Is a teacher needed?


Magdi Badawy, 04-04-2024

Hello everyone.

Very lovely to be with you.
Just a reminder that the first part
of this meeting will be guided, meditation,
and then you are welcome to explore
whatever questions you may have.

So sit comfortably.
You’re welcome to either close your eyes
or turn your gaze inward,
whichever way speaks to you.

And, welcome your experience
without knowing it.

An open embrace,
not directed towards any goal.
No objective.
Simply resting as presence,
resting as being.

Whatever is appearing to you
is appearing effortlessly.

There is no one doing anything,
and yet how marvelous it is to perceive,
to be aware, and, to be
and to know, to understand.

Cosmic magic,
and we are that that cosmic magic.
We are the magician and the magic.

So just for the duration of this meeting,
there’s no need to refer
to the past or the future.

Allow yourself to be taken
by the mystery,
to be absorbed,
to be dissolved,
and yet awareness is always on.

Notice that bodily sensations appear.
They appear to you
within the spaciousness of awareness
without any separation.

In this moment,
there is no past or future.

Pure presence.
The screen,
the transparent screen of awareness.

Images may appear on the screen:
thoughts, sensations.

Nothing is happening to the screen.
And there is no separate self,
no separate you outside of borderless,
transparent awareness.

Awareness aware of itself.

And aware of his creation.

Sooner or later we
realize that there is a journey
that somehow we’re on.

The journey towards the ocean.

Causeless peace and happiness,
the understanding about reality,
the understanding about I,
the true significance of I.

We realize that we are all on the same path.

Different roads,
different points of understanding.

But we are all seeking understanding.
The understanding about our true self,
about reality.

And teachers often point that
you are that.

You are the reality that you seek.
You are the peace and the happiness
that you seek.

And yet somehow it seems to evade us.

Notice, how hearing in this moment
arises effortlessly in awareness.

There is nothing that you do,
and yet there is hearing and understanding.

Without any effort.

That effortlessness is your true self.

Like the wind blows over the field.
The blades of grass dance with the wind
effortlessly.

Like the sun shines
onto the surface of the pond
and glitters; glitters of light,
effortlessly.

Thoughts appear to you
effortlessly.

The gentle breath,
the heartbeat,
the sensations within the body
appear to you effortlessly.

You are this effortlessness,
this transparency.

A teacher is a friend.
Appears to you
upon your desire,
your love,
your love for truth,
your love for understanding,
your love for freedom,
your love for love.

A friend appears to you.
It reminds you of that which
deep down you know.

That you are not a story line.
You’re not what you imagine yourself to be.
You’re not defined by the thoughts
and the sensations which appear to you.

You are not in body-mind entity,
which exists in time and space.
You’re not a narrative,
a historical event.

You are not limited.
You’re not contained inside a body-mind.
You are the light of awareness,
The reality which is and knows it is directly.

A friend,
reminding you that the body
may have a name,
an age, a history.
But you’re not the body.

A friend,
reminding you of that which you know
that namely you perceive a body.
You perceive bodily sensations,
but you are not defined
by that which you perceive.

We perceive images, memories,
thoughts, which may claim to define you.

But you are not defined by that
which you perceive.
It’s the other way around:
that which is perceived is defined by you.

You is this ordinary awareness,
this marvelous ordinary awareness,
which is neither male nor female.

Not located in any location,
not defined
by mind,
by thoughts,
by sensations.

That is available to you.
That understanding is your very being,
always available to you every moment,
every instant.

This understanding is yours.
For you
to own it,
to visit it,
to recognize it,
to celebrate it,
to live it,
to express it.

This transparent presence
has no phenomenal attributes,
no phenomenal qualities,
and yet it’s undeniable.

Awareness is aware that it is aware, and it is.

Along the path,
sometimes there is a question,
and this question gives rise to the teacher.

The teacher is within your question.
The answer comes from your question.

It’s a question from yourself to yourself.
The understanding is from yourself to yourself.

Because the teacher is always available.
Like the sunlight is available,
is actually shining onto everything equally.
And whenever there is
a glimpse of understanding,
there is light.

One could say a glimmer of light in the tunnel,
in the darkness.
Precious light that we can follow.

Recognize it, and honor it
and be grateful for the light,
which leads us to Itself.

But this light is the light of understanding,
and it’s not apart from you.

A teacher is needed when it is needed.

At some point,
there is no more teacher and student.
They are friends.

Because the recognition is one recognition:
that there is no separation anywhere,
and that I and thou are not two;
never,
never been apart.

Photo by Javardh on Unsplash


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