Thinking about teaching this week:

I love studying how different cultures learn and teach. I’ve read lots of zen master books on how they teach within their tradition. Not so much their worldview, as how they impart things from teacher to student interest me. Much more embodied and intuitive…using the medium for personal transformation..in their case. The more eastern approach to learning versus Greek. Lots of good books on the Greek versus Hebrew ways of knowing. I like both ways.

The zen teachers were never just learning archery or pottery, they were learning how to learn to live through their mediums.

Yesterday, we were working with a dog trainer, who happened to also be a good teacher. She kept telling us why we were doing this technique in the big picture. If you do this now, then later it will be easier to do this etc. I like learning from teachers who have this built in why of things!

Then you don’t just catch a fish, but learn to fish. Jesus was into that business of empowering them to fish for themselves after He left them. He didn’t just catch the fish for them, though after his resurrection he did once catch and cook the fish for them. He was a great teacher. In His case, his subject and medium was Himself and The Father. Pretty noble subject.

In Zen, to become the bow, the master said, so you yourself are being shot out towards the target. I like that about their way of teaching and learning in that tradition. Still feels true, when the technique gets into your knower and body, you no longer are thinking about your medium, you are thinking through it. And becoming through it.

I feel that way with union with Christ, which is basic Christian spirituality-union with a formation by His Nature and Life- and reading scriptures, eventually they become your internal categories of being and seeing, how you perceive and act in life. You become living words, being written in The Word.

Jesus used all sorts of methodologies to teach, and impart His Way and Life. Sometimes mystical, sometimes didactic. But He was always guiding people towards their real questions, and the Reality of the answers inside His Father. I like studying teaching itself-there’s so much to learn. That joy of imparting why to others, and building solid foundations—working with intermediates and beginners, all unique pleasures in teaching. Fun study this week, on methods of teaching across cultures! Teaching is cool.