| Two Types of Guide |
| Dear all, Suppose our spiritual destination is the zenith of a flat-top mountain. The scenery is absolutely beautiful. Depending on the guide, the journey to the top can be either winding and exhausting or swift and relaxing. Two types of guides can lead you to this zenith. The first type of guide knows about the magnificent place by reading the tour guidebook but has never actually been there. They keep their eyes glued to the map, climbing the steep and winding mountain to ensure their arrival. The second is the local guide who knows the place inside out and knows the shortcuts and the easy-access route. The spiritual journey is no different – depending on the guide, many routes lead us to Rome, quick or slow. Buddha, Christ, Lao Tsu and all ascended masters were classed as ‘the original local guide’. Such local guides still exist nowadays although not many; they know the spiritual zenith inside out, the shortcuts, and easy access. On the other hand, the unenlightened followers are the guides who must strictly follow the holy books, which have been passed down for millennia and spiced up and even twisted along the line. What guide do you want to follow if you’re a tourist? The answer is quite straightforward – a local guide, of course. The question is, how can we find one? How can we identify such a local guide? Aim for a famous one on the Internet or leave it to luck? This is quite challenging. The truth is if such a guide doesn’t come forward, you will never find them because one doesn’t walk around with a halo on their head. The best you can do is use your intellect and intuition to work it out. When you stumble onto one, you will know. The uniqueness of such a guide is the courage to talk outside the box, especially the spiritual box, which is deeply embedded in religious traditions and rituals. Unenlightened guides dare not step out of those lines. Another outstanding characteristic of the local guide is the clarity of the message delivered. Once heard, it just simply makes sense. These two are good pointers for spiritual tourists to identify spiritual guides. Next time, I will delve into Buddha’s strategy of guiding people to the spiritual zenith, Nirvana. Warmest regards, Supawan Green |