Hi Rod, --- Rod Scholl <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I think my earlier responses got lost in the ether > -- so I'll try again: > > Alex, > > Thank you for your answers about your school. I > have done a little looking into teaching/learning > hiearchies myself and could use more insight, so I > have more questions for you. > > a) Am I to understand that you are the teacher of > this eight person school given that you proclaimed > you have never had a teacher (with Nagarajuna being > a possible exception)? I've had many teachers, but none ever came close to the impact Nagarjuna has on me. My approach is this: To practise is to study, and to study is to teach, and to teach is to practise. These activities form a closed, self-reinforcing circle. In other words, it is impossible to practice without studying, it is impossible to study without teaching, it is impossible to teach without practising, it is impossible to study without practising, etc. > b) You say that if a better teacher comes along he > would take your place. How would you recognize such > a teacher? Simple. The less a person tends to complain, the more advanced in the spirtual practice that person is. If a person with less propensity for complaining arrives, I'll bow out and ask that person to teach us. My spiritual practice allows me to lessen my propensity for complaining (which used to be enormous to begin with). A fully enlightened person couldn't find any reason to complain about anything, even if his very life depended on it. He just simply can't complain. In that, fully enlightened people are inferior to us, regular dudes, because they are handicaped, they lack something we all have. Right now, I know for a fact that I'm not fully enlightened, because I feel compelled to complain about the horrendous amount of suffering imposed on millions of humans in the Indian Ocean region. Why, god, why? > c) Did you ever discover who it was that > mysteriously subscribed you to this list? Do you > suspect one of your students, who would then likely > be a member as well? I seem to recall that someone suggested I go to this list (sent me the link in an email), promising that I'll find myself surrounded by incredibly open-minded people. Always the one to believe that we need to turn every stone on the way, I followed that trail of breadcrumbs, and so here I am. As for who that was, I'm not totally sure, as I've been dealing with a deluge of emails for some time now. It probably was one of my former students (some people join us and then, after a while, move out; this is a huge continent, and the economy dictates pretty much volatile lifesyle). > Thanks for your time, It's been my pleasure and a privilege. Alex ===== No karma was produced during the composition of this letter __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> It is better to give.... Especially when giving to a child in poverty. Click here to meet a child you can help. http://us.click.yahoo.com/uq3f6C/hJlJAA/i1hLAA/S27xlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, Right Livelihood Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZenForum/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
