Watching the ego, every moment...

Sometimes we might say this, "I want my teacher to be like this with such and such "image" and "qualities" that I like and agree with... I don't want my teacher to be like that with such and such "image" and "qualities" that I don't like and don't agree with..."

And, "I want my teacher to teach me the way that I want to be taught or like to be taught..."

Or as a teacher we might say this, "I want to teach the way that I want to be taught or like to be taught..."

Can we "see" how the ego plays in these "thoughts expressions"?

It is all about "me" or "I", "What I want" and "What I like"...

A student comes to a teacher to learn something from the teacher, but the student is expecting the teacher to "meet up with" his expectation about how the teacher should teach and what to teach? Or else, he will judge and criticize about this teacher is a "bad" teacher...

Knowing that we need to learn about something from somebody whom we have not known yet, we will have an intention to look out for a teacher... But, naturally we will start judging the teacher from his "appearance", his "speech", his "character", his "background", his "lineage", his "teachers", his "experience", his "success", his "name and fame", his "qualifications", his "knowledge", his "poise", his "way" of teaching, or his "way" of doing things, before we "choose" him and "accept" him as our teacher, because we would like to have a "good" teacher... We are "judging" this person/teacher whether he is "qualified" and "good enough" to teach us or not...? We are trying to find a teacher that fit into our "imagination", "standard" or "expectation" about how a "good" teacher should be like, or "the type of teacher" that we like to have... Or maybe the teacher is also looking at the student whether this person/student is "qualified" enough to learn from him or not? The teacher is trying to find a student that fit into his "imagination", "standard" or "expectation" about how a "good" student should be like, or "the type of student" that he likes to have...

Hmmm...

It seems like we think we "know" more than what we think anybody knows (and among these people that we "judge", is the person who we will choose to be our teacher)... That's why we are so arrogant to think that we are "knowledgeable" enough to judge whether anyone is, or will be a good teacher or not... If so, how come we still need to look out for a teacher, if we think we "know" more than all these people out there when we start "judging" them?

If we are sincere and humble, we will see everyone and everything as our teachers, and we will respect all teachers without any judgment and expectation, and not "categorizing" and "labeling" them as "good" or "bad" teachers... We will take the teacher as he is and accept the teacher as he is, even if he is not the way that we think he should be...

If we truly know what is humility, it is also because we have found the greatest teacher above all, our higher Self... But not everyone has met this teacher yet, and still searching for a teacher or teachers...

There is no good or bad about the way of how the teachers teach, there is only whether the students are being humble and open-minded, or being proud and arrogant, and closed-minded...

As the one who is truly humble and open-minded will not criticize about anyone or anything, especially his teachers... And since all is his teachers, there is nobody or nothing to be criticized about...

And as a teacher, if he is humble and compassionate enough, he won't be judging the students as "good" or "bad" students, nor judging himself as "good" or "bad" teacher... And if the teacher is humble and wise, he won't be affected nor determined by how the students "judge" him, whether the judgment is "positive" or "negative", "praise" or "condemn"...

If the teacher is selfless, he is not identified with the image or identity as a "teacher", not to say the tags or labels of "good" and "bad"... He is not attached to his action of teaching, and is not attached to the fruit of his action of teaching...

Watching our ego, every moment...

Watch out, when we have this idea of "I am a good teacher" or "I am a good student" or "I am a good person", or "I want to be (acknowledged as) a good teacher" or "I don't want to be (acknowledged as) a bad teacher"... So much judgment coming from ourselves judging ourselves... When in yoga, we are supposed to be practicing letting go of all judgments and identifications to know what is selflessness...

To whom, we are good? To whom, we are bad? In whose standard, we are good? In whose standard, we are bad? Judge by what? Judge by whom? The universe doesn't judge anyone, who are we to judge ourselves or anyone, or to be judged?

Be happy.

Om shanti.