*A must read message for teachers by Gurudev*

 *A must read message for teachers by Gurudev*

A TALK BY GURUJI AT THE GERMAN ASHRAM, DURING THE EUROPEAN TEACHER'S MEETING IN JAN 1997:

A chocolate, you buy, is wrapped properly in a nice paper. When we open the chocolate; it is in a nice glossy silver foil. But the same chocolate could have been also just wrapped in a tissue paper or hand paper or some used newspaper. The same chocolate, if wrapped in a newspaper, you would not buy. Though the chocolate could be of the same quality! So, you see, the wrapping is also important! People look at the wrapping first.

- When you present the knowledge, it is quite important how you present it. The presentation depends on your appearance and your expression. When you go teaching somewhere, everybody is looking at you, and watching every move you make. You go somewhere and maybe you show a little bit toughness, or there is little anger in you; then the person who has come to learn will look at you: "look! That person is frowning, raising his eyebrows! Is this person going to teach me? To teach me to manage stress?" You have a frown on your face and you are talking to them about relaxation! Maybe you are relaxed inside, but they don't know your inside. They just look at the frown on your face. Do you see what I am saying?

On the other hand, if you are just keeping a smile on your face, though inside you are boiling, people can feel it; they can make it out. You can have a nice expression on your face in your behavior, but even then in your energy, there is stiffness, anger, and discomfort. That also one can know, or feel it and people do feel it. So how you need to express yourself?

- First of all your dress. If you're wearing jeans and dresses like that to teach a course; it is not presentable. You better do something else than teaching a course! You must wear really dignifying, calm and suiting dress. First and foremost, good appearance, clean and neat. It need not be glossy, but just natural, simple and dignified appearance.

- And when you talk, talk knowledge! Be centered! Let there be dispassion in every move of yours. I know you all have dispassion. You don't bother for small things, when you talk. But if you scream "oh, ice cream!" You are screaming, "oh! Ice cream! Come! Let's have ice cream" after the course. People are watching you, "look, this person isn't centered!" And you go on "oh, I love pizza". "Look at this teacher! What this teacher is shouting, "I love pizza!" You may love pizza; you are very natural, just showing your enthusiasm, how you can celebrate life. You want to be happy and you want to make them happy. You are not having a serious face; but actually, it is counter-productive. By such things, you lose your dignity and respect, everything. And when this is happening in the first step, you will find it hard to carry on the knowledge further. You don't have to scream, "I love or I want pizza. I love this and I like that and I don't like this." Who asked you what you like and what you don't like? Why do you volunteer to give them a list of your likes and dislikes? Often people spend a lot of time to explain what they like and what they don't like. I mean you are simply acting innocent; it is not really your problem. Because when you are so centered within; small things are charming, especially for art of living people, you enjoy small things. But people do not understand these things, that you do find charm in small little things, isn't it? So, as teachers, make sure that you don't talk on these things.

- Don't engage yourself in petty conversations, and in socializing too much. You need to have absolute centeredness, and then you can socialize anytime because then that absolute centeredness will reflect, even when you behave funny. It will not bother. It will not at all disturb anyone, not even an inch. You see what I am saying? Sometimes I throw candies, and do things, which are not very normal. It so happened that a teacher also started just imitating all that actions, he started throwing the candies to the people and people felt so offended. When I throw, they don't get offended but rather enjoy it. But when this teacher started copying; " well, Guruji throws candies, so let me also throw candies." People said, " what do you think, are we dogs?" The same action somehow made people very offended. They were completely new people, a different group of people.

- Stop socializing too much. Keep this as a general policy in your life, too much socializing; laughing here and there, unnecessarily standing around, talking lots of nonsense, completely takes you away. It drains your energy totally. So, be more centered, more focused and know you are here to do a very precious and sacred work.

- Another important thing; when you're teaching a course let there be a candle or some flowers kept in a pot. It brings some sacredness in the course, in the environment. When people come to learn, and if there is a sacred environment then it is easier for them to go within. If you conduct it in just like psychotherapy or in an exercise room, when people come, they do not feel comfortable, at home. When there is nothing, just you are sitting in a chair and it looks like a psychological exercise, they don't want to do it. Sometimes, they even rebel, and dictate you what they want and what they don't want. There are some teachers who are having problems of this type in the courses. It's because you are conducting it not like a course, which has some sacredness. You see what I am saying?

Only exception is the stress-management course, where the course is given to top executives or companies, company-sponsored program, in which you don't need to keep a sacred environment, but even there, it should be more dignified. Because very few teachers are capable of doing a program like stress-management, therefore we are not giving permission for everyone to do it. It has to be done in a certain, particular fashion, certain jargon, with a certain authority. Otherwise the executive will simply throw you off. It needs a certain skill to handle and manage those classes. So, it should be done in a different manner. Otherwise one course will happen and then it will stop. So it is different.

- So, it's very essential as teachers or as practitioners, as sadhaks that you express and exhibit what you really are. You are often giving a wrong idea about yourself to the people. They think you are simply flaky, you know? If a girl comes, you simply shake your shoulders and laugh or just say something and she goes away. Or a boy comes and he just tries to get your attention. You know that they do not carry any depth; they are very superficial.

Often people do not laugh because they come with heaviness inside them; even their laughter is very superficial. If they see somebody genuinely laughing, they cannot tolerate it. Do you see what I am saying? They do not understand your state of being, they do not understand your laughter, they do not understand your child-like simplicity, they do not understand your naturalness. So, to begin with, you don't have to be artificially trying to avoid all these divine qualities that you have, let them come through you, at the same time, the dispassion and centeredness brings dignity and sacredness in you and in your environment.

I tell you, you are much more advanced than many so called-spiritual people in the world; many priests or swamis, or bishops, or other religious teachers because you have the experience, you have depth, and you have the devotion. We have seen around the world, the teachers who have a lot of devotion are the most successful teachers A lot of devotion and people can feel it, sense it, and they come to you on that! So just touch, up a little bit here and a little bit there your expression.

- Some of our teachers, when they want to present something, they use a lot of these phrases: "you see... you know... I want to say... you know... you see I know... you want to see..." they use these so many times, twenty times in ten minutes: "I see... you know... you understand..." what understand..." what is that, 'I know, you see, I see, you see?' Stop these things! Say something solid!

"You know, you know", so many times "I see, I see, you know" using such phrases!

- And how will you correct those things? You invite other teachers to your courses! Sometimes, some teachers feel threatened by other teachers. One teacher thinks, "oh, if other teacher comes, I may lose this or that!" And this is not with the teachers only; this is with the saints also. People feel threatened if other saint, somebody else comes; "somehow they will take away our students". This sort of fear is unfounded. So as teachers of art of living, you invite other teachers of art of living. Ask them to come and sit in the class, and give you a feedback later, on; what things you can improve what things you did not do properly? Request them to join your class. And just know that you have a friend in the corner of the room. And they are not going to prompt you, or tell you to improve your performance, not to pull you down.

Never think another is a competitor! The other teacher is a great help to be in your course. Don't think they will judge you, they are there to give you ideas and suggestions. You can improve each other's teaching by inviting other teachers to come and be in your classes. Don't you think it is a good idea? But we have never thought about like this. When we have to do like this, we usually think, "oh, another teacher is coming." You feel uncomfortable. Tell me how many teachers feel like that, if there is another teacher in your class? Raise your hands, how many hands are there? Leave that stuff out from now! Think it is a blessing to have another teacher in the classroom. You get it? This is very important; we have to look into that.

So what are the points?

- Presenting the knowledge be centered and relaxed.

- Have a clean and neat appearance and dignified dress.

- Be centered, talk knowledge only and let dispassion come out from your very expression.

- Don't be feverish about anything! Don't exhibit your childishness "Oh I love ice cream."

- Stop too much socializing & don't get engaged in petty conversations.

- Bring sacredness in the environment of the course room.

- Be dispassionate & centered; keep dignity in your behavior and environment.

- Stop using phrases like; you see, I see.

- Invite other teachers to your course.

Move with dignity! Walk like an elephant; and roar like a lion. This knowledge is so deep, so precious and so beautiful!

Must Read n spread in your Teachers Groups