Title: psychological aspects
Description: psychological pitfals on the path
kh7 - October 1, 2006 08:22 PM (GMT)
| QUOTE |
Concerns, Difficulties and Fatal Errors
1. An inability to distinguish between an obstacle (pitfall, detour, or dead-end) and the Path itself.
2. An intention to quit the Path, as it has not provided the rewards one was hoping for. One was lonely and hoped for companionship. One suffered from doubts and sought conviction. One was bored and sought adventure and/or romance. One sought a teacher and couldn't find one.
3. A feeling that one's ability to detect danger on the Path needs no improvement.
4. An inability to distinguish a feeling from a belief, or an inability to distinguish either of these from an intention, or an intuition.
5. An inability to tell whether one is walking the Path or whether one is imitating portions of the legends of people who are widely believed to have done so.
6. A belief that one can easily tell whether another person is on the Path or not. |
Nick the Pilot - October 1, 2006 11:55 PM (GMT)
KH,
That is a good list. I would imagine that many Theosophists have felt they are good enough for a Teacher, but have not met one yet. There is a saying, "When the student is ready, the teacher will be provided." I suppose all we can do is improve our compassion, work on getting rid of more bad karma, and be assured that we will be offered Initiation when we are ready.
I am reminded how Tibetan Buddhism stresses the need to have teachings transmitted from teacher to student. Blavatsky, on the other hand, stresses the need for Theosophists to be able to study diligently on their own, often without a teacher. There just are not enough Theosophical teachers to go around.
Pippin - October 2, 2006 04:40 AM (GMT)
Hello people, I am new to this forum. :D I’ve had a very quick look around, will
endeavor to spend more time reading through threads.
I find this concept of needing teachers an interesting subject.
It’s the quality in the asking that receives and also the teachers are within,
never from without. The only thing able to teach at the highest possible level is
nature herself. The Mahatma’s themselves are her students. Blavatsky is right, we
must learn on our own. And ask the nature around us the deeper, finer, inner
properties of existence to be awaken within us with her guidance.
Looking forward to spending some time here. :)
greendeva - October 2, 2006 04:53 AM (GMT)
Hello I am GreenDeva, I feel that we can find knowledge and wisdom from within, but there are points on the path where we do need guidance from those ahead of us. GD
kh7 - October 27, 2006 04:22 PM (GMT)
The teachers-issue is an old topic. I'm not sure Blavatsky would have had us avoid finding a spiritual teacher - though she would have had us learn to stand on our own. These can sound like opposites, but really don't have to be. It's more like the middle road. For instance: Blavatsky warned against the dangers of meditation, for those who do it without a teacher and at the same time concluded that there weren't good teachers in the west. That situation has probably improved at least a bit (though probably not as much as TM people would have us believe). So what would Blavatsky say now?
Krishnamurti's inheritance puts this paradox on an even higher level. His central message was that we should not depend on a teacher, yet he spent his life... teaching... The ultimate place between those two extremes must be found somewhere by each of us.
I keep a collection of articles on this subject on my website:
spiritual teachers and gurus - pros and cons Nick the Pilot - October 29, 2006 04:45 AM (GMT)
KH,
You are correct -- it is a paradox. I suppose that we just have to approach it in two directions -- keep using (or looking for) a teacher, yet depend on ourselves to learn these things for ourselves.
There is one more aspect of being a chela (disciple) that has not been mentioned. It has been said that some of us may have been let loose in this lifetime without any contact with the Masters until we die. This gives us a chance to see how well we have incorporated the teachings into our very essence. It has also been said that some of us may be in conteact with teachers when we are alseep, yet we forget about these nocturnal discussions when we awake.
So maybe we are not as masterless as we think....
kh7 - October 29, 2006 10:19 AM (GMT)
well, as we're progressing to chelaship in this discussion - there is a very relevant article on being tested and taking 'the pledge' by William Quan Judge:
On the effect of the ES pledge