You’ve got your warm, fuzzy spiritual teachers who are kind, and caring and will love you along the path. And then you’ve got your bad boy or sassy girl spiritual teacher who are annoying, mischievous, and even offensive as they disturb and frighten you into your spiritual realization. They don’t give you syrupy platitudes or sugarcoat their expressions. They’ll scare you to death because the old must die for the new to be born, and sometimes a startling shock is the only thing that can shatter the egoic defense.
A student wanting to impress his Zen Master said, “Everything is empty. I am nothing; there is nothing to be done.” Suddenly the Master hit him on the head with his stick. Angry and about to hit the Master back he asked, “Why did you hit me?” The Master answered, “If everything is empty, nothing . . . so where is your anger coming from?” The student was perplexed and had no answer. The Master laughed and went away. Zen Story
Waking up is not always a comfortable experience. Sometimes the truth hurts and the consequences can be startling. Sacred cows can’t be slaughtered by niceties, and your very belief system must be challenged. The teacher who wants your praise more than your grief is not the one who is going to push you over the edge. The greater emergence of spirit in your life cannot fit into old familiar patterns of behavior, and sometimes it just might take a bad boy or sassy girl to knock you into Infinity.
Spiritual Contemplation: When have you had a rough teacher shock you into greater awareness? Could you have ever gotten that understanding through sweetness?
Affirmation: I trust the perfect teachers of my spiritual path!