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Chapter
9 - Don't Trash After being a student for over a month, I
came to realize that every meeting was an unpredictable event. The structure was centered around Rama and
meditation. I began to understand
that he, of all the people I had ever met, was the most unpredictable. He was also the most powerful and enlightened
being I had run across. On this evening I was sitting as usual, close
to the front, and enjoying the waves of energy that always happened
before each meeting. Suddenly Rama came into the room. He was obviously upset. He sat down, turned off the music and glared
out into the body of students. The
room turned golden and my spine started to straighten on its own. "I have observed that many of you are trashing
me!" he said. "The karma is
too intense for trashing your teacher!
It is impossible to see completely
why I do and say the things I do.
You simply cannot see with the depth needed to understand what
I do!" "This being so, it is in your best interest
to just come and meditate and not pass judgment on me or try to expect
me to live up or down to your unenlightened and limited expectations!" The silence was astounding. The energy in the room was electric. It was clear that he had struck a nerve.
I wondered at how he could speak with such force and apparent
anger and the room remain this intense golden color! The following week he was once again on a
rampage. "I can't believe some of you! Now you are trashing other spiritual teachers!"
he exclaimed. "Who are you to pass judgment on any spiritual teacher! Who sat you up on the judgment seat and gave
you authority to say that this teacher is right or this teacher is full
of shit! You think that you
are so advanced that you are above the karma of your deeds and actions,"
he ranted. "Let me tell you! You don't know the first thing as to why these
beautiful individuals are doing what they are doing. You have not bothered to look deeply into the
people that they have to work with.
If you had, you would have a kinder, more gentler assessment
of them and their place in Eternity!" "Just as it is extremely bad karma to trash
me, it is equally bad karma to trash any spiritual teacher. Don't do it! If you cannot speak with respect, then don't speak at all!" Once again the room was stunned. How did he know that I had been discussing
some of the television evangelists this week and had really trashed
them? I resolved not to do that again. The third week we were expecting Rama to
once again come in a nasty mood. He
didn't disappoint us. "I am so sick and tired of this! What must I do to instill any sense of etiquette
in you people?" he exclaimed in disgust. "Now you are trashing fellow spiritual aspirants,
your fellow students! I just
can't believe how mean and vicious you are with each other! Don't you see that every one of these beautiful
souls in here is trying to attain Enlightenment and that makes them
pretty special. Just because
they don't dress the way you think they should, or maybe they haven't
yet read the books or know the jargon that you know, doesn't give you
the right to speak of them in a condescending way.
If you are so advanced that you can pass judgment on anyone in
this room, then you are obviously far too advanced for this study and
you should leave right now!" The room was totally still. His point had been made. Okay, I thought: Don't trash my Teacher. Don't
trash any spiritual teacher. Don't
trash any spiritual aspirants. Got
it! The next week Rama walked in, turned down
the music and quietly said, "Everyone
and everything is your spiritual teacher.
Don't trash your teachers." As I meditated and journalized these meetings,
I came to some rather interesting insights. I realized that the habit
of "trashing" someone or something alleviated me of the responsibility
of looking at that person's point of view.
As long as I could make someone wrong or misguided, then I would
not have to really look at myself. I also observed that after the first week
a few students left. They figured
that Rama was only trying to attack those who were pointing out his
flaws and mistakes. The second week some more left because they
felt that he was "monitoring" them and really had no business telling
them what or how to examine other teachers or philosophies. The third week some left because they did
not like his style. They were
tired of his rampages and apparent angry attitude. Those of us who stayed (almost everyone) saw the point in his actions and eventually saw how perfectly he had presented this important lesson of non-judgment. Next >>
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