WEEK ONE ESSAY
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The key to supporting discovery initially is establishing an environment in which the student feels safe to explore possibilities. The primary tools are compassion and confidence. Through these, the teacher shows that they have the student’s best interests at heart, calming the student’s fears and inspiring them to surpass any doubts they may have about their own ability, potential, or worthiness.
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Having attended the week one meeting, I would add that egolessness is essential – allowing the student to tell you what their experience is, and not trying to control or interpret it for them.
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Hey Andrew. I see what you are saying here. I read confidence as you have explained it in fact. I have witnessed a real judgement of self…almost a little shame (lack of worthiness one can ‘do this right’) in some of my clients as a Counsellor, and it always takes a lot of energy for me to contain the cheerleader in me… I almost want to lend my own confidence for the other. Then, it’s safety |& compassion (and yes, egoless-ness!) that have me come back to wanting for the client what they want… rather than what I want for them. What an emotional merry-go-round this can be.
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Hi Andrew, I’m curious about the idea of confidence, and how it could balance with egolessness. I see confidence in the meditation technique and in the Dharma, and how they inform the meditation teacher’s sense of why they want to lead a meditation class. At the same time, personal insights and a healthy understanding of their own ego’s powers of confusion are important to balance that confidence.
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I was trying to craft my answer without using Shambhala jargon, but I accidentally used “confidence” in a possibly confusing way. In common speech, “confidence” often means self-assurance in an egotistic sense. What I meant is having no doubt that the present moment is splendid, and that the student is capable of witnessing that splendor and posesses the wisdom to recognize it.
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Essay Q week 1: Reflect on what it means to support discovery. What are the primary tools?
I think the primary tools are non-judgement and a beginner’s mind. Containment is certainly also useful.
In the field I practice in now, I operate from the maxim “Meet people where they are.” and I offer primarily listening. What trips me up most often is a desire to help…to have answers…and to want something for the other person. The judgement comes in when what I feel myself wanting for them is “better” than where they are where I find them. I use the meditative approach of labelling here…and I call this HELPING. I will often stay quiet or pose a possibility …as a question. Allowing the other (Student?, client?) to generate things for themselves (OR NOT) is important. Essentially I take the belief we are all recovering co-dependants… and from this approach, the ceasing of wanting to better/correct/fix/help…is when I practice containment myself, professionally. If we can take the approach that everyone knows best for themselves, we are all on an individual journey, and someone else’s journey is none of our business… as antithetical to Teaching as this may sound… I think this is where we can really support the most organic of discovery. I think the very best Sherpas point & carry the bags — aka give direction and lighten the load.-
I relate to this as a recovering co-dependent and therapist. I learned a hard lesson years ago to not try to help someone who isn’t asking for help. It is containing myself that’s necessary. I love that you label the urge HELPING. And that the tool you cite is allowing as well as questioning. Thank you for your thoughts.
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During our practice today, a thought that I would try to release kept coming back. It was an image of a delicious-looking dinner that I had walked past yesterday, but this image did not feel as pleasant as that dinner had looked. The image had some sense of impatience and some distinctly loud imagery.
“I must just be hungry,” I thought and tried to send it away. But it returned. A few times of this and then instead of sending it away, I asked this image if it could please show me its qualities rather than coming so strong as a picture. I even told it that it could stick around if it needed to. Then, the image cleared: I started to feel a sense of sunlight on my face a sort of aliveness in my fingertips. That’s what hope feels like to me.
I have been feeling such a large grief recently that I have not been hungry and when I eat it has been mindlessly reaching for what’s nearby. Overall, I have been feeling disconnected from my body. Here, this image/thought/dinner was taking advantage of a moment of stillness to show me what I might actually be hungry for. And maybe to remind me that with just a little effort, I might be able to have a different experience than the one I’ve been having.
I thanked this image and its sunlight and returned my attention to my breath. I was then able to have a reasonably grounded experience.
Later, when we were learning Our View, I got the sense that I had acted as a guide to myself (or, my hunger, or grief) during practice: I met distraction with acceptance, had the sense that to be able to embody my attention I needed to first acknowledge that something needed attention, made a conscious return, and tried very hard not to bring judgment to what felt like a bit of a misbehaving student at first. In the future, I think that doing a bit of writing BEFORE practice might help me to have at least a head start on knowing the parts of myself I might be sitting with. But having space to practice as I am with what I have in any given moment allows for a full-bodied/hearted experience of discovery, which is something that I need and hope to one day be able to share with others. I also think it is a tremendous gift when our teachers, as Susan continues to do, reminds us that it’s good news to wake up and that we can bring our attention to the next breath and begin there.
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Thank you for your write-up. I feel for your grief and body disconnection – I know those feelings. I was so happy for you that you were able to stay with yourself, help yourself through the moment today, and come back to the breath. I liked that you said, “I got the sense that I had acted as a guide to myself (or, my hunger or grief)”, because during this course and going through a discovery process, we all will have to guide ourselves through what comes up.
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Oh Jersey! What a sharing this was for you…thanks! The monkey mind can really take us for a ride huh? I think I can be a very efficient planner sometimes during a sit… less a great meditator! Entire holidays are planned, conversations had (what witty comebacks!), etc…For me too, this reminder (and veritable “get out of jail free” card) of treating this ‘wander’ as ‘thinking’ and waking up again…as a win every time… is so sweet.
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Thank you, Jersey. Your post shook me and was (as I replied to Ana) an important reminder for me that, even if a group receives “the same” guided meditation, the responses and the energy required for processing / negotiating what comes up will be vastly different. This is an important lesson for me as a teacher.
Thank you for sharing, and I hope you will continue to find some more moments of rest in the breath.
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The primary tools to support discovery include awareness of the inherent wisdom in all of us, curiosity and reverence for the each person’s unique experience, non-attachment to our personal perspective as indisputably ‘right’ or ‘correct,’ and commitment to truly hearing what is expressed by others. I appreciate how it is written in our workbook: “We think about what they need, not what we know” (3).
Offering encouragement toward deeper reflection and expressing authentic excitement in response to their moments of insight may support an atmosphere that promotes personal exploration. Based on discussion today in our class, it is important to note that the freedom for discovery also requires a container that delineates appropriate edges or boundaries for our exploration. These boundaries are based on the traditional practices which we are becoming qualified to teach. This structure allows a sense of security that forms the foundation for discovery.-
Hi Natalie, thank you for the reminder to re-read the beginning of the workbook where Susan’s insights have more traction now that we have to think and write about the role of a meditation teacher. I whole-heartedly agree with your advice to “truly hear” what is expressed and to offer encouragement and positive responses toward deep reflection. Susan is constantly asking what we think and telling us not to take her word for it, forcing us to reflect and experience for ourselves.
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I have had the opportunity to support people’s discovery through experiential learning, and, upon reflection today, I have to say that it always feels like I am some kind of a “sherpa”, guiding the other person through the Himalayas. The path is always a little different each time and with each person, but I know from my own experience where some of the pitfalls are and where they may be straying off the path.
Here are some of the primary tools I have used to support other people’s discovery:
1. My Own Self-Discovery – having walked the path myself multiple times, I can share my experience, what it was like for me, what I learned, and what I do.
2. Path/Structure – there is a proven path or structure that works, and I must hold to that path, clarifying it for the other person, answering questions about it, and resting on what I know – this is the path that worked for me and thousands of others.
3. Presence – being present and available to the other person (without falling into their challenges); being aware and paying attention to what is actually happening. Continuously keep coming back, both physically, by being present to the other person (as appropriate), and spiritually, by reminding them of the path/structure that works.
4. Listening/Being Open-Hearted – being absorbed in hearing the other person, noticing what the other person is talking/asking about, trying to get an understanding of what the other person is going through, and trying to see/hear/grasp deeply what is really going on for the other person (underneath the words). Also, being patient and having a good attitude, even in the face of their doubts, fears, and confusions.
5. Responding to Questions – using the structure and the real experience that I have gathered, and that has been shared with me from my teachers’ and my colleagues’ experience to provide answers.-
Kat, I love your metaphor of the path. It’s helpful to think of having walked the path oneself, yet it being new and different for each person who walks it, and that part of our job is to keep coming back to the path.
When I think about path as metaphor, I also think of labyrinths – it’s a path, and it’s definitely leading toward the center, but not at all in an obvious way.And we just have to stay on the path, and notice our discomfort and/or wonder and/or curiosity. -
Hi Kat, thank you for your thoughtful reply. Since you have been in a teaching role before, you bring a unique perspective based on your experience. Each of your points is very important in the role of guide. I would add, and it is inherent in each of your points, patience to the mix. It would be an easy to breeze by the needs others may not be forthright in communicating with us or rush their observations or self-discovery. I’ll be working on that myself for sure! Looking forward to being in class with you.
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Thank you, Kat, for your image of the sherpa guiding someone through the Himalayas. It made me think of my experiences as an outings leader for outdoors groups, and how those experiences may relate to teaching meditation. Something I had never really thought about before! I love thinking about how, as an outings leader, I aim to provide a safe, comfortable space for others to also enjoy the outdoors. And how each attendant comes with different backgrounds and expectations, and my job is simply to provide the container for them to have their own hike experience. I never thought about supporting discovery in my fellow hikers, but I believe on some level that is exactly what I’m doing when I lead a hike. Thank you for sharing your essay!
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Kat, your view of path, presence, and listening resonate so much with me, and are so similar to my own ruminations on the topic of supporting discovery. When you talk about how your experience can help a new traveler avoid pitfalls, I thought about how valuable navigation tools are that can provide real-time alerts on the dangers of the road (speed trap ahead! pothole on this road!). Thank you for sharing your open heart: )
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To assist an individual in the process of discovery the teacher can provide a safe space or environment which Susan called the container. The container is the guidelines which uses tools or techniques to help the individual in the discovery process. The teacher should also provide deep listening, which focuses on understanding where the individual is coming from without passing judgment. At this point the teacher should also refrain from providing too much information or even what they may consider helpful feedback. Instead the discovery process can be deepened by asking questions such as “what are your thoughts about what you experienced?” If the individual has questions the teacher can continue to facilitate the discovery process by saying, “tell me what your thoughts are about this.”
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Virginia, I think your point about asking questions is very important. Perhaps as teachers we can use our questions to guide understanding – knowing which questions to ask to prompt reflection. Thanks for making me think about that!
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I’ve definitely had to learn not to provide too much information along my journey as it’s been experienced as overwhelming in the past. And moving to questions about the person’s experience is a wonderful tool. Ultimately, we all are looking for understanding and that’s almost impossible without questioning. Thank you for your thoughts.
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I’m not quite sure if this is the correct way to respond to posts, but here goes:
Natalie, I found it helpful to state “we think about what they need, not what we know.” Yes! Very important. It’s so tempting to think, I have been through this I know exactly what to do. Although it is well intentioned it often is not helpful.
Andrew, you wrote about allowing the student to share their experience without interpreting it for them. I agree that we have to take that step back and just listen. I know that certainly isn’t always easy for me!
Thanks for your thoughts!
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Each person follows a unique path; no two are the same. Our job is not to point toward a single “right” way —as one does not exist— but rather to empower students to hear and follow their own intuition (inner voice). By encouraging their natural curiosity, we help them discover what is true for themselves.
I believe, the answer is already inside each of us; the challenge lies in learning how to listen to it and put it into practice. I feel there are internal and external forces that nudge us in specific directions. For instance, I have always been deeply curious about meditation and the “true nature of reality.” There is no obvious reason for this; it was never part of my education or culture, and I was never exposed to it by anyone in particular. Yet, looking back, whenever I stumbled upon this topic —whether through a TV show, an article, or a lecture— it grabbed my attention, and I couldn’t let go. Something inside me wants to learn more about this topic. I cannot define exactly what it is, or where it comes from, but it is there. I believe there is a drive within everyone to learn and discover. Our role as teachers is to help students listen (or even discover) that inner voice.I can think of several tools for supporting discovery:
•Active Listening and Empathy: We must truly listen to what the student is saying, feeling, and thinking. Put ourselves in their shoes, and resist the urge to provide a “right” answer. Instead, we should gently highlight possible paths for them to explore if their curiosity leads them there. I anticipate this will be particularly difficult for me; having started my career as a consultant, I was trained to “solve the problem” and provide a “strong hypothesis” without hesitation. I must remain aware of this bias.
• Flexibility: Since there are many paths to the same destination, we must be flexible in our guidance. Some students require more direction, while others need less; some need inspiration or an analogy, while others simply need to be heard. We must avoid the temptation to force a student toward a conclusion in a single step, remaining comfortable as they take the necessary detours to get there.
• Comfort with Uncertainty: We must be comfortable with a lack of immediate resolution. I believe people learn by doing, failing, and eventually succeeding after multiple attempts. If you spoon-feed a student the “answer,” they may never internalize it—even if it was the correct answer for them. This reminds me of the “case method” used in business school. Unlike a lecture, where a professor presents a problem and a definitive solution, the case method requires a professor to just be the arbiter of possible solutions posed by each student. The professor never tells you what is “right” or “wrong”, it leaves that job to each student. The ultimate learning is that there is no one answer to any question, and you need to find it by yourself on a case-by-case basis. This could be frustrating. I think our job as mediation teachers is a little bit like a professor using the case study method.
• Humility. We must be conscious that we might not have an answer to a particular question, and that is fine. Acknowledging we don’t know something should be part of our vocabulary, that will reinforce the fact that every path is different, personal and must be discovered by oneself.-
Octavio – I just read your essay after writing mine and love how you link “comfortable with uncertainty” with the case method of teaching. So many of my students get frustrated with me when I won’t give them a “right” answer because we are frequently talking about topics where there is a lot of gray area — the goal is understanding how to analyze the problem because there is “no one answer”.
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Hi Octavio,
I appreciate the way you have expressed your tools of discovery, and a few prompt me to think of self-awareness as an important ingredient for us: The ability to reflect and recognize when our own backgrounds and approaches might influence us, and we need to allow our students more space for their own discovery.
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Thank you, Octavio, for bringing up the concept of humility here and that it’s ok not to know. It immediately reminded me of when I first started teaching anatomy at a medical school, and I began to be ok with the not knowing. I could get so bogged down and overwhelmed by all I had to teach (and thus, know) every day. When I finally realized it was ok for me to say “I don’t know”, everything changed. My confidence changed, the way I carried myself changed, the way students responded to me changed. Being comfortable saying “That is a great question, and I actually don’t know the answer either. Let’s look it up together” was transformational for me and for my relationship with my students. Thank you for bringing this up and causing me to think about it and how it might relate along the lines of teaching meditation. I’m looking forward to continuing to ponder this as we go through this training journey together.
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Hi Octavio and Liana, I totally agree with your idea that meditation teachers need to cultivate comfort with uncertainty. But I wonder if it isn’t key to the teaching content too. Possibly the frustration of not hearing “the answer” from the teacher could provide energy for more study and contemplation by the student?
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Octavio, really well said.
Yes, I agree with you in the feeling that the answer is inside all of us. Or that, we all contain the right answers. There is some sense that we don’t have to get them from somewhere else.
Yes, comfort with uncertainty. Comfort with uncertainty, and comfort with DIScomfort, to me comprise such a core benefit and practice of meditation. Learning to sit with uncertainty and discomfort sounds terrible, but when we realize that our days are chock full of these things, then becoming more accepting of the experiences of our lives makes them more meaningful (and enjoyable!). Easier said than done of course. But once we realize that our lives are an uncertain, ungrounded mess, than we can actually start to work with that situation, rather than tumbling through some kind of painful denial of that truth.
Octavio, thank you for sharing, and I’m so glad you decided to join the Meditation Teacher Training course! It’s my personal opinion that you are a great candidate 🙂
I can also echo the experience of being drawn to meditation and Buddhism for no discernible reason, some indefinable draw to the teachings. It’s interesting that this happens to us and I have heard a similar reflection from many practitioners. The teachings seem to come to us, draw to us, rather than the other way around.
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One of the tools I use to “support discovery” as a teacher is to ask a lot of questions. In US law schools (where I currently teach), we call this the Socratic method.
Asking questions, as opposed to lecturing on a topic, allows for a dialogue between the student and teacher that encourages examination of underlying assumptions and fosters critical thinking. The teacher’s role is knowing which questions to ask to best facilitate the student’s exploration and ultimate discovery.
For this to be effective, we need to create an environment in which the student feels safe and supported on this journey. It is very vulnerable to be “on call” (as we say in law school). If we have an environment in which the student is afraid to be “wrong” or unsure of their answer, then answers are short and discussion is limited. By contrast, if the student trusts that their responses (however correct or incorrect they may be) will be met with kindness, then we can really dig in and go on a journey toward deeper understanding.
Finally, the teacher also needs to have some awareness as to what the student does or doesn’t know to be able to guide their discovery process effectively. I can tell pretty quickly if my students haven’t done the reading for class that day. That doesn’t mean we can’t still have a dialogue, but I may need to be the one that explains the facts of the case before we start the conversation so that everyone is on the same page. It’s the same for meditation. If my student has read half a dozen Pema Chodron books and has been meditating for 5 years, we are likely going to have a very different conversation than if the student’s only experience is trying out the guided meditations on the Headspace app for a few days. One is not better or worse than the other; I can have a wonderful dialogue with both students, but I need to begin by asking questions so that I can discover where my student is coming from so that I can meet them where they are as we continue the conversation.
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Hi Stina. I like your reminder about asking questions to support discovery. I have noticed that when a meditation practitioner asks a teacher a question, a skillful teacher will often turn the question back to the practitioner, asking the practitioner, “What do you think?” This encourages the practitioner to embark on a mini-discovery journey, to see for themselves what their own experience might tell them.
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For me, discovery seems to happen more when I drop my expectations. With fewer expectations, or desired outcomes, there can be an opening or a creation of more space for things to arise AND more space for me to notice that something has arisen. If I have expectations for something to happen or for some particular outcome, my focus is there and I often miss things because my attention is elsewhere. Of course, this is also much easier said than done. 🙂
I also find that trying to maintain a “beginner’s mind” (acknowleging that I don’t actually know everything) and cultivating a sense of curiosity opens me up to discovery. I think this is also because it enhances my awareness and allows for the space for things to emerge.
I have found that with practice I have been able to pull this off a little more frequently, although some days I certainly am more open than others. Having a sense of humor helps me reduce or avoid the self-criticism that tries to budge in when I inevitably revert to well-developed habits that impede awareness and discovery.
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Hi Mike, and Vy,
Your point about humor feels very important, and an easy thing to lose when we are uncomfortable. Allowing ourselves to not know everything also feels essential. That was a barrier for me even considering the teaching path in the past. After all, I barely know anything at all! But now I see I may know just enough, and knowing everything is not the goal. Thank you.
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Hard agree, Mike – sense of humour is lowkey everything. It helps me not take myself too seriously most of the time, and when I delight in saying something “stupid” or not knowing something, or learning something new, or whatever, it makes everything more fun AND it allows students the freedom to do the same. Humour enables “I don’t know” mind. I love it. It is everything. Last year I was drawing a map of England and Europe on the whiteboard for students, and I like forgot Scandinavia. Like I just left it out. And a student gingerly said something like, um, professor? It was amazing. And hilarious. (I have been teaching for 25 years; humour about stuff like this has taken time, for me at least!) I was staring at what I’d drawn and was like, wait, that’s not where France is? A student said “you know, we could just use the computer screen thing,” and everyone agreed that the mistake and resulting hilarity was way, way more fun. As teachers, we can then model for students that it is okay not to know, or to flub what we really do know, etc etc.
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– As a teacher, have a strong understanding and foundation of the practice for yourself (have a good “container”)
– Know your own motivation for teaching or sharing the practice with others
– Instruct but not “lead” people by telling them how they should feel or experience
– Create a safe and open environment where students can learn, make mistakes and experience meditation for themselves
– Teach by modeling: compassion toward self, curiosity for the practice and potential outcomes, patience and perseverance for the process -
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Supporting discovery engages a stance of being curious (not acting curious) even in silence. The mindfulness of being present to the reality right there in front of us-not past or future. Not easy to do. The tools I have practiced developing over many years with study and good teachers and am still developing include: open hearted/open minded (no judgments along with “we don’t know mindset” and not adding to the story; flexibility; immersion into direct experience; adaptation; adjustment. And, of course, doing my best to practice the myriad of ways Buddhism provides a map on discovering our own mind. As we know, a Lifelong journey. Not boring! At a recent retreat at Vajravida in Crestone, CO, the teacher used the simple/powerful words “no doubt.” Return to the breath with “no doubt.” This container has opened me up.
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In my family and work life, knowing the right answers/information was and is very important. When I realized some years ago that it was okay not “to know,” it was a big learning for me, and a huge relief. Moreover, I am more comfortable “knowing” from a place other than my mind. I loved the instruction “do not take refuge in your own knowledge.” I think this is so important. This path is about helping everyone connect with their own wakefulness. So I think it has nothing to do with teaching anyone what is in our own minds, and certainly not our opinions.
So, to me, supporting discovery means: Explaining the meditation technique clearly and simply, while doing it myself, including some helpful tips/imagery, and beginning and ending the practice clearly and with intention (ring the bell, make offerings/request blessings, dedicate the merit). This is creating the container for discovery. Then, when it comes to questions, giving the student my full attention and presence, listening to their questions and trying to assist them to answer their questions for themselves. -
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As a psychotherapist, this is something that I think about and practice every day. And I see a lot of overlap with offering meditation instruction.
For me, supporting discovery includes creating an environment, a safe place, an opportunity, for someone to investigate what is true for them.
The most important skill is patient/present listening. I’ve cultivated this skill by framing it as “listening meditation” – noticing when my thoughts about what I’m hearing are distracting, and coming back to listening to the other person.
Other important skills are curiosity and non-judgment. I cultivate this by practicing Beginner’s Mind – remembering/reminding myself that I don’t know what’s true for them, only they know.
And then there’s learning to ask questions rather than giving advice. And learning to ask those questions in an open, curious way that doesn’t imply what the “right” answer is, or even that there is a right answer. And that’s easier when there is genuine respect for the other. -
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Supporting discovery
As a teacher of other things, I have to start with clarifying that the guiding principle mentioned today of “We are not hear to teach, but to help people discover” really depends on your definition of “teach”. If we assume that it refers to the approach of “I know my stuff and am going to tell you how to do it, otherwise you’ll do it wrong,” then no, that is not the way to do any teaching. Instead, helping people to discover is much more likely to bear fruit, and to be rewarding for both teacher (yes, that word) and student. Because we’re on the Buddhist path and therefore love lists, here might be three elements of supporting discovery: safety, structure and space.Firstly, if you want to take anyone on a learning journey, you have to build some sort of relationship. Learners have different needs, but I think trusting the teacher would be regarded as a necessity, especially if the teacher starts the course by saying something terrifying like “I’m not going to teach you, but I’m going to help you to discover xyz yourself.” The learner needs to know that the teacher has some sort of credibility, content-wise, that they seem to be competent in the teaching business, that they show some interest in their students, that they turn up to lessons, are consistent, can tell a good story – these might be important to a learner to different degrees, but make up the foundations for a student to feel that they are in a secure place, in good hands and, because they can relax, that learning can happen.
A feeling of security is also fostered by the “containment” that we heard about today. I love containers. They have a base and sides and the idea is that you can pour or tip all sorts of stuff (from boring to magic) in and keep it in there without it leaking out or getting lost. Sometimes it’s just reassuring to have a row of containers on a shelf that all have the same form or colour. In meditation practice, this structure almost certainly means starting and finishing each meditation session in the same way, e.g. with a bell, or taking your seat and feeling your feet on the floor or bottom on the cushion. In teaching, it can involve including the same phrases or elements of the practice each session, which is in turn a great basis for titrating any new stuff. Students can rely on certain structural things being present in each session, and this, along with the more general safe environment allows them to try new things out – think small bird learning to fly from big branch.
So, to extend that idea, the small bird leaves the security of the big branch to launch itself into the biggest space it has ever encountered. This is where not having some sort of guide would be probably be foolish, but still, the bird “gotta fly”. In meditation, the teacher can be there with suggestions: “If this happens, try this. If that didn’t work, maybe do this instead”. It’s useful to warn against expectations and ambition. It’s essential to remind people that the word “practice” is used for a reason. Ultimately the point is to accompany students on their journey of discovery, to be a responsible teacher, but not to hold ourselves responsible for them.
This ties in with the idea of caring about rather than taking care of students. Even if we are able to think someone else’s thoughts (aka be a good listener), we are not going to be able to be inside someone else’s body, have the day they are having or take the meditation journey they are taking. They are going to be discovering stuff anyway – however we teach, but we can give safety, offer structure and allow space for things to grow.
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Hey Jo. I really appreciate your clarity and the tools you’ve identified. I found myself nodding, and smiling as I read about relationship, and you reminded me of the mutuality of the relationship – honesty, transparency and that this relationship with our students is one of peers and is co-created. It is not a relationship of hierarchy. Your warmth and caring comes through your clarity of tools, principles, and path. I can feel your heart. Your essay also weaves together the fabric of the tools so nicely, like weaving a container in which students can be held and feel safe enough, or brave enough to explore. Thank you for this.
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At the Sangha I attend we always read a piece credited to Thich nhat Hanh titled, WHY SANGHA. There are many reasons listed in the reading but what stood out today was, “The Dharma is in you but it needs to be watered in order to manifest and become a reality”. Just this morning, in our two hours together, so much watering took place! A reflection was offered, a silent sit was experienced, and then came Dharma sharing that spilled so much wisdom.
I think there are many ways to support discovery and no single ultimate tool – but a tool box of effective steps. Perhaps there’s wisdom in ‘knowing’ which tool is best for any given situation, a skill to ‘read the room’. Asking questions would be an early tool I would use and then practice full-body listening, reflecting back and asking another question, repeat, repeat. In this way I would hope to get close to the idea Susan expressed, “When you stop thinking your thoughts and start thinking mine” and in that way help another reach the Dharma that is IN THEM. Questions help us scan our inner and outer worlds for evidence of what we seek. Sometimes the evidence is buried deep, other times clarity pops out!
This seems to be the discovery process.
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This question reminds me of an article I read by a death doula who said that when she shows up at a client’s home to do her work, she takes a moment to empty herself – to let go of her current concerns and preoccupations – in order to be fully present to and with whomever and whatever she encounters once she crosses the threshold. She literally touches the door frame as she enters (and leaves) to mark her transition to and from the interaction.
Susan shared the definition of deep “listening” as to stop thinking my own thoughts and to start thinking yours. It is impossible to do this 100% but it is meaningful and powerful to set this intention and practice it. So, listening is a primary tool for supporting discovery, but it is not the only one. In whatever role we are serving, we have information (teachings, history, techniques) and experience (our examples & stories) to offer others – to invite them to encounter and interact with, to discover THEIR connection to and resonance with whatever we are sharing. And if we are listening fully as described above and opening to their orientation and responses to what we are sharing, WE discover something new too. The discovery is mutual – not because the experiences are identical but because they are complementary in some way. This opportunity is never-ending.
One other tool that supports discovery is a stance of wonder. I remember an essay comparing curiosity to wonder (perhaps by Eric Weiner?) and the perspective was that curiosity is more questioning. We treat something unfamiliar as a problem to be solved; we aim to fit it into an existing framework or theory. There’s more of a challenging or even skeptical mindset that predominates; we want to reduce our uncertainty and discomfort by figuring it out. Wonder, in contrast, is freer from our preconceptions, more wide-eyed, open-minded, and open-hearted. We’re on shakier ground, which is both exciting and vulnerable. We don’t know what will happen – it’s not about knowing! – we are letting go and being with it all. We are empty, ready, and willing.
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Hi Niki. Thanks so much for your essay – one of the things I really appreciate is the parallel nature of accompanying (teaching) someone on their journey as being the “WE discover new too.” Of course, it is mutuality. I have also heard it said, that “we teach what we need to learn.” This is certainly true for me. Thank you. 🙏
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Niki, thank you for sharing this. I really love the physical ritual of touching the doorframe to signal the intention of being fully present in the place you are entering…so powerful. I also believe that discovery is mutual, and appreciate your view of this exchange as a never ending opportunity. It is this mingling of hearts and minds in the discovery process that is just so magical!
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I think the first priority is safety. Meaning that with a student, peer, friend, or loved one, we must do what is in our power to create a safe environment for the discovery to begin. If there are circumstances with the situation and the student which could lead to unsafe or traumatic experiences, and if we are not specifically able to support or assist in those situations, we might recognize that we are not able to engage in discovery until those needs are met with the help of other resources. Once safety is established, discovery can begin. As Susan mentioned in the first class, when we are meditation teachers, we are not doctors or therapists. Unless you are actually both, of course. In fact, I do know one of such people personally. In which case I still imagine it would be difficult or even inappropriate to be a doctor and a meditation teacher at the same time.
Next, listening is paramount. Supporting discovery means allowing the student to guide the experience. We leave our personal thoughts and feelings momentarily aside while we engage with the thoughts and feelings of another. We do not tell the student what to say, what to do with their experience. It is important to simultaneously engage deeply with this spiritual friend and, as being in a teacher position, maintain an appropriate distance. We should not immediately impart our opinions and reactions as we are used to doing in everyday life. We are able to offer the established and tested wisdom of the practice as a template. In addition, the teachings say that if we stay with what is, the meaningful action or response will arise, from a communication between the situation as it is and our basic goodness, our buddhanature.
We should not pass judgements, criticisms, or corrections on what the student authentically experiences and shares with us or others. As teachers it is important for us to make each student know that their personal experience and reaction to the teachings and practice is important and valid. We are all human, and our experiences of life and the dharma are as myriad as they can be mirrored. A relevant teaching, anecdote, or response may arise in our mind which we can impart if it is appropriate to this teaching environment. Or nothing may arise in our mind in response. There is no right answer and this is often the best answer. We can always thank our students for sharing, because each sharing is an opportunity for ourselves as teachers and any students–including the sharer—to learn. We can also reassure the student that their experience is important and valid, and they aren’t doing anything wrong by having that experience or sharing it.
If we are teachers, why shouldn’t we tell our students what to do? Aren’t we supposed to have the tools, knowledge, and wisdom to guide and create discovery? Not really. We aren’t teaching geometry or physics. The best justification for this approach may be this: for each person, each student of the dharma which we all are, even if we are teachers, THAT person is the only one who can walk the path and discover it for themselves. We can’t walk the path for them. And this is a beautiful truth of our lives, so let’s embrace it!
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A prerequisite for supporting discovery is knowing that we are all on a path to finding answers and we all need to go through our individual journeys. Spiritual or not, I believe we are all in some kind of quest that follows its own labyrinthic thread. Even if we knew a person’s life history intimately, we can never know how the dharma teachings may resonate with them or how they may be applied in their own particular situations. One can argue that it is only when we go through life experiences that we discover our own truths. Before then, for me at least, the teachings are only a rational belief. I also believe that the journey of discovery itself is a teaching experience. By rushing to conclusions about the meaning of teachings, we might unintentionally hinder this valuable process (both for ourselves and our students).
Supporting discovery also requires awareness that we likely don’t know about the teachings themselves and other people’s lives as much as we think we do. If I believe that it is only through my individual process of discovery that teachings are transformed from being just words on a page into my own personal truths, then it is very possible that I’m not as intimately familiar with many of the teachings to begin with, as they are vast and multi-layered. From that self-awareness, I would strive to support rather than teach; accompany rather than lead.
Spiritual teachings take time to seep in. Some tools for supporting discovery may include “being” with the student in their own journey, even if we don’t have all the answers. Not being alone during a process of discovery can make all the difference to how far and deep we go. Another tool may be encouraging the student to continue their exploration through the writings of Master Teachers and discussing them together. Being transparent about what we don’t know or fully understand is another primary tool. And as Susan always says, “Don’t take my word for it” it’s a golden rule for reminding others that even the most “sacred teaching” should not be taken as an absolute truth, and instead should be tested and experimented on before they become our own.
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Thank you, Ana. Reading your response after Jersey’s was very helpful. There we all were on Saturday, receiving the same instruction, on the same Zoom wall, for the same amount of time, and however those minutes were going for me, everyone else individually was on their own path, being tripped up by their own trailing burdens and sent down their own meanders and sidetracks, and with some of us navigating some very deep holes.
I’m guessing there will be both mundane and magical intersections as well as supportive company on these individual journeys over the next few weeks. I like the idea of a labyrinth and us all being in it together as we find our separate ways through.
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The thing we’re pursuing is like buried treasure. It’s an innate part of ourselves, this capacity to be fully awake; it’s “in there” as certainly as our pulses and our personalities.
Helping someone else to discover this aspect of themselves might begin with invitation. Something like showing that a map to the buried treasure is available to them, as it is to everyone. Of course, it cannot be a physical map with an ‘x’ marking the place to dig. Rather we can provide them with a way to start in the right direction, with the instruction, which offers a container; the boundaries of the path.
We can offer landmarks, making clear what certain aspects of the journey might look and feel like, or signs to be aware of, like the misconceptions that can lead them astray.
We can give them guidance to see for themselves when they may be straying from the path, with the assurance that they can always return to it. Being sensitive to where they are requires listening intently to what they ask and have to say about their experience. Respecting that each person’s journey may be different calls for hearing what they mean, rather than what we expect to hear, or know ourselves.
Also, we can encourage them along their journey. Not by cheerleading, but by living example, and by helping them recognize glimpses of the inner nature we’re working toward revealing. We can show that even though their progress and discovery is their own, we are on the journey together.
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Hi Colin! I appreciate the way you use imagery of maps and landmarks and pathways to answer this essay about supporting others on their journeys. It suggests that there is something much bigger than any one of us that we can rely on, that there is truth that we are able to approach, and that we are in it together, to support each other when we stray or stumble. I also appreciate your comments about encouragement, that it is not (mindless) cheerleading but wise and kind waypointing, helping others truly perceive and integrate their unique insights.
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Wow – thank you, Colin~ I really resonated with the idea of our discovery processes being like looking for buried treasure: yes! That’s how it feels to me, and it’s a great metaphor. I also really like what you said about encouraging others by being a living example: oh, yeah! Your language really spoke to me and helped me to understand and feel what you were saying.
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For me, it feels like there are two main pillars to supporting discovery. The first is in the meditation instruction. Providing simple, clear, and consistent instruction creates the container for discovery. I believe this because I have seen it for myself. Over the past almost 11 years that I have been meditating, I have received the same simple, clear, and consistent instruction from Susan. And through this I have made my own discoveries (which continue on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis). I practice plenty on my own without instruction, but I find coming back to the instruction every so often, whether it’s daily, weekly, monthly, and so on, furthers my discovery. I know what to expect from the instruction, and yet I hear it anew and hear something different each time that aids in my discovery.
The second pillar, to me, is listening. Specifically, active listening. I have seen firsthand the magic (aka, discovery) that can come from being able to contemplate and speak thoughts aloud to someone who is practicing active listening. I have experienced this personally, as the talker/processor, thanks to my husband and other close friends who have given me the gift of active listening in my lifetime. And I’ve also experienced this as a witness to others’ experiences of discovery, when I’ve served as the active listener. The discovery that can happen in a person when one is allowed to speak from the heart, free from judgment, and then have those thoughts bounced back to them like a sounding board from someone who is invested, in that moment, in their discovery, is nothing short of profound.-
Hi Liana! Thank you for this simple and clear response to our essay question. I resonate with the way you describe coming back to the meditation instruction — no matter how many times we have heard it, it is new. Each time we begin anew, in a new moment of a new day, with a unique opportunity to be newly present. We, in what feels like our ever-changing experience, get to connect with and rely on the instruction and the practice, again and again.
And yes, listening. Thank you for revealing your usual mode as talker/processor 🙂 and your appreciation of others’ receipt and reflection of your words. And I really feel the way your experience of being actively listened to has organically enabled you to offer that receptive and reflective experience to others. And all of this leads to discovery — inside, outside, and between!
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A quick look at a thesaurus shows some synonyms for “discovery” as: “locating, uncovering, and, unearthing.” Each of these points to a quality directly related to our practice and teaching of meditation – discovering something that is already there – our own Buddha-nature.
Unearthing or uncovering conjures a vision of being “cushion-to-cushion”, with our students to see what treasure they might discover. As teachers we know that the “gold” is there through our own training and experience, as mysterious as it is. And, each journey is different, and what is revealed and its expression is unique to the “discoverer.” This work of discovery requires bravery and courage to take the first step (or seat) to look, and to try something new. Discovery requires a “discoverer,” and it is our role to support our students in their exploration. How do we do this?
Here are some primary tools I’ve identified (I am sure there are more):
1. Stability, trust and faith in one’s own practice. In order to accompany students on their journeys, we must have enough in our own experience to know ourselves in order to come alongside our students and sit in the fire with them (doubts, fears, self-judgment, emotions, etc.). If we haven’t worked with ourselves, (knowing ourselves) we risk not supporting, but adding to difficult or challenging experiences. This runs counter to supporting discovery.
2. A stance of humility, while also acknowledging our skills, knowledge and training as a teacher. This includes a stance of unconditional positive regard, non-judgment (of ourselves and our students) and the belief that each student is creative, resourceful, and whole and has everything they need, with proper and clear support, to embark on a fruitful journey of discovery for themselves. This humility coupled with skillful means helps convey that it is “safe” to explore. It helps set the “container” in which exploration can take place. I am not here to “teach” or to “tell” but to help set the conditions favorable to discovery.
3. Having received and understood good meditation instruction, from the view of our lineage, we know and are able to explain instructions clearly (“taking one’s seat”, posture, breath focus, gaze, etc.). This helps students to feel “held” in the space to explore. As teachers we are keeping an eye on things (time, form, etc.), so that they can “let go” of needing to manage or worry about anything other than their exploration.
4. Someone offered me the saying “keep it light and tight.” I like this – keeping it light – a gentle touch on the guidance and instruction; and, keeping it tight, clarity of what we are up to and where we are going (e.g., we’ll have instruction/teaching, then we will sit for xx minutes, then we’ll come back together for questions/sharing, and we’ll close with a dedication of merit, and honoring time commitments) provides students with a container and roadmap for our time together. They can relax into the container.
5. Remembering and touching into our early experiences of meditation and the feelings and thoughts we had as we were starting out bring us into a place of tenderness for what our students might be experiencing.As teachers, through confidence in our training, our experience as practitioners, our Dharma education, and our authentic presence, we set a field of possibility that holds the space for students to explore and discover what arises on the cushion.
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Hi Clif — there is so much CARE in your response — that energy is palpable and lovely. So many phrases and important ideas stood out for me: Unconditional positive regard, Humility, and the importance of creating a Container within which the student feels safe to land and brave to explore — and the teacher/guide feels safe & brave too! Thank you very much!
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To support discovery, you must:
hold boundaries, guide without giving direct advice/answers, create a safe space, hold space without enmeshment.
I have learned the greatest teachers do not provide answers or concrete direction. Rather, they provide information and encourage the student to find the answers within. -
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This is by no means a complete answer, but the first two tools that came to mind in supporting discovery were 1) Curiosity and 2) Boundaries.
The boundaries create the container for magic that Susan has described. Setting aside time for practice, defining the practice, defining our role as a meditation teacher – this is the very container for discovery. Without boundaries, we end up with issues like codependence, enmeshment, and transference. Instead of supporting a person’s process of discovery, they may feel dependent on us to have insights and epiphanies. This is just one example, but a lack of boundaries can end up being a mess in a whoooooole bunch of ways.
Curiosity leads to depth and expansion of discovery. If we lack curiosity, we have a finite outer limit of what can and cannot be discovered. To quote Vimalakirti: do not impose the narrow path upon those who aspire to the great path. Curiosity from a facilitator allows discoveries to unfold naturally and be deeply explored, instead of narrowly defining where a practice will lead.
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Hi Joe – Your emphasis of boundaries resonates with me. As a teacher, boundaries are one aspect of how I gently hold the container, safely, for myself and the students. Boundaries are a huge kindness to ourselves and others. Well said. – Jodi
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The tools most important to support discovery seem to be openness, presence, and consistency.
Openness, as in listening to and truly hearing the questions and concerns a student has, without judging or immediately formulating my own response or rebuttal (as I often catch myself doing–I’m working on it!) before they’ve even finished.
A calm and thoughtful presence also encourages discovery, rather than an approach that implies that I have the answer, and they must guess it like a riddle.
Consistency too. The instructions are the same every time. Every. single. time. This seemed repetitive to me in the beginning but then became helpful–I could focus on my breath rather than trying to trying to figure out whether a different instruction was a new thing or a rephrasing of something I was already familiar with.-
I agree that presence is an important tool. The most I think about it, the more it seems like THE most important. If we are present, everything else follows. It makes me think that humans’ needs for not feeling alone is key to experiences with an unknown outcome. It’s something I will think about more in this journey. Thank you for bringing it up.
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Supporting discovery, both within myself and for others, involves a mix of attitudes and techniques that in some ways seem to be inconsistent with each other. When I first reflected on what it takes to support discovery, I immediately thought of the importance of openness. I know for myself that I need to come to the proverbial table with an open mind if I hope to discover or learn anything new. If I’m entering into a situation having already made up my mind about how things are, it’s very unlikely that I will have the experience of discovery.
After attending our first class and reflecting further, I recognized how important containment and consistency are to the process of supporting discovery. Without containment, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged because of the sheer amount of information or possibilities that are available. I’ve encountered this in Buddhist studies where the amount of information available seems staggering (to be fair, it stands to reason given that Buddhism has been around for over 2,500 years). But, when I’ve taken on one aspect of Buddhism, the experience of discovery has far more likely. It feels manageable to learn the information and still have space to reflect on how I’m meeting and making sense of the material.
Consistency in approach seems to be another necessary ingredient for supporting discovery. I’ve experienced the importance of “practice” in many areas of my life, including meditation. When I know what to expect and I develop familiarity with a technique, I am much more likely to experience or discover something new. When my mind is no longer hyper-focused on getting the technique exactly right, knowledge, wisdom, or new connections can arise.
Paradoxically, it seems that containment and consistency are the gateways for openness and ultimately, discovery.
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Hey Erin,
I really appreciate the skillful way you’ve surface this paradox: consistency creating more freedom is something that takes time to learn, especially if we are coming to practice with any experiences of historic restriction, which most of us likely have encountered. But choosing what we are consistent with, your post made me think, IS truly an ultimate freedom. Thanks for this reminder to get on the mat 🙂
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Supporting discovery in another person starts with my willingness to discover things within myself. Why am I on this meditation path? What do I hope to get out of it? Why do I keep at it? What happens when I create the space to keep coming back to the technique again and again?
The next step is to be open. Open to the answers that come from within me, and open to another person’s process. Deep listening is a tool that is imperative. Active listening to what they are saying, instead of being caught up in my thoughts while they are speaking. That is the way to help listen them into their own wisdom.
I love that Susan said we are not here to teach anyone anything, but to help them discover something. That really takes the pressure off. I don’t have to have all the answers. I love the idea of bringing my own experience with meditation into the conversation, because for sure I have experienced many of the same things others have around meditation. That common ground could be a way in to collaboration with another person’s wisdom instead of just teaching the meditation practice. Discovering what we have in common can be a bridge to the thread that connects us all together. Being open to what I may learn from them is a bonus.
And then there’s the simple container of the technique. Body and breath awareness, noticing when we get swept away in thought, then let go, come back, begin again. Again. And again. Simple, trustworthy, effective.
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I think you’re onto something here. Understanding your own motivation is important. As is the ability to get out of your own way when listening.
Again and again, I have witnessed first-time meditation students showing tremendous wisdom. We are here only to help them find that. We’re not imparting it to them.
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A few key elements that I think support the process of discovery:
Creating Safety – for me, this would start by modeling being ok with unexpected things that come up (e.g., saying I don’t know the answer to a question, or using phrases like “I wonder…” or “what do you think?”. There would need to be a balance between that flexibility and setting up a reliable structure to the classes. This could include establishing some routines or rituals (like ringing the bell to start a sit each time), so students know what kind of structure to expect.
Gentleness – discoveries are things the practitioner newly becomes aware of. The teacher can nurture these new discoveries by gently receiving what is shared, acknowledging that it’s new for the person, and thanking them for sharing. Any questions could start with “I know this is all new to you, how would you feeling about talking about it a bit more?”
Staying curious – this could include asking questions in a way that centers the other person’s view, maybe by inviting more sharing, or using terms the other person uses in any reflections the teacher offers. Body language is also important, e.g., an open posture and facial expression.
Maintaining self-insights – the teacher needs to stay aware of their body, for example to watch for any signs of tension. I like to use a couple of things to help me do this – making sure I’m breathing evenly, checking that my shoulders are low and relaxed.
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Hi Djuna,
Thank you for your thoughtful words on key elements that support the discovery process. I appreciate that you touched on gentleness as one of these keys. Gentleness—-specifically, learning to be gentle with myself—-has been a transformative aspect of my own practice. It took a while, and many moments of noticing when I was being harsh and critical towards myself, to appreciate the quiet strength and nurturing quality of gentleness. It has become a practice unto itself, and continues to support me on this journey.
Thanks,
Anita -
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What does it mean to support discovery? What are the primary tools? I have thought about this quite a bit since class on Saturday. The world we live in has become so very chaotic and undisciplined. It seems to me that basic principles have been replaced by culturally perpetuated personality disorders, poor communication tools, ignorance and bad behavior. I often think that we could all respectfully coexist if we could find a common thread upon which to focus. I believe the posture that we take in our practice – sitting tall, back straight on the floor or in a chair, our hands resting lightly just above our knees, mouth closed with teeth slightly parted, eye softened attention on the breath is the beginning of discovery. The simplicity of it and the complexity of this ancient practice calls to me. It is the golden thread that could teach us all how to co-exist. The container we create as individuals and as a community is magical. It is personal and intimate. The practice of listening and following the instruction gives us structure and boundaries in which we are safe to explore and yet we are sitting and breathing. Staying with the technique, following the instruction -staying within the container. I think these are primary tools. This framework supports principles of the practice over individual personality or ego. I find it freeing and thought provoking. We follow the same technique yet our experiences are different. We become each other’s teachers. Sitting, breathing and looking softly at what is. Letting go and returning to the breath.
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“Reflect on what it means to support discovery. What are the primary tools?”
Meditation, in Susan’s words, in this year’s 21 Day Meditation Challenge, “introduces you to yourself.” In teaching meditation, it means finding space where students journey to discover their introduction to themselves.
This is so meaningful to me because it is so resonant and affirming to the principles that have guided me in all of my work, as it has evolved.
In community organizing, it meant finding space where people move into inhabiting their power to craft their agendas and make their way towards making a difference in this world.
In psychotherapy, it means finding space where people can find ways to safely unfold and soften so they can work with the places that kept them from their fullest lives.
In teaching and supervision, it means finding space where psychotherapists can freely examine, explore and grow into their roles.
At root, and in not dissimilar ways, these are all introductions to oneself.
And what are the primary tools?
After Saturday’s class and a review of the notes, I found, with greater familiarity with Julia Cameron’s exhortation that “the 1st rule of magic is containment,” deeper understanding of how important a container is for discovery.
In meditation, our practice technique provides the container for magic to form. It protects and directs the boundaries that help us know what we can do in supporting the student experience by offering instruction and support to create a sustainable practice combined with further study of the practice and the dharma teachings that help us to know what we cannot do.
We also spoke of listening in class as an essential tool of discovery. Practicing how not to think about what we think about when we hear what someone is saying and further not to take refuge in what we think we know, but to let go and enter a kind of magical energy wave that allows us to open to a deeper connection and understanding of what we hear as well as what we sense, and in communication, often connecting with presence rather than words.
Here too, there are deep similarities in tools; containers, listening and presence, with what I learned and how I worked in other roles, yet I can’t help feeling that this journey we are on will take me deeper, and in directions I can’t anticipate and I suspect, that magic is afoot.
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Hi Lauren,
I appreciate how you illuminated the way finding space has looked in the different roles you’ve inhabited. It made me reflect on the various roles that I play in my life, and how the thread of finding space can look different in each role, but is also connected by my deeper intentions. How each role is, like you mentioned, a way of introducing yourself to yourself.
I also appreciate your comment on how deep listening allows us to access deeper connection. Deep listening is something I’ve made a commitment to practice more intentionally this year, and this is a good reminder to renew that intention!
Thanks,
Anita-
Many thanks Lauren,
Your reflections on what was offered in class and how it impacts your view of discovery really resonates with my experience. I will gladly explore your suggestions to what tools are needed, particularly fresh for me is returning to containment. Listening and really hearing as a gateway to practice is also a very welcome reminder as one of the available tools.
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Reflect on what it means to support discovery. What are the primary tools?
What struck me the most about the first meeting we had was the concept of caring about but not taking on the responsibility for taking care of a student’s experience. Caring about, for me, is holding the space for the student to discover their own experience. Providing the container for that as others have said above. That would be one tool of many.
Holding the space for me as a teacher is about providing consistency, being reliable so that the student feels that they can count on me to show up for them to hold the space. Listening deeply, reflecting their experience rather than imposing my own. I think in here is also some boundaries as in I can reflecting their experience and not impose my own but also set some limits around this is the tradition we are working in so here is the structure about how we do that based on thousands of years of teachings. Holding the space for this also, for me, includes that this method may not be a good fit for them and so they’re free to find a different method or a different teacher. Another tool would be a sense of freedom and choice. We choose to show up, we choose to meet, we choose to practice this way/path for now.
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Thank you Elizabeth, for reminding me about the difference in caring for someone and taking care of someone and how this may impact the interaction between student and teacher. Also, to make a conscious choice and having the will or willingness to practice or enter the path of meditation as one of the markers for the tool of choosing.
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OK, I have to admit, I couldn’t figure out how to respond to a specific comment! Read them all, and wanted to add my comments to a few of them, but simply couldn’t find the way….How many Teachers does it take to help me discover how to respond to a specific comment…I wonder. LOL.
In all seriousness, i loved so many comments from many of you. And after reading them all, some patterns really emerge which is very interesting and I am sure we will discuss that at a later class. What was clear to me, is that I have a lot to learn from all of you, everyone has such a different background and bring different perspectives. This made me think, that part of enabling discovery in a “field of study” where the path is different for everyone, must be to give the student exposure to many examples, tips, pointers, etc. that come from very different backgrounds and perspectives. The more diversity the better as you don’t really know what will stick with each student. This is (i think) the power of community, as this can not be done by any one teacher/instructor by definition.
I am personally just really starting this practice with consistency and structure. So I have a lot to discover. Will definitively welcome any advice on specific literature to read, tricks and tips to do better meditation, places to visit, etc. I know this is too broad so don’t expect any specifics now, but I know as this course evolves and we discuss more specific topics and problems I look forward to all of your tips and learnings that have helped you improve your practice.
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My thoughts for this week’s essay kept returning to the idea of a container. The shape and structure of this container hold our practice stable. The beauty is that this allows what goes into the container to be as unique as the person filling it. The container is a resting place, allowing each of us to come as we are in the moment, regardless of the residues of the day that may still cling to us. It is a safe, reliable place that supports the exploration of what is here now.
Each of us brings our own unique and personal qualities to this endeavor. The practice helps us uncover and inhabit our own gifts, and discover how they are of benefit to ourselves and others. It is important as a teacher to support others in bringing their own curiosity to this discovery process by providing the appropriate tools for this unfolding—-the container—-without putting our own ideas of how something should look, act, or be. Providing the stable container facilitates the work, supported by compassion, and never trying to force a certain outcome.
Most importantly, I think as a teacher we must stay faithful to our practice, faithful to our own expression of the practice when we are out in the world. We model to others this authentic possibility, the practice of being more fully ourselves. This supports others as they embark on their own journeys of discovery. I like to imagine all these many individual containers, each filled with the jewel-toned expressions of who we are, both as unique individuals and as a collective whole.-
Dear Anita,
Wow, this is such a beautiful reflection on the container and it really spoke to me. Thank you for sharing! You outline the power, versatility, and close-heartedness of the container in such a compelling way. I like how you highlighted the importance of a teacher to stay true to your practice and to practice what we are teaching. By our own deepening of our practice we can understand what jewels we have to offer others. And through our own learning we may discover endlessly helpful tools to assist others. I can’t tell you how many times I have been in a meditation class and a fellow student has offered a brief reflection or metaphor which has been of tremendous benefit to the learning and practice of that sangha. Thanks again for your essay! -
Hi Anita – i love your reference back to the container and how beautifully you rendered the image of each students’ presence and practice filling the space in their own way. Julia Cameron wrote – “the first rule of magic is containment” and it is so applicable in the practice of meditation and the magic that follows from it. Thank you for the imagery. I will remember this always.
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What does it mean to support discovery and what are the primary tools?
Discovery to me suggests a process. It may point to an action, an occurrence, where something which is covered and thus unknown, concealed or veiled in some way is uncovered and becomes known, is revealed or unveiled by an explorer. To me this means that I must be capable to share or inhabit the same space as the one I’m supporting in discovery. An open attitude may be helpful to observe and explore the same covered object the explorer I’m offering support will endeavor to discover. To offer this support could be compared to being a guide, supporting an explorer through a landscape which I have traveled well but which is completely new or somewhat known but still not all familiar to the explorer. Having the experience of an explorer new to the unknow landscape, the experience of discovery of the landscape and the experience of familiarity once the landscape has been traveled habitually, I may confidently recognize and contextualize the experiences of discovery the other person is going through. This confidence is well established and trustworthy when rooted in my own experiences if these were investigated, verified and validated through an interaction and under guidance of teachers who themselves have traveled this landscape (the human mindscape for instance) countless times and have established familiarity with the processes and the objects which can be discovered there. Open communication, a light touch and space for playful exploration may be helpful. The support offered may improve when I travel and experiences the landscape at the same moment as the discoverer. In this sense it can be helpful to engage with a beginner’s mind. This can be significant, as something may have shifted since I was involved in discovery and the discoverer may influence the landscape and the object of discovery in a particular way. There may be a difference compared to just offering exploring instructions without traveling along.
An analogy with Google Maps can help here. The accuracy and momentary applicability of the map and traffic information is based on both traveling the road thousands of times and the fresh experience of the moment. As an analogy, his may point to the quality of primary tools. It seems to me that I could offer better support if I my own discovery is guided by a member of a lineage of practice, discovery, investigation, verification and validation established over a period of thousands of years. In this sense, I have a sense that this course will be tremendously helpful. Supporting discovery with this quality of connectedness may seem as magical as the guidance offered by Google Maps.-
Dear Glenn,
Thank you for sharing. I love your image of the explorer and the landscape, and how we as explorers can travel to the landscapes of others, with open minds and hearts, and finding common ground between our experiences in the goal of mutual understanding and aid. And I really appreciate how you explore the concept of how we are balancing this Buddhist (at least, to me it appears in Buddhism) coexistence of both the embracing of the newness of an experience, without attaching prior judgements or opinions, while also being supported by this very old and tested lineage of discovery and investigation. I hope you find these benefits in this course as you describe!
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The use of the word discovery implies that the end result might be a surprise: discovery, by definition, means to make visible something that was previously unknown to us. It’s important to have curiosity and humility, and to hold outcomes loosely.
Seeking discovery with a curious, open-hearted approach allows for the following of unexpected paths. We don’t know exactly where a trail might lead or what we’ll meet along the way, but curiosity keeps us open to exploring and finding out.
In a similar vein, discovery requires adopting a posture of humility. Arrogance does not foster an atmosphere conducive to being challenged or create a willingness to wrestle with an unexpected result; rather, it (thinks that it) knows best, has anticipated all outcomes, and is incapable of being surprised. Discovery grounded in humility allows the searcher to live in reality, staying with what is rather than clinging to a preconceived expectation.
The twin tools of curiosity and humility would also serve leaders well. As a meditation teacher–a path-walker myself who is a companion for someone else on their own path– I must continually recognize both that I’m not in charge and that I can’t possibly know everything about another person and their journey. My role is to support their self-discernment and foster the quality of agency as they travel a path that might be very different from my own. Staying open and curious about differing understandings and experiences can allow me to partake in and grow from the discoveries of another.
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Hi Toni,
Thank your for your thoughtful response. I really like your inclusion of the concept of surprise as an aspect of discovery. It reminded me of how important is to remain open to possibilities as I’m walking the path. I also appreciated your inclusion of humility as part of your response. I hadn’t considered this, but I can see why genuine humility is so important to supporting the learning and discovery process both in ourselves and in others.
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Beautifully said. ‘Humility, being open to surprises, holding the outcomes loosely – these words resonated a lot with me and create an invitation to being comfortable with the unknown. I also noted that you framed humility and curiosity as tools for both the teacher and the student. That is so true and radically simple. Thank you for sharing this reflection.
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Hi Toni,
Reading your words, how discovery grounded in humility allows the searcher to live in reality, staying with what is rather than clinging speaks to me. Being true and being real primes us for learning, discovering, uncovering even. Mentioning having humility as part of the foundation is really helpful for me…thank you!
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When I think of supporting discovery, I think about having the beginner’s mindset—keeping learning, empathy, and adaptability at the center of instruction. I do consider myself a beginner in my practice and my study of the dharma, and I absolutely remember what if feels like not to know. I still feel that way all the time! That said, I also realize how easy it is to slip into comfort and familiarity with concepts, using vocabulary and jargon that seem like “the basics,” but feel impenetrable to someone earlier on the path of discovery. I want to share the gift of meditation by offering resources and structure (a container!), while remaining curious and open to students’ perspectives and their responses to what is shared.
Supporting discovery in my students includes holding awareness and anticipation that I too will continue to discover. I know that I will learn as much (more?) as those I am instructing. I recently created a professional course for graduate students, and preparing each session challenged me to look at my own knowledge through new eyes. I found myself going down research and reading rabbit holes, wanting to offer as much insight and as many resources as possible to the students. I was humbled to realize how much more I had to learn about what I was teaching. I would also try to anticipate student questions as I prepared a lecture and was surprised and delighted by inquiries I could not possibly have predicted. It is exhilarating to forge new neural pathways as you navigate the contents of your mind—a familiar landscape turned foreign when explored through the lens of a fresh perspective.
As I prepare to support discovery, I will strive to maintain the beginner’s mindset. I will carry a toolbox filled with the dharma, consistent practice, the wisdom of my teacher and spiritual friends, curiosity, and a commitment to listen well. I believe these tools, and an open heart, have the power to spark transformation and growth.
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Teaching, just like any other human endeavor, is about connecting through what is universal in us, while making room for what is unique to grow and evolve in its own rhythm.
The inevitability of death, the pursuit of joy, the experience of love, grief, and the need for connection are universal human experiences across cultures, geographies and even time. The Four Noble Truths are grounded in this universality. While these truths are universal, each person experiences them through the lens of their own life. Every student’s story comes from their deeply personal, unrepeatable, yet relatable moments ranging from joy to heartbreak. Our responsibility and commitment as a teacher, then, is to hold space for each student as they pursue their own journey of discovery and growth.
The key tools available to us as teachers are our own steady practice and our ability to be fully present with students. This means listening deeply to understand each student’s perspective, without judgment or any agenda, simply acknowledging their experience. It also means helping them stay grounded in the meditation technique itself. One of the most powerful gifts we can offer is encouraging students to trust the process—returning to the practice again and again, whether during a meditation session or in daily life. Let our own presence and consistency show that it is this ongoing practice that lays the groundwork for deep transformation.
This gentle approach fosters trust and creates a safe space for growth, reminding students that their journey is valued and respected.
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Hello Gankur,
I really appreciate your heartfelt response. In particular, I like that you name common experiences that span all of humanity and recognize that each of us will experience those universal truths in our own unique ways. I also really like how you tied the importance of our own practice to our ability to show up and be present for those we teach.
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The distinction between supporting discovery and teaching feels important to me. Where ‘teaching’ requires an expertise or a mastery within the teacher, ‘supporting discovery’ allows the wisdom and magic to live in the practice. There’s freedom in that, because it loosens the grip on insecurity and ego about a lack of mastery (about a thing that I’m not clear can be ‘mastered’) and allows for curiosity and exploration to be engaged in together.
I’m thinking more about the importance of the container for discovery. It should have a start, it should have a structure, it should have an end. It should be a place of openness and wisdom and rigor. The container allows for the curious exploration to take place. -
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Supporting discovery means creating a space where students uncover their truths, connect their own background to what they’re learning, and experience something new that will stick with them. Some important tools for a teacher creating the space necessary to support discovery are listening, bravery, and integrity.
A teacher who listens can create the container for folx to show up as themselves, learn meditation as the ancient practice it is, then practice it as consistently as they can. When listening is the norm and so natural in the container, practitioners are set to make connections.
And the teacher who brings bravery into the container can create a space where students are safe. In a safe space, there are no expectations because every time a practitioner sits, it’s new and fresh. No one knows what will come up during the practice or instruction. Then in post meditation, teacher and student can explore the practice they just had.
During this exploration, a teacher facilitates a post meditation discussion with bravery which can make for a provocative process. And in this safe space, truths are uncovered. This is new and fresh every time as well.
The only thing that is constant is that the practice is ancient even though it is training the mind to be open and present. The ancient practice of meditation is sacred despite its simplicity. We’re just sitting. All this in one practice is to be revered which is why another tool for supporting discovery is integrity.
What will come up is uncertain and a teacher with integrity stays true to the practice while creating the space where students are supported. Together, they discover for themselves what they need to practice intentionally and regularly.
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Hi Sandie, the thing that really shines through to me from your essay is that despite this practice being ancient and despite the technique always being the same, if we practice with diligence our experience is “new and fresh every time.” I suppose holding the container does actually open things up and create the magic.
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Hey y’all – sorry this is late-ish. I’m on the struggle bus these days!
All teaching is discovery, is what I would say, and supporting discovery means a general “allowing” that enables it to happen. Someone – I think Plato – said that learning involves remembering what you forgot. So while it’s true that when I teach my students (I am a university professor of literature), they are learning things about, say, Chaucer, that they did not know before. But they also discover the capacity of their own minds to understand and hold those ideas – to be enlivened by the discovery of what was already there. Teaching is like turning the lights on, slowly (so dimmable lights, i guess!) in a room. At first you bump your shins, etc (or lord knows I do), and then as the light gets brighter, you not only recognize what is there, but it feels like a revelation: OH! Of course that is a desk. I can walk around it, put things on it, etc etc.
I often say to my undergrads that while I always (almost) have answers to the questions I ask them, I don’t care whether they figure those out. I *know* what I think, and I will tell them what I think more than they would ever wish. LOL. But I want to know what *they* think. Because a lot of the time what they think is interesting and monumentally important for *their* discovery of what the class is meant to impart. If what we are studying is worthwhile, when they learn it, they discover what is already there. (BTW I think this is true for science, too, though I could never teach that at just about any level. Not that I know about relativity, but if I could understand it, I would *recognize* it as true.)
It makes even more sense, then, that for me a tool for teaching meditation is allowing for that discovery. In the first class, Susan said that teaching meditation is tantamount to asking a student to “let me in there,” into their mind or heart. Obviously teaching literature is not that – and even that kind of non-sacred teaching requires allowing for discovery. In the case of meditation, though, the discovery is turned inward and outward simultaneously, and we as teachers can’t know what the result will be. When I teach literature, I know at least the shape of the discovery; I know the land to which we are traveling. Here, one helps the meditation student navigate to an unknown (but magical) place, and so it requires a deeper allowing for that discovery. That’s cool. It’s in keeping with what I understand about teaching but more profound. It’s the teaching that animates all other teaching, or something like that.
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Week 1 Essay:
What does it mean to support discovery?
* For me, when I embody the seat of the teacher:
Presence is of primary importance. I am there with the students, my mind is not elsewhere, and I give myself time to arrive in this space for them before they show up.
Caring with boundaries; not taking care of them in their experience, allows for their own experience.
Experience of the practice; two aspects are being able to share it with others correctly as it is meant to be offered, and then sharing my personal experience of the practice is not sharing knowledge, but offering my experience of the practice through my own heart connection thereof.What are the primary tools?
* Container. The technique of the Practice itself is the container.
* Boundaries. As a teacher, boundaries are one aspect of how I gently hold the container, safely, for myself and the students. Boundaries are not only necessary. Boundaries are a kindness to ourselves and others.
* Listening. Support their discovery by listening (presence).
* Inquiry. Support their discovery with inquiry, not just by offering knowledgeable responses or reflections based on my own experience of the practice, help them uncover, dig deeper, discover on their own.-
Thank you, Jodi for sharing your insight. Your reminder to be present with your students and yourself (which requires boundaries and honest listening) is so powerful! Specifically, what stood out to me in your reflection was the insight that caring with boundaries can look like “not taking care of them in their experience,” which “allows for their own experience!” What an important reminder: if we listen to students and ourselves with presence, we can discern what boundaries we can place to offer kindness to ourselves and others. Thank you for sharing that holding boundaries, creating a container from engaging in the practice itself, listening (which requires presence), and inquiry are all tools of supporting discovery.
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Supporting discovery means to allow for freedom of an honest experience as it arises. That journey may look like experiencing the afflictions of the mind, experiencing feelings (physical, emotional, etc.) in response to our external/internal states, or experiencing being the breath. The primary tools that can facilitate discovery are active listening to what the person (along with ourselves) is expressing without assigning our own bias or judgement to it. This listening requires openness of our own minds, malleability of our mental narratives, and that we tune into our own felt sense as we are having it. Another useful tool may be mindfulness of the context of the experience. This mindfulness can come from asking “what is the environmental landscape in this given moment that would benefit from a particular response?” “How long do we have to engage in a discussion?” “What is being asked of me in this moment, and how would the environment support my response?” This mindfulness of context also stems from our ability to listen to the cues around us and tune into the feelings that arise within us (whether helpful or unhelpful). Another tool that may be especially useful is the tool of discernment. Without discernment, we may be unsuccessful in filtering out the signal from the noise within our own minds and from others/our environments. This discernment is also crucial for our ability to act in a way that may alleviate suffering within ourselves/others, facilitates freedom of experiencing something as someone is experiencing it, and know how to support someone as they navigate honest discovery.
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Hi Kristin,
Thank you! I feel your insight and would welcome you as my ‘teacher’. To have a space held for me with caring and insight to guide me in my discovery to “allow for freedom of an honest experience as it arises” is a tender and precious experience, one that I may not have experienced as fully, or may felt afraid and retreated as the ‘honest experience’ arose. Your awareness and sensitivity to this, makes me feel like I’m held in a safe container for discovery, and what it could open me to (as a participant). This combined with your awareness and attention to listening, discernment.. feels like a promising exploration, discovery and relating-ship. Thank you! -
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Assignment: Reflect on what it means to support discovery. What are the primary tools?
Reflection:
To support discovery means to be fully present to another person while separating myself from their process.I see supporting discovery as also beginning with me. My intention, commitment and devotion to my practice as taught by Susan, and, recognizing the importance of and practicing the principle of Containment… personally and as a teacher. Taking this training has made me more aware of that. It’s made me aware.. to be conscious of this dynamic at work (like, being conscious of: feeling the breath, in meditation).
Also: My establishing this Container takes place as a quiet time, prior to teaching (and prior to my own practice many times, but I’ve become more conscious of it since this class). I have experienced creating space of this Container before (although each one is unique); and I sense it as fertile ground to support a participant’s discovery without the personal “I” getting in the way; as I am trusting the Container. Doing this keeps me awake to this intention. (It doesn’t mean it’ll be ideal every time, but it’s more likely to be so, had I not done this; yet “ideal” is not my place to define. My view of non-ideal at the time, could work out just right for the participant at some point).
I’ve noticed that in establishing the intention and Container (although they could be one and the same) helps open the way to the listening that Susan speaks of; trusting that listening, and asking the participant discovery questions from this space. This is what supporting discovery means to me. It also enriches my own ongoing discovery as well, which helps me grow as a teacher.
Also to let the participants know that this is a structure for their own discovery and growth (as part of an orientation to their meditation class); so they are open and not looking to me to give them answers, but to shine a light, support and encourage them so they can discover their own insights and answers in their own way.
Primary Tools are the principles:
1. A commitment to our own practice. – And– We don’t teach anyone anything, we help them to discover something.
Each person has their own journey and inner teacher to discover and engage. As their meditation teacher, we hold a space of trusting in their process of their own explorations and discoveries. So, we are exempt from having to be an expert in meditation in order to teach it (although we must show an understanding of the meditation practice as presented in this training).2. Familiarity with the principles behind the technique.
This brings an invisible indescribable quality and depth to the experience of supporting discovery, of the participants journey (which in turn, benefits my own journey).3. A longing to be of benefit to others.
There seems to be a unique quality present when the call to help others is done from the generous, radiant desire of the heart; a call of the heart. I have received benefits of this “longing to be of benefit to others”, and it’s my heart’s desire to give, share and be of like-benefit.-
This reflection is so beautiful, Cheryl. What stands out to me is your awareness of the benefit of creating a container for students so they can show up as they are; something you have been able to experience in this teaching, as you shared, and in others that have left an indelible mark on your journey to an open heart. Your desire to be of benefit to others shows up in your reflection to remove your personal “I” from someone else’s journey. This reflection makes me think of the co-existing nature of the “self” and “non-self.” Although we can not completely remove the “self,” nor should we—as our lived experiences make for an embodied practitioner—we should also be diligent to not cloud the message that we hear from a student with our personal views. I can tell that your longing to be of benefit to others allows you, as you graciously put it, to “support and encourage them so they can discover their own insights and answers in their own way.”
Thank you for sharing.
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