It is better to not rank teachers. (It is better not to rank teachers by attainment, this one too inspired by Dharma Overground.)
- True?
Not sure. I saw that thought come up. I experienced some body reactions to it. I know I can find others who agree. - Sure?
No, not at all. - What happens when I believe this thought?
- I go into stories of why it is better not to rank teachers:
- It is not needed.
- Folks are drawn to particular teachers anyway, independent of any ranking.
- Teachers may be very good at what they are doing, including guiding folks through all the stages, without being all that high up the hierarchy of “attainment”. It all depends on how thorough their training is, and to some extent an open heart, psychological health, and so on.
- We can learn from any teacher, independent of how they show up in the world. They are mirrors for us, either for clarity or confusion, as anyone else. (This requires some familiarity with basic tools for the student.)
- Who is going to rank? I would be suspicious of just about anyone ranking in this way, not matter how much support they have.
- I notice reactive emotions coming up.
- I experience separation, being left out.
- I read that those who don’t support ranking teachers are not yet at the right developmental stage, so I obviously am not (!). This brings up some additional questions for me, especially how I can move ahead, but I am also OK with it.
- I want to understand. I know there is something there I don’t understand. I see I am attaching to a fixed view, which hinders me in exploring the other side(s).
- I go into stories of why it is better not to rank teachers:
- Who would I be without this belief?
- Curious. Interested. Interested in learning more about it. In seeing it from different perspectives from what I am used to. Interested in learning something new, open up my horizons a little more. Interested in what I will discover there.
- Turnarounds.
- It is better to rank teachers.
- Yes, I am sure there are lots of reasons why this would be a good thing, and I am only aware of – and can think of – only a few.
- It will helps some students in choosing. They may be at a level where their current teacher cannot help them further, so they want someone who can help them at the next levels.
- It may take some of the mystery out of it, in a conventional sense.
- The desire for ranking teachers come (sometimes) from compassion, from wanting to help others. It is beautiful.
- Even if it comes from beliefs, it is still better. It invites them notice their own beliefs around it, and examine them more closely (or not).
- It invites others notice their own beliefs and reactions to it, examine these, and also find the truths in both sides of the topic, and a wider perspective that holds both.
- It invites folks to be interested in, explore and refine the various models of awakening.
- It may help make the maps more aligned with real life. (For instance, it may, I suspect, show that awakening rarely follows a very predictable path. Or that some aspect may be more predictable, and other aspects not. But I don’t know that.)
- It is better to not rank students.
- Yes. It is better to meet students where they are, right now, wherever they are coming from.
- It is better for me to not rank teachers.
- Yes, I don’t have any interest in it. I just go for whomever I find an attraction to, such as Adyashanti, Byron Katie, Douglas Harding, Genpo Roshi, Joel.
- Also, I am fortunate enough to directly see where people are at in their auras. A Ground awakening is unmistakable in the aura, as are the energetic dynamics of soul level awakenings, and hangups in mental patterns, so I just go by that.
- I am also not interested in ranking teachers, because I know I can learn from them all. They all have insights and pointers that can be helpful for me. They all mirror me, in their clarity and confusion. It doesn’t matter much who they are or how they show up.
- As usual, the advice is for myself, even as it initially appeared to be for someone else.
- It is better to rank teachers.