The Teaching Continuum

The Teaching Continuum

The presence of a continuum is a common characteristic of many aspects of the Work, as well as in my ordinary life. There are different states of consciousness, and there are degrees within states of consciousness that form a continuum. There are also different levels of understanding and being that range along a spectrum of possibilities.

Similarly, there is a continuum of teaching or teachers. In my life I have had many types and qualities of teachers. I suspect most people can name one or two teachers from elementary, high school, or college whose impact was disproportionately higher or cherished. These teachers are on the upper end of your continuum of teachers. They taught you how to learn, what to study, and what not to study.

Avoid studies the result of which dies with the worker. ─ Leonardo da Vinci

I'm fortunate that I also found a conscious teacher, someone whose being is higher than anybody else I have met or known. The Teacher is someone who has achieved and maintains a permanent state of awakening. This level of consciousness is on the extreme upper end of the teacher continuum. Perhaps there is also a continuum of higher teachers among conscious teachers, but that's theoretical to me. What I know firsthand is that a conscious teacher teaches profound truth and profound kindness, even to myself.

One of the best ways to remember one’s self is to separate from the disappointment of realizing one has forgotten one’s self. ─ The Teacher

Why does a continuum matter? My mechanical state is one in which I identify or attach myself to the things and events around me. My mind and attention wander without effort to be present. My many ‘I’s take me in disparate directions, making it challenging to stay on course. I also tend to see things in black and white - in a binary way. In the Fourth Way, we call this formatory thinking. Such simple mechanical duality denies the existence of a continuum. Perceiving and receiving life as a continuum is liberating.

So, it makes sense that when I learned to control my machine a little bit better, I also began to discriminate the shades of gray in every facet of my life. The idea of a continuum became my normal way of living. I am learning to sort out my life and make choices on the upper end of life’s continuums. When I slip up, I begin again.

A great part of wisdom consists in knowing what not to learn. ─ The Teacher

Someone once said that the highest form of learning is teaching. So, I also teach what I have learned. It is like I am moving along a continuum in a direction to fill someone else’s place ahead of me, and someone is moving in behind me to replace me. A conscious teacher has an interesting role of finding proteges, budding teachers to fill in behind him, like rungs on a ladder.

And my friends and I, who are working on this Facebook page, are doing our best to pass our knowledge to you, dear reader. I am not a conscious teacher, but I have been studying and practicing the Work for many years under the guidance of a conscious teacher. And I am aware of the continuum of teaching. I need to teach so that I can learn and be more.

When you reflect on that continuum of teachers in your life, consider what qualities they brought to your growth and experience. How did they help you to learn? Did they engage and share their being and understanding with you? Did you find yourself in a higher state based on their interaction with you? I suspect so.

The wisdom of others serves as a breeze for our own sails. ─ The Teacher

A true teacher is an act of selflessness; a conscious teacher is an act of love. Learning to be present is a selfless act of love.

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Self-portrait, Leonardo da Vinci