Worldly Wisdom Wednesday – Teachers
Posted By Randy on June 26, 2013
When one sets forth to learn an Art, whatever that Art may be, one begins with an interest in it as well as some degree of presupposition about its nature. This presupposition will often differ to some degree from the Truth that reveals itself as training in the chosen Art progresses.
A student who prefers his or her imaginings of the Art above the Truth of it will never hear its Truth over the noise of their ego. At best, such ones will falter and fall by the wayside having never reached any meaningful degree of understanding. At worst, now and then one will absorb enough of the Truth to be able to fool the unenlightened, and craft their own version of it in the form of a deceitful amalgam made from blending their own personal presumptions with carefully cherry picked fragments of the Truth. The absolute worst of this latter group will go on to take money from the unwary in exchange for “teaching” what they “know”. In this world at the moment, many True and fine Teachers may be found to guide a student on the Path to their chosen Art, but still more easily found are the false “teachers”.
Telling the difference between the two is often as easy as divining whether or not the “teacher” is still being taught themselves. In reference to my Esteemed Friend and Teacher, Laurie Lacey, I once wrote some lines that I will paraphrase here because I can think in the moment of no better way to explain the concept.
It’s said that the more we learn, the more we come to realize how much more there is to learn, but I regard this description as being far too limiting, task oriented, and dripping with drudgery – as in the further down the road you go, the more you come to realize how much farther you have still to travel. I take a more exploratory angle on this. While the acquisition of knowledge certainly serves to highlight the need for more knowledge in those of us who thirst for it in our quest for that state called “Wisdom”, I see each thing learned as a lamp that further serves to light the way. Each lamp illuminates where we are as it sheds its glow upon what was previously unseen, while at the same time permitting us to perceive new paths diverging into the gloom, each leading who knows where? Of such is born the spirit of exploration and enlightenment!
Those on such a quest will follow these dim paths one by one. Sometimes in the darkness, another lamp is seen in the distance, carried by one who knows well that path, and others convergent and divergent. Who has knowledge of the most fundamentally important kind. If their knowledge includes paths we wish to travel, they may be convinced to impart that knowledge to us, and so become our Teacher, even as they themselves are following the glow of the lamp carried by a Teacher of their own. Even as the student may find himself approached by other lamp bearers desiring knowledge of the paths he knows best. Even as one of these may be the Teacher himself.
Anyone worth learning from makes no pretense of being a finished product, and such people are perpetual students invigorated by their passion, A True Teacher can effortlessly blend his own quest with that of his student.
The “teacher” who presents himself as the pinnacle of achievement is to be avoided. So too is that all too common one who promises enlightenment without effort. Fast, easy, shallow, and meaningless. Delivery in 30 minutes or your pizza is free. In this case, free of all value.
The first effort expended in learning an Art lies in finding a True Teacher.
The greatest teachers I have had were known by the following names: Mr. Chen, James, Bill, etc. Those known as “master”, “grand master”, etc.–they may or may not be what they say. The question is: why do they feel the need to say it?
In more traditional university education, I remember a time in my misguided youth when the number of letters that followed someone’s name impressed me. That left me along the way, and a long time ago. One can call himself what he wants for his own reasons, but in Truth, only substance matters.
Oh yes, and to address the students who become masters before they have mastered the basics, I have had a few of those in my years of teaching martial arts. They are memorable by their gigantic flaws, which normally speaking, are a part of all of our paths. The problem is when you bring those huge mistakes with you after deciding that you are ready to teach. For some reason, certain people feel that by becoming martial arts masters, they will be perceived as special. Again, the best ones I have known, while in possession of hard-earned power and skill, did not present themselves as such. The word “comfortable” comes to mind, i.e., it was easy to be around them–no weird energy or judgemental behaviors, just people. Happy people.
OY! As someone whose first language was NOT English once wrote to me, “You have indeed struck the nail upon the top.”
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