Theos-Talk Archives (April 2005 Message tt01049)

Hallo all,


I will throw in a short story, which Idries Shah offers in his book
"Learning how to Learn".
I have made few minor change to it.


HOW CAN ONE METHOD BE AS GOOD AS ANOTHER?

Q: What you have said about the same person, or the same group of people,
being
able to employ entirely different techniques to achive the same object
interests me. But how
can one method be as good as another?

A: Let us think analogically. If a house is on fire, two ladders may be
propped against
one window. Both lead to the ground. The different colours of the paint on
them may obscure the fact that they are ladders.

Q: But how do we know that EITHER is a ladder (= a method)?

A: You know by learning to recognise a ladder when you see one.

Q: How is that done?

A: By familiarising yourself with ladders.

Q: And climbing ladders?

A: While you are learning recognition, climb them as a part of it.

Q: But some people insist that there only is one ladder, their own.

A: They are right, if they are only saying that to focus attention on a
specific escape-ladder
as an instrument. If it works, it is equivalent to being the only true one.
For practical purposes, it is.

Q: Are they right under any other circumstances?

A: Seldom, because if they really were right they would teach
not "There is only this ladder", but "Look at all these ladders; they can -
or could - work.
Ours, however, is applicable to you and to me." Failure to do this reveals
ignorance.
Remark: But they are short of time.
Comment: So is everybody.

Q: Are some ladders too short?

A: Ladders are in all conditions: new, old, rotten, short, long, blue,
green, weak, strong,
available, in use elsewhere, and all the rest of the possibilities.

Q: What should one do about all this?

A: Try to conceive that the house is on fire. If you can do so
without becoming obsessed or irrational about it, particularly
without becoming suggestible through dwelling on this idea, you
may get out. But while you are full of hope and fear, of sentiment
or desire for social activity or personal prominence or even regocnition,
you will not be able to use the ladder, you may not be able to recognise
one,
certainly you should be spending your energies in Circles which abound for
the
purpose of welcoming such tendencies.
People learn by methods which correspond with the kind and extent of their
aspiration:
this is a constant established Theosophical teaching.

Equally, of course, there are many people who cannot learn
something at a given time, because they have some other expectation,
some preoccupation, probably an emotional one.
Reflect on this news item:
"More than 3.000 worshippers fled in near-panic from the
famous Church of the Blessed Mary of the Rosary at Pompeii on
Saturday night, when a bottle of Coca Cola exploded."
(Daily Telegraph, London - Monday, 9 may 1977, p.6, col. 8)


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I do Hope this was as helpful to you as it was to me.



from
M. Sufilight


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