Knee-jerk orthodoxy

Vincent: A raised consciousness comes after years and years of concentrated work under the direction of a teacher. The teacher part is actually the most important thing. It always surprised me some people's double standard in this. Anything we do in this society whether it is go to school, learn to drive, learn a craft comes from a relationship in one way or another to a living individual who has some understanding (hopefully mastery) in the subject. But when it comes to liberation, which is the hardest thing a human can achieve, we think we can do it ourselves. It can't happen that way.

Bruce: This is obviously knee-jerk orthodoxy, Vincent. You make the ancient error of extrapolating your personal experience (or perhaps only a good deal of reading or other study) to encompass an entire species and multiple millennia of history. So called "liberation" is not an achievement, and does not occur according to a typical work-for-reward paradigm. This is very difficult for intellect to accept, but we are in our own halting ways pointing toward that which thought cannot touch, let alone grasp. The difference between the great truths of the human psyche and spirit and such skills as driving and common crafts is not one of degree of difficulty, but of fundamental nature. Ones personal route to the truly sacred may or may not involve a teacher and/or a formal practice, and certainly does not involve the conventions of "society," "this" or any other.