--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
> --- In [email protected], "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
> > --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > wrote:
> > <snip>
> > > "Bad stress. Evil stress. If it weren't for stress, I'd be
> > > enlightened."
> >
> > Another useful aspect of the stress/samskaras idea is
> > to convey to the student that while it's their
> > responsibility to get rid of it, they aren't to blame
> > for having accumulated it in the first place. This
> > can be potentially liberating.
>
> I should point out that according to the theory of
> karma, they *are*, in fact, responsible for having
> accumulated the samskaras in the first place.
"To blame for" and "responsible for" are two *very*
different concepts. I don't choose my words at
random.
<snip>
> > > P.S. In case you've never encountered it, one approach that
> > > is sometimes taken by some spiritual teachers when dealing
> > > with students who have established a history of clinging to
> > > their stories is to poke fun at the student for doing so. Since
> > > this number has been run on me many times, I can attest that
> > > sometimes it works, and the student actually makes a break-
> > > through and laughs at him self or her self and the stories no
> > > longer have any power over them. Sometimes all it does is
> > > reinforce the stories and make the student angry. Basically,
> > > for both student and teacher, it's a crapshoot...you never know
> > > how it's going to turn out.
> >
> > I'd suggest that being able to correctly determine
> > how it's going to turn out is the sign of a good
> > teacher ("skillful means" and all that).
>
> If that were true, every enlightened teacher would
> have created a bunch of enlightened students.
Uh, no, I believe I said "good teacher," not
"enlightened teacher." Enlightenment does not
automatically make one a good teacher.
Nor was I referring to the ultimate goal of the
student becoming enlightened, but simply to a
degree of progress along the way.
Some students, moreover, may achieve realization
even with a *bad* teacher; and others may not
achieve realization, at least in the current
lifetime, with the *best* teacher.
But
> it didn't turn out that way. Therefore, I stick with the
> term "crapshoot." Sometimes you roll a 7, sometimes
> snake eyes.
>From another perspective, of course, it's all
"grist for the mill," and we get what we need
when we need it, even if it looks like snake eyes
at the time.
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