Talking about an inner concept usually doesn’t cut it
29/05/2012 11:17
One of our students asked a great question last night pertaining to the current lesson of the week.
She asked why “pain” was considered one of the five inner senses.
Usually I follow the guideline – “those you question well, learn well” and “it takes a level of understanding to ask a good question.” But not this time.
Last night I chose not to answer the question for two reasons.
1 - because we were really into a completely different topic and
2 - because just talking about an inner concept usually doesn’t cut it. The best way to pursue inner concepts usually requires the student to play with the “question” inside themselves using techniques provided by the teacher. In this way the student can objectively explore the concept and find their own truth. The teacher can and should be used as a guide and a sounding board for what they experience
As an example, I can talk about feeling the effects of qi between my laogong points for hours but if a student has never had any experience with a similar feeling then they will not gain much out of that conversation. In fact I’m quite intimate with the blank look of incomprehension when I talk of inner workings and concepts. Remember that if something is not within your consciousness then it does not exist… to you.
So the goal of the teacher is to lay out the breadcrumbs for the student to find and then sit back and watch the fun.
Cheers
Rod
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