Teaching and guidance

In teaching, there is a difference between general discourse and guidance given specifically from a teacher to a student or practitioner. A discourse is universally true and the consumer receives the teaching with the perspective that it is simple truth which needs to be understood but which may or may not have particular applicability to the practitioner at that moment. Guidance contains a specific message for a specific person in the context of a particular need or difficulty, and is meant to illicit a certain response in the student. While truth in guidance is still pristine, the custom packaging may shade this truth and even make it appear to conflict with other teachings from the same teacher. The truth of guidance lies in how well it fits with the need of a student and causes that change, shift, opening, understanding, insight or alteration of practice which the seeker needs at that point.

It is probably of some value to remember this when reading a book like "I Am That" which is a collection of teachings given each as guidance to an individual seeker. The guidance holds truth, but the knife may be twisted to create a specific incision, and the underlying truth may not be something I need at the moment or may not be packaged in a way that has meaning for me. The same is probably true of the open satsang format. Of course, I must still be on guard for the false and remember that real truth is known, and proven, experientially.