The question is not whether you will teach, for in that there is no choice. The purpose of the course might be said to provide you with the means of choosing what you want to teach on the basis of what you want to learn.
=ACIM-Manual-Intro:2:4-5
So I begin 2019 with this notion that I am teacher and so are you. I also begin knowing that what I teach is my choice and it is a choice I base on what I wish to learn. I teach what I want to learn. So teaching, then, is learning, just as giving is receiving.
What do I want to Learn?
I want to learn to tame the mind. I am convinced that by controlling the mind into ripples as Patanjali referred to it, we can end suffering and live the lives we were meant to. I honestly believe the answer to all Life's many perceived dilemmas exists in the mind. The Dalai Lama said that: Happiness comes through taming the mind; without taming the mind there is no way to be happy.
Is this idea of taming the mind based on eastern religion? Do I have to be a Hindu, a yogi or a Buddhist to teach this or to learn it?
No...it is actually not based on religion at all. People fail to realize that both Buddhism and yoga were meant to be philosophies, a somewhat scientific approach to understanding how the mind works, not religions. Man labels, declares ownership of ideas, and separates to make religion. These were two things early yogis and the Buddha were walking away from. The ideas they proposed, wisdom gained through extensive inner study, were non-denominational and non-secular....meant for everybody. It was man that turned them into religion.
If it is Christian validation you are needing to ensure the importance of reconstructing our minds:
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you will discern what is the will of God, what is good, and acceptable , and perfect. Romans 12:2 ESV
When I think of what I want to teach and more importantly what I want to learn...I think in terms of philosophy, psychology, physiology, and even sociology. Sure...I love to study scripture and spiritual texts from many different sects but I do not get hung up on specific ideologies or beliefs. I am fascinated with the something, that really cannot be named or understood by certain trains of thought or ideas or words, that these things point to.
This learning, this teaching goes beyond the limitation of religion. Teachers and learners of the mind do not have to be religious. A Course says that teachers...come from all religions and no religion.
Spiritual Teacher?
I would not call myself a spiritual teacher. First of all, I lack the expertise or credentials and second of all it is not what I am. I don't like to label myself but if I had to I would label myself first as a learner...a life long learner...then as a teacher of what I have learned. I am probably more of a philosopher because my learning comes from 'questioning the nature of reality' than I am any kind of theologian. I am not a scientist though because what I offer isn't evidence...just a bunch of 'hypothesis' about what Life is all about. I offer more questions than I do answers. I am not sure how to validate and prove my theories even though I believe them to be true.
Special?
There is nothing special about me or anyone else who teaches. We are all teachers...every single one of us ...whether we like it or not. Teaching is done through example. The only difference is what we teach and we only have two choices of curriculum: To teach about Love or to teach about fear; To teach about the world as it is when dominated by ego or to teach about the world when it is freed by God. What do you want to teach? I want to teach about peace because I want peace in my Life. Pretty selfish maybe...and pretty non-special.
I want to teach about peace and how we can all get it. I want to lift myself and others up from the prison of suffering into the joy of living. As I learn how to do that I teach how to do that. As I teach how to do that I learn how to do that. I teach and I learn and I learn and I teach. That's how it works.
It's all good!
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