[CDCL7WKJ]

if we could just get away from the addiction to teachers. The teachings seem to me to be designed to make themselves obsolete, superfluous, once we've got the point. Just my musings... ^^

I go with this FBM. Why? Because experience. When I read an interpretation of somebody... to say Dalai Lama or Thich, or some of the Ajahn's at the end I am, one of two things, or being influenced by a personal experience of a teaching which sets apart from direct experience or I can not grow from the words of a teacher.

In Zen, most of the teishos I have attended are about the discipline in our life about many topics like our diet, about skills for zazen and the rest is thorugh silent learning. Silent learning is called Negemisho. We are about the Four Noble Truths found at the Pali. We read them, or the Roshi reads them slowly, letting set in our minds and after that we sit so to silence the mind. Slowly life events will reveal us the teaching and we just share that findings in a very informal way. But we can not deny the importance to listen some explorations about the teachings that can bring light to our understanding.

I think a teacher is important and the teachings too... The idea is not to get unskillfully attached to them and keep the practice alive. Here and at the dojo I have found some explorations and explanations that have made clear the suttas and have let me advance more in the practice. So I think there is no need to deify them nor negate them (teachers and teachings).