation and is never sent „by chance“.

It is only in the eye of the beholder whether we are quick and careless in our encounters or whether we want to understand the underlying metaphysical meaning of each experience. In my experience, this is done mainly by the method that we – in direct contact and experience of a „you“ – reflect on our innermost feelings and thoughts in order to recognize the nature of the instruction and teaching we are experiencing. Only our fear of not being loved for our own sake makes us suspicious and arrogant. We follow the motive of the false ego by believing that we can sense love through self-expression and confrontation on an intellectual level. However, TRUE love and REAL recognition take place in the heart and therefore the motivations of our being may also come from there.

The beggar at the roadside may simply be a beggar to the unwary, who has an individual history behind him and carries with him a history that has made his fate become what he „is“ now. The mindful person, on the other hand, may reflect on the infinite variety of human life; he may be grateful that that beggar reminds him of the need for honest and sincere compassion; he may recognize the preciousness of his own – at best materially secured – position in his life; he may also see the commonality with that beggar who longs for love and happiness as much as he does. And finally, his insights may be translated into action – by offering alms to the beggar. Decisive for the recognition of one’s own moral maturity and personal development is the meditation which is to be practiced and practiced constantly. Meditation is also understood as „contemplation“ and I find this term comprehensively describes what seems to be important in a contemplative mood. He who „sinks“ listens to his inner voice and quietly contemplates his inner experience while being exposed to the stimuli of his senses. In this way, the practitioner quickly becomes aware of the interconnectedness of all life and recognizes himself as inseparably connected with everything that is. To „experience“ God ALWAYS takes place in the Now, that is, in all our daily lives. Focusing on the Now may wisely include the constant, inner question: „WHY am I experiencing this or that right now? WHAT might my experience mean to me right now? HOW do I recognize a meaning in that experience? WHO am I?“

In my experience, to see life as a teaching is not only beneficial for a calm and balanced mind, but rather leads to serenity and peace in the heart. Excitements are perceived as temporary impulses that fulfil their – somehow – purpose, even if this purpose is mostly closed to us at first. Granted: recognition in the now is sometimes difficult to realize. For this reason, it is of utmost importance for the true practitioner to retreat to a quiet and homely place for regular meditation. Meditation may follow a variety of methods; I personally use significant moments of reflection on my past experiences. In this way, I often recognise in retrospect the possible meaning of an experience made, which at first – in direct experience – remained closed to me. A continuous „examination“ of my own experience and a permanent questioning of my own motivations and the resulting actions leads directly and immediately to satisfaction.

Recognition happens when we listen to our hearts and mistrust the confusions of the spirit, testing with equanimity. Through this we mature to mastery and develop the immeasurably profitable virtue of humility. May we all, then, understand our experiences and our encounters as a means to an end, to know ourselves – by understanding everything that happens in and around us as continuous instruction.

„I myself have attained enlightenment – whose student should I call myself? I myself am the incomparable teacher.“
Gautama Buddha “