Journey of an Eastern Mind

Written by Mathew Naismith

A spiritual teacher is asked to do a presentation on what the teacher is about to a small group of people, they accept. When the time comes, they greet everyone who comes through the door and once this is done, they then place themselves in front of the people and immediately queries, "What are you all doing here?" There is no answer because the people are perplexed by the teachers query.

The spiritual teacher then states, "You are here because you did not listen to your eastern mind, a mind of non-materialism, thought, wisdom and non-controlling ways. You are here because of your western minds material imperfections, distractions and controlling ways."

To the spiritual teacher, there is no question of the eastern mind being positive, right, good, etc, and the western mind being negative, wrong, bad, etc. As of always, and quite naturally too to the western mind, there is an obvious positive and negative in relation to the western and eastern mind. Now, why were the people sitting in front of the spiritual teacher to start with, expecting guidance and answers to life?

A predominant western minded person goes into a jungle alive with carnivorous beasties (beasts). Fear will either save this person or cause the death of the person. Now, an enlightened person of the absence of material imperfections, distractions and controlling ways enters the jungle. The carnivorous beasties react in a totally different way. Instead of being ferocious towards the enlightened person, they react playfully and acceptingly. This is actually occurring with certain people at present, where there interactions with wild carnivorous animals are at the point of being playful. You don't have to be enlightened to experience this, just of the absence of material imperfections, distractions and controlling ways.

The spiritual teacher then poses a question," Am I positive because I am the teacher and you are negative because you are the students fixated to material imperfections, distractions and controlling ways? I am not separate from you as I am not separate from creation as a whole. Whatever is of creation, we are of no matter what the western ego mind desires to only be of. The different being, no matter how much we are connected to all of creation, I am also the teacher as well as the student only because I have also learnt to listen to the eastern mind as well as the western mind."

You will notice that certain spiritual teachers will make note to taking control, especially of the mind. If the teacher mentions to the western mind to tame the mind instead of controlling the mind, what is going to occur, especially when the western mind is known to be all about taking control rather than releasing oneself of control?

It is wise when approaching the western mind, to be expressive of what the western mind comprehends to then understand. However, there are teachers who only approach a mind not dominated by the western mind. The mind approached doesn't have to be predominantly eastern but certainly not predominately controlled by the westernised mind. You will never sway a predominant western mind all about control rather than releasing control to comprehend taming the mind to start with, for only the eastern mind in all of us relates to taming the mind rather than controlling the mind. In saying this, at times while trying to influence the western mind to tame the mind, the eastern mind becomes more dominant, this is because the eastern mind, while not being of control but of releasing control, becomes more influential on the mind itself through recognition of taming the mind.

I actually approach the western mind by pointing out the difference between the eastern and western mind, one is of control, the other of taming. The problem with this to the western mind is, honesty is often not the best policy, this is why many teachers will mention taking control of the mind instead of taming the mind. I should point out here that I am not a spiritual teacher.

The spiritual teacher then goes on to express, "As you are different to all else, doesn't mean you are separate to all else. This also means all else not of your positive is negative, just a different expression of yourself. You can deny that the environment around you is not of you but all this proves is that your western mind is in control. Tame the western mind with eastern minded influences, within this, all that seemed to be negative to your own positive dissipates. The western mind loves perceptions of negatives and positives for this gives the western mind more power and control over our mind and our environment, or so is deceptively perceived by the western mind in control over our minds." 

Note: At no time did I read or listen to what is mentioned above in relation to a spiritual teachers presentation, this is wholly my own thoughts of a spiritual teachers starting presentation. 

https://medium.com/sustainability-gender-and-development-in-the/monoculture-of-the-mind-western-superiority-towards-eastern-religions-40093fae581c

Beyond the Teachers Teachings

Written by Mathew Naismith

Yes of course, a teacher who is truly being a teacher would want their students to surpass their teachings; my mistake is I wagged school a lot which made going to college interesting to say the least. Note; wagging school is to do with not going to school at times. This has made my life interesting and harder to live within an environment conducive to a high level of education.

Are not a lot of us wagging school, not learning from our greatest teacher's, isms, ideologies and our natural environment? How many of us desire to learn to live within our natural environment, the very same environment that supports our existence? How many of us are surpassing the teachers like isms and ideologies? Yes, isms and ideologies are our teachers that we should learn to surpass. Many isms and ideologies teach us about existences beyond our present environment, even the 3rd dimensional environment. How many of us are wagging these classes, or, abusing the teachings in these classes by using these isms and ideologies in an abusive way? And we wonder why the world is the way it is, and why it will stay that way or get worse!!

Most of us are conditioned from birth to only be aware of our immediate environment, making comprehension of any other environment most difficult. Most of us don't even know much about the 3rd dimensional environment, being that we still know little about the universe. How many advanced beings in the universe are we aware of? Many of us are still theorising how the universe was created, this is while many isms and ideologies teach us about environments way beyond 3rd dimensional aspects. Mind boggling isn't it!!

I was once in a state that I could ask any question and an immediate correct answer would come to me. This was quite natural to do in this state, a state that goes beyond most teacher's teachings, beyond most isms and ideologies teachings. Any of us at any time can enter into this state. I of course recently discovered this to be a true state through the teaching's of Hinduism. Please note; I am not advocating Hinduism, it's that I have no bias of any teachings therefore I learn from all teachings. The state I was in was only the tip of the iceberg as many isms and ideologies teach. How many of us are wagging these classes, or, abusing the knowledge from these classes? And we wonder why the reality is presently where it is at!!

To teach without wisdom is not teaching, it is simply telling. And to learn without the guidance of wisdom is not learning, it is simply listening of the absence of being what is being taught........M G Naismith

Student Teacher, Teacher Student

Written by Mathew Naismith

I think it's wise to look at the teacher being the observer self and the student being the participating self, one not being without the existence of the other.

Being that the teacher is only a teacher through being a student, in other words, the observer is only an observer through something to observe, the teacher and student are as worthy as each other. One is never without the other no matter how much of the teacher, the observer, we become.

Look at this reality this way, this reality is a school of numerous classes teaching numerous curriculums or topics, everything we are of is within this school. Yes, we could skip classes or school period; at no time does this exclude one of not being a part of what they have skipped.

Numerous classes can be and often are personally judged as being negative so we skip, ignore or denounce these classes, this is the student self. The teacher self observes, without judgment, that everything is of oneself no matter how much one tries to separate themselves from these negatives.

As when I went to school myself, math, English and science classes were mandatory, yes, you could skip these classes but they were still a mandatory part of the students teaching. Participation in these curriculums was essential within the school system; this is very much like participation within a 3rd dimension is mandatory even when our minds are not limited to 3rd dimensional spheres. Simply expressed, the school is primarily based on 3rd dimensional aspects of self even while numerous classes within this school teach beyond 3rd dimensional aspects.

Westernised atheism teaches the limitations of 3rd dimensional aspects of self while spirituality/religion teaches us aspects of our self beyond these limitations. Once we are of the unlimited aspectual self, it would seem to the student we are no longer of the atheist self, the self limited and aware only to 3rd dimensional aspects, at no time is this so. So once we become the teacher, we are no longer the student when in actuality we are never not of the student. To the teacher, the observer, the 3rd dimensional aspect of self is always present, only when we are of the teacher can this be so and even then the teacher is still observant of the student self, only can the student self perceive this to be otherwise.

It's the student, the participating self, that desires to skip certain classes because the student is unable to see itself of being of what the class is teaching. Yes, you don't have to express what is being taught but never perceive as a student you are not of what class you have skipped, ignored.

Time is a 3rd dimensional perception, perceive beyond time and you will realise that everything has always existed which simply means, you have always been apart of everything, no matter how hard you try to separate yourself from everything you desire not to be a part of. You are always the student as the teacher, in acutely if not more so the more of the teacher you become!! 

Genuine Love

Written by Mathew Naismith

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kUoTS3Yo4g

This video was presented by a person who I took under my wing to all her friends; I looked after them because they were having trouble assimilating into Australian culture, very much on their own accept for a child. They were trying to assimilate that much that they tried to assimilate into a religion they didn't understand.

Because this person was from Cambodia, I gave them a book on Buddhism. It's OK to assimilate into another culture but you don't have to personally give up the culture you are conditioned to, this also means not giving up an ideology and/or philosophy you are conditioned to. Of course if the ideology and/or philosophy are in conflict with the culture you are trying to assimilate into, often compromises have to be met.

I am so proud of this person presenting such a video on genuine love to all their friends, my guidance has proven itself to be true. So often do we guide people down our own path when they have their own path to follow. Yes, be expressive of your own path, which may or may not be helpful to other people's path, but avoid leading people down your own path.

What does a teacher do, do they guide their students down their own path or guide the students down the students own path? The teacher is simply being expressive of their own path that may or may not be helpful to the students own path. As they say," You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. "You can guide a student to your own waters but you can't make them of your own waters, this is unless the student's path is a part of your waters.

You could imagine how I feel that someone I have guided presented such a compelling video to all their friends. Genuine love isn't of attachments or desire, it's of the release of attachments and desires, Even attachments to ideological concepts that teach/preach love are not of genuine love. Attachments period are not of genuine love but of a desired love.

My own path is not to follow ideological concepts that I attach myself to but to use these ideological concepts simply as a guide, of course other people's path is to become attached to ideological concepts and use them as everyone's path. One is expressive of genuine love the other isn't.

It's not about what the teacher feels but of what the student feels. Genuine love is all about what the student inwardly and outwardly feels; this is the teacher's role. The student within us must also be guided in the same way without losing the teacher's guidance of genuine love.

The Reluctant Teacher

Written by Mathew Naismith 

A student of wisdom was curious to know who was his teacher of wisdom and asked, "Who are you?" In reply the teacher of wisdom said," Ask yourself this question and you should receive the same answer. A true answer can only be obtained if one is void of judging a wrong or right, good or bad, negative or positive. There is no separation, only a perception of separation between the teacher and student of wisdom. It's this perception and separation between teacher and student that asks who is the teacher."......Mathew G.

Who are we really, are we the student or are we the teacher? Human consciousness is the student because it's still in a sense asking who the teacher is, on the other hand the teacher knows who he is, the teacher but also the student.

So if the student is represented by human consciousness, what consciousness is represented by the teacher?

The various traits of the ego, makes human consciousness what it is, human. As of any consciousness like a fish, donkeys, monkeys, plants and so on, it's the consciousness that forms it's form.  Basically, each form has it's own consciousness that has created a particular form, physical form is attributed to the consciousness behind each created form. Human consciousness form is also attributed to the kind of consciousness that has formed it, as of any conscious form, human consciousness is limited, this is evident in the form it creates.

In a real sense, physical form denotes limitations within the said consciousness, this is shown in the physical form the consciousness creates, in other words, all physical creations and existences seem to denote a consciousness that is limited.

How limited is a students consciousness, especially when it asks questions like who are you or even I?

The teacher doesn't ask such questions, not just because the teacher is aware, it's because the teacher is wised to the difference between the teacher and the student when one only perceives as a student, or in our case, human conscious state.

The student = human consciousness but the teacher = something beyond human consciousness. It's basically a consciousness that is beyond the perceptions of student consciousness, the reason for this lies in the teachers unlimited potential. This unlimited potential consciousness can be known as oneness, divine energy, God's consciousness, pure wisdom and so on.

We might think the teacher can never take form as form denotes limitations which the teacher is not of. Basically it's an impossibility for the teacher to take form because once form is created, this instantly denotes that the said consciousness is limited. You can't be of limited and unlimited consciousness at the same time, it has to be one or the other.

This is student thinking, teacher thinking knows that one is always of the student no matter how unlimited the teachers consciousness is. This sounds like separation but it's not, not when knowing that the teacher can never exist without the student and visa-versa, they are one of the same. The only separation expressed, is through student (human) consciousness, even then there is no true separation, only a perceived separation by the student (human) consciousness.

If at this stage you got the idea that the student has always existed and will always stay as the student, this would be correct. It basically states that human consciousness will always be the student, anything beyond this isn't of human consciousness but of a less limited consciousness. The student consciousness is supposed to be limited within it's own consciousness, as the teacher consciousness is supposed to be unlimited. It's wise to be aware than no consciousness, no matter how limited it is within it's own consciousness, is just the student or the teacher for each is of the other. No amount of separation through judgment of wrongs and right, negative and positives, bad and good, will change this, all what judgment can do is keep a consciousness ignorant to it not also being of the teacher.

Now is judgment (ego) all this bad as it's all about separating ourselves from the teacher?

Judgment (ego) gives us the student, the lack of judgment (ego) gives us the teacher, knowing that teacher and student are as of one and never without the other, judgment (ego) and the lack of judgment (ego) is the same, there is no true separation, only an ego in control would think this!!

What would the ego in control want you to fear the most when the ego sees itself being threatened? It would want you to be fearful of expressing judgment, ego period, within this very expression, you are controlled by the ego. It's wise to be aware that the ego in control is very tricky.

The student judges that judgment is of separation, therefore judgment is separating itself from being of the teacher, this is to be avoided at all costs to become a teacher. The teacher however observes that judgment is needed for one to be a student, only as a student is the teacher a teacher, judgment becomes a necessity and at no time avoided when expressive of being a student.

Judgment within itself isn't the problem in keeping us separated from the teacher within, it's the way we judge that keeps the teacher from within being known to the student self. Yes, the teacher is reluctant to come forth as the student (human) consciousness has not yet learnt it too is of the teacher. 

Student Teacher or is it Teacher Student??

Written by Mathew Naismith

This is an interesting exchanged between me & another person in regards to The power of words.

http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=1523037&type=member&item=5795355463918829568&commentID=5797493217557491712&report%2Esuccess=8ULbKyXO6NDvmoK7o030UNOYGZKrvdhBhypZ_w8EpQrrQI-BBjkmxwkEOwBjLE28YyDIxcyEO7_TA_giuRN#commentID_5797493217557491712

G'Day Mathew,

As always, your remarks see to the heart of the matter, and your replies are spot on. I cannot thank you enuff for this; but you ARE my teacher, n'est-ce pas? And for my part I try to be a willing and humble student. It works both ways.

Yes, I can see the place where ppl come into my life for a reason; to learn something specifically I have to teach, from the unique set of circumstances conjointly shared by us. I have given this quite a bit of thought, but your words put it more clearly succinctly than I have thus far been able to articulate to myself. Thank you for your abilities in that regard.

 In peace, c

G'day Charlene

Believe it or not you are more my teacher than I am of yours.

You ask why? A teacher is never a true teacher unless they have students to teach who are willing to listen, why are these students listening?  You are listening Charlene because you already know these answers because for one to listen one would need the understanding to why one is listening in the first place.

To put it another way, at the inner self level of understanding you know the answers to be able to listen at the human level to me, you wouldn't listen to me Charlene if you didn't know the answers already, so what am I doing here? Reminding you that's all, which also helps me to remember as well, you pose a question, as a good teacher does, & I answer it to the best of my ability. See where I am coming from, I'm really only reminding you that you are a teacher because only a good teacher knows how to get the best out of there students as you have of me. 

Bless you my humble teacher.