Where are You from One to Ten?
I propose this question with no shame or judgment attached. The goal of this question is information gathering for you, the student. Knowing, truly knowing, where you are on this chart will help the teacher understand the pace (and if necessary brutal honesty or less brutal honesty) needed to assist you on the path. This is about honest soul searching NOT “getting the answer right.”
Honest soul-searching with this will be helpful to you and your guru.
If you are one of my students and wish to share your answer with me personally, please send me a private message and a description as to why you see yourself as that corresponding number. No answering in public because that might lead people to be self-conscious of the answer which doesn’t lend itself to honesty.
10. Enlightenment in this lifetime at any cost
9. Enlightenment in this lifetime as long as it does no harm to people I love
8. Enlightenment in this lifetime as long as it doesn’t generate a lot of suffering for me or the people I love
7. Enlightenment in this lifetime if it ends all my suffering
6. Interested in Enlightenment in this lifetime, but do most of my work during one on one sessions with guru, meditate sometimes even for long spurts from time to time and attend group Satsangs once in a while as long as something more interesting isn’t happening.
5. Enlightenment in this lifetime if it comes with little or no work (like “instant shakti”)
4. When suffering I will do work in earnest, but when the pain goes away other things take my attention and I go back to my old habits…. Wash… rinse… repeat…
3. When suffering will cherry-pick what the teacher says hoping that it fixes the problem. Will meditate some but if I don’t see immediate results I will lose interest quickly.
2. Will do some work as long as I’m suffering but don’t want to give up anything for it (especially my identity, status, or victim stories.)
1. I heard of liberation stuff and found some of it interesting, but my main teacher/path is someone/thing else, and I don’t even know if I like this liberation stuff, but as long as you’re giving your time for free I’ll take it…
I was personally at one point in my life or another all of these stages. It took me twenty five years to get to number ten. There is no shame in being ANYWHERE on this table.
Earnestness is important, this is part of being earnest with yourself.
Knowing is the beginning of transcending.