Ped said:

In thinking about this subject a little more deeply, and in contemplating some of the points raised in the continuation of this thread, I've arrived at some new conclusions.

Some of Sporetacus' points have important applications. Some of my own points have important applications. Each side has it's advantages and disadvantages. Incidentally, it seems as though the advantages and disadvantages of either view are in perfect opposition to each other, and in fact function to cancel any extremes that could arise from their application.

One view is that we must search for an exceptionally qualified teacher who meets our own standards for spiritual and ethical integrity if we are to make any spiritual progress. This has many benefits. It helps us find preliminary confidence in the instructions we receive and put in to practise. It helps us find the boundaries when we encounter troubling situations that exceed our present capacity. This view, however, also has many drawbacks. If relied upon too heavily, it can put us at odds with our teachers, fill us with doubts which destroy our spiritual life, and isolate us within a cacophony of confusing experiences.

The other view is that we should maintain an open inquisitiveness, deriving from life lessons wherever they happen to appear. This has many benefits. It is a view that makes everyone our spiritual guide, enabling us to progress swiftly, increasing our concentration and wisdom. It engages us with our experience, and brings great meaning to our whole life. If relied upon too heavily, however, this view has many drawbacks. For example, we might become arrogant and self-absorbed, develop ignorance toward valid spiritual instruction, and we may lose our spiritual bearings and end up lost in a hazy mist of subjectivism.

And so it seems like a blend of these two views is most appropriate. They balance each other out. Relying properly on the integrity of a qualified teacher, without being overly critical and probing his instructions pointlessly, will help keep us centred and give us spiritual direction. At the same time, keeping an open heart and searching for spiritual lessons from everyone we encounter and all the places we travel, propels us with great momentum in the direction of peace and happiness. It seems like a union of these two views might function like the laser beam that perfectly centres our intention upon correct spiritual targets.

We should of course always be cautious about who we listen to. If we adopt the kind of approach that I originally suggested, a view which makes us a "student of our own experience", that is to say, learning from many kinds of input without discrimination, we are in danger of carrying it to an extreme and becoming lost in self-absorption, and we shall make no genuine progress. It is helpful to have somebody else to rely on, and, if we are to rely on such a figure, we should be certain of their integrity. The criteria for this certainty, however, also has to be kept reasonable. If we are too critical and carry our rigidity to an extreme, we will become lost in doubt and disillusionment, deaf to any teachings we might receive, and we shall make no genuine progress.

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