Advice to Students
Reader comments made my mind focus on the subject of teachers and the approach to them the disciple must take. As I have said before, it takes as much ability to be a good student as it does to be a good teacher.
There are two extremes the student must avoid:
[1] The extreme where an admired teacher is his whole world, where nothing is true unless the teacher or guru endorses it. This is the extreme promoted by cult leaders where the students are not allowed or encouraged to think for themselves. Instead, they are to learn from the cult teacher and no one else.
[2] The extreme where the student has no base teachings that ring with his soul, but moves from one to another using little discrimination to place a value of one over another. In this extreme the student will often claim to believe several different teachers, even though they may teach conflicting doctrines that oppose one another. For instance, some may accept the “Urantia Book” which says there is no reincarnation, and also accept Edgar Cayce who definitely taught it.
It is a simple fact that if two teachings oppose each other they cannot both be true.
The student who follows the Middle Way goes not on the path of either extreme. He is not a black-and-white follower of an infallible prophet or guru, but neither does he flit from teacher to teacher in a never ending quest for truth, but not finding it.
The wise student will seek until he finds teachings that square with his soul. These teachings will then be his base from which he can judge other teachings when the light of his soul alone may not be enough for a full revelation.
Instead of replacing these teachings every few months with the latest “channeling,” he uses them as a standard for which to judge others. He will only replace this base with another if his soul confirms that a new set of teachings has a higher percentage or quality of truth. Now even if he does make this replacement he will not leave the truth behind he has gathered from his first base. Truth is truth, and the true seeker will always incorporate true principles he has embraced in his journey.
A higher teacher may correct some errors and fill in some gaps from a lesser teacher, but he will not contradict that which is true.
It is interesting that many teachers in the east demand that their students learn only from them for a period of time. The good ones do this not to establish infallible authority but to avoid confusion. Two teachers of equal quality will often teach the same thing quite differently. If the student is learning the same course from two teachers who teach from a different perspective he will often wind up getting confused and waste both teacher’s time in getting them to explain and clarify.
Now I make no such demands of allegiance, but may if I were to teach some specific course in something like meditation, for instance. Where I teach a wide range of material it is not necessary to make any more demand from students other than to take their learning serious, check with their souls and to be courteous.
If some grow to feel that I am an earned authority and can use my teachings as a base until something better comes along well and good. Having a sound base is a much better position than having no base and being “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.” (Eph 4:14)
The Fourth Ray
Creativity is indeed a divine aspect. Out of the Seven Rays of creation it is represented in the Fourth Ray, but it is not the key word for the Middle Way.
Creativity is a sign of an advanced human, but many creative people have not found the Middle Way.
When Adam named the animals he could have been creative with the names, but he could have also been very simple and uncreative. Perhaps he called them the first thing that came to his mind with little creativity.
He did use a quality that precedes decision and is the reason that men are called gods, or Elohim, several times in the Old Testament.
What is Energy?
What is energy? Good question. Energy is that power which creates or can create a force capable of moving matter in any direction. This includes not only matter in the physical, but also the astral and mental planes.
Energy is created by the interplay of spirit and matter and is released when spirit descends into matter or matter is elevated into spirit.
If one is descending deeper into matter or the plane of selfishness and puts his or her attention on this motion he will have an increase of material energy. Likewise, if one is ascending into Spirit and puts his attention on Spirit, or selflessness, then he will have an increase of spiritual energy.
If one is indecisive and does little or nothing with his attention, energy will be dissipated and little or no new energy will come to his aid.
If you think there is no truth to be found in a certain place, then you will find none. On the other hand, truth can be found by contemplating the most simple and erroneous words, because “the Word is God” — a future key.
I make no judgement about the book of Genesis, I merely ponder the words.
“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be open, and ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil.” (Gen 3:5)
Now substitute “deciding” for “knowing.”
Now Verse 22:
“And God said” Behold the man is to become as one of us, to know (decide between) good and evil.”
The power of decision is a key that will take you from the kingdom of man to the kingdom of God.
Why is this?
“Raise your sail one foot and you get ten feet of wind.” — Chinese Proverb
April 3, 2009
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