Something simple about teachings:
I tend to not seek out teachings these days, apart from some doses of Adyashanti and Byron Katie which are explicitly an invitation for own inquiry.
In general, I find it helpful to take any statement – whether it’s a teaching, a model or anything else – as a question and invitation for own exploration. What do I find for myself, in my own experience, when I look into it? If it’s something very practical, I can test it out for myself. And if not, I may find I don’t know, cannot know, and don’t need to know (at least not right now).
Also, teachers and teachings may trigger beliefs in me, and I can take these to inquiry. Quite often, what I find through these inquiries are as or more interesting and helpful for me than the teachings themselves.
I also sometimes look at the turnarounds of teachings and find how these are as or more true for me than the initial statement. Again, this may be as interesting and helpful as the teaching itself.
Some beliefs I imagine in certain teachers (which I only imagine because they sometimes are here):
They need to get it. They need to say/be/do this.
I know. I know how it is. My perception is (absolute) reality. I am right.
And some thoughts about specific teachers. I notice I feel a bit embarrassed sharing these here, which is a sign there is something juicy waiting for me in inquiring into them.
Vigdis G. in Oslo: She should invite for inquiry rather than teaching/preaching. She only told me what I was familiar with from a long time back. She made assumptions about me. She used a sledge hammer (shoulds with energy behind). She is not skillful. She only said things I would say during my initial opening phase. She is not taking a very mature approach. She is provincial. What she says is obvious. What she says is quite naive. She believes some of her thoughts.
Malichek M.: He preaches instead of inviting to inquiry. He says the same over and over. He is predictable. He is not open (he said his teachings would never change even if he lived a thousand years). He overgeneralizes. He talks about things he cannot know as if it was certain.
Ken W.: He is arrogant. He mixes his own wounds into his teachings and models (especially about greens). He reviews others based on straw man arguments (he makes incorrect assumptions). He has a need to be seen as big. He is trying to compensate for feeling small/inferior. He sometimes says obvious things and tries to make it look special.
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– when hear teachings
– questions for own explorations
– also, recognize tendency for shoulds + statements in myself
— beliefs: (a) They need to get it, they need to say/be/do this, etc. (b) I know, I know how it is, my perception is (absolute) reality