A few things I find helpful when listening to teachers…
- Any statement…
- Is a question and a pointer for own inquiry (if I am drawn to it or it seems helpful)
- Scratches the surface only (no matter how clear the Ground awakening, how profound the soul awakening, how mature and healthy the human self)
- Is from very limited experience (no matter the amount and breadth of experience)
- Anything I see over there, I know from myself (the world is a mirror)
- I can notice beliefs coming up (tension, sense of separation, sense of something to protect), and inquire into them
- What to look for in a teacher in general…
- Familiar with the awakening terrain (at least some of it)
- Ground and/or soul level awakening (Ground: the ground of experience wakes up to itself. Soul: All content of experience awakens to itself as awareness itself.)
- A healthy and mature human being
- Know that only scratch the surface, no matter how clear the Ground awakening, how profound the soul level awakening, and how healthy, mature and experienced the human self
- Know that all is from very limited experience, no matter how vast it may seem in a relative sense
- Know that everybody already know these things, they just need to notice and be reminded
- See the world as a mirror, finding in themselves anything they see in others and the wider world (not caught up in blind projections)
- Give the students the tools to explore for themselves, including during talks, and the talks serve often as pointing instructions
- Familiar with the awakening terrain (at least some of it)