The Insights You Seek

When we want to get to a new place in our life, we

usually will spend some time, energy and money to

achieve that objective.

This kind of effort is generally put forth if we want

to receive some kind of education or training.

If the new place that we want to get to in our life

has more to do with our consciousness and how we are

as people, the way and people that we wish to use a

facilitator for that change may be more difficult to

find then getting training in how to use a computer.

We know that we wish to change, or have to change, but

we can be suspicious or have doubts about what way is

best and who we should listen to or take as a teacher.

This can be made more difficult if we are older, our conditioning and habits are quite strong or if we have been

 successful in life, materially well – off or have achieved some high social status.

But anyone who has experience in advising or teaching

people about Yoga, Buddhism or any other path to

better living has seen that some highly placed,

educated, materially well - off and successful people

have come to them and have as many issues to face as

people from other social and economic places in life.

We see Ambassadors who have marriage and drinking

problems.

We see bankers who are dealing with mental stress and sluggishness in their being.

We see the CEO’s who have lost touch with their family

and children.

Regardless of what our social or economic status is in

life, in whatever place or country, we may or will

need someone to teach or guide us as we make our way

along this new journey in life.

Sometimes we are too quick to surrender to another, or

we surrender too much, or we surrender to the wrong

person.

Unfortunately many times we do not trust ourselves as

much as we should and we think that the teacher we

have come to should be our mother, father and most

intimate companion.

And sometimes a teacher might want to use or

manipulate such a person as this.

It does and has happened.

Many times the insights that we seek can be accessed

on our own if we are diligent in our study and

practice.

A teacher should be assisting us in getting started,

but one of the teacher’s objectives in assisting and

teaching us is that we should be able to wean

ourselves from him or her and move out on our own

using the things that we have learned and become a

foundation for our living from him or her.

Many times, it is through our regular practice and

meditation that we start to access the insights that

we seek.

As we trust these insights and ourselves better, we

build on them further and with it we strengthen our

confidence, patience and wisdom.

We always want to remember that it is not enough to

just have insights where we start to have confidence

in ourselves but that we also want to be more mindful

about and open to others.

It is not just personal wisdom that we work to, but

the ability to have universal understanding and love.

It is not just progress in our own practice that work

for, but making our practice such as that we are more

of a light to others.

It is not just appreciating and learning from the

insights that we access, but sharing those insights

with others in a truly loving and sharing manner.

The mentor that we want, seek or think that we need

can and should be a lifelong friend, but at times our

attitude to him or her has to be like the old bicycle

that we once loved and road everyday, but now look at

with fondness, appreciation and nostalgia, but seldom

ride anymore.

©2004 John C. Kimbrough

(John lives and teaches in Bangkok, Thailand. He can

be reached at johnckimbrough@yahoo.com)