About This Forum

For several years now, I've been participating off and on, on the Spiritualteachers.org Forum.
Up until recently, it's been moderated quite loosely, allowing forum members to express themselves freely and at times, to directly challenge each other in ways that I deem to be important for a spiritual discussion forum. A new moderator has now taken over, and has instigated rules against this type of direct challenge.

In my opinion, When direct challenge is prohibited on a spiritual discussion forum, important opportunities for inquiry and the resultant deeper clarity, are thwarted.

I have come to see more clearly than ever, that Through having my own spiritual views, opinions and realizations challenged, I am put in the position of examining them deeply, and if within that process, my ego becomes challenged, and I find myself becoming irritated or even angered at the one who has instigated that challenge, that becomes yet another golden opportunity for something important to be seen, and thus, for possible, deeper clarity. Any instance where ego rears up, where the words of another can cause me to feel wounded or angered, is an instance where some degree of attachment/identification with limitation, is arising.

The freedom to directly challenge another viewpoint and one's talk vs. their walk, is in my opinion, an important facet of any good spiritual discussion forum.

Spiritual debate and direct challenge of viewpoints, will not only be tolerated on this forum, but encouraged.

That said, the debating of "viewpoints" per se, need not ever become personal. There is a difference between challenging the viewpoint of another, and attacking 'the person' of another. Some seem to believe that to hold a divergent viewpoint from another, necessarily means feeling ill will towards him. It is entirely possible to vehemently disagree with the viewpoint of another, and all the while, for the exchange to remain unheated and entirely civil.



Enjoy!