A RESIGNATION
About six years ago, I formally announced that I was "no longer a nonduality teacher". It was a label that never fit.
Today, I would like to formally announce that I am no longer a "teacher" of any kind.
(Well, I have been announcing this since my very first talk, book, Facebook post. And I love repeating myself...)
I am not an expert, guru, or authority on truth. I am a bird, singing my own original song. I do not hold the truth, own it, possess it, claim it as 'true'. The truth is a living thing, not something you will find in books, in ashrams, in the minds of humans, however learned or popular or knowledgeable or 'enlightened' they are, God help them. The truth is the truth of the living moment. It is not a nondual truth or a dualistic truth. It is not a spiritual truth or a non-spiritual truth. It is prior to all these clever and intoxicating words. It is a living thing. It is not a special state. It is not here only for the 'awakened'. It is the breath rising and falling. It is the warmth of the sun on your face. It is the sound of a bird singing, a car beeping its horn. It is the look in the eyes of a loved one or a stranger. It is the light streaming through your bedroom window in the morning. It is the sense of deep connection to the Earth, even in your most profound loneliness. It is the grace, the divinity, even in our moments of pain and sorrow.
How can I be an 'expert' on that.
I love sharing these words with you, as they come. I love inviting you to the truth of the present moment. I love holding this space, lightly. I love it when curious attention drops into the body.
I will keep singing my song, as long as there is a love of singing. But I cannot be anyone's teacher, preacher, guru, therapist or 'The One Who Knows'. But I can meet you in this field of friendship.
I cannot heal you, but I can guide you back to that sacred place within yourself where everything is held.
I cannot fix you, but I can love you.
I cannot give you the truth. You are already there, if you would only LOOK.
Beyond nonduality, yes. Beyond all notions of spirituality.
Beyond all labels I might give myself. Writer. Speaker. Teacher. Non-teacher. Whatever.
Just this moment, here, now, in its rawness, in its simplicity, in its groundlessness, in its purity.
Here, we can begin.
Nowhere else.
Here.
No system to uphold. No 'teaching' to defend.
Beyond 'right' and 'wrong'.
And so I resign. I fully resign!
I resign myself ... to this extraordinary path of radical inclusivity.
Bowing to our broken and beautiful humanity, each day.
Letting this tremendous Light shine through the cracks.
I resign in each moment,
from the role and the projections,
so I can see you, meet you,
exactly where you are.
from the role and the projections,
so I can see you, meet you,
exactly where you are.
- Jeff Foster
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