Rules
We have so many rules about what we want an enlightenment teacher to look like. What we want a spiritual teacher of any kind to look like. And there’s lots of problems involved with that.
Number one, first and foremost is that you are going to miss the true teacher. Because as we’ve been learning through all of our Zen stories for all these weeks, the actual teacher is very ordinary. They don’t fulfill your miracles, doen’t act the way you want them to act.
Asking to be Fooled
But more important than that, if you have all these rules about what you want a spiritual teacher to look like, then when you encounter someone who is very good at looking like that… you are going to think they are the thing.
This is why we have such prolific numbers of fake spiritual teachers. We hand it to them!
All they gotta do is be a really good faker. All you gotta do is pull a couple of miracles out of your bag. These days the only thing you have do to be seen as a spiritual teacher is give somebody a really good feeling.
The Zen Master
As we’re learning in our Zen stories, the true Zen master does not necessarily make you feel good. Especially at the very beginning. That’s why these Zen stories are so valuable. Because it’s painting a picture, in your mind, of this world of awakening. How it follows very different rules than the rules we tend to set for our lives.
So just just keep listening to these stories. Following these stories and let the pictures paint a picture in your mind of something very different than what you may be expecting… in the teacher, and in yourself.