By Scott Shaw

One morning, a year or so ago, I began receiving e-mails informing me that a Ph.D., based at a Midwestern university, had authored a document about me and had posted it on a martial art e-mail discussion group. One of the individuals who alerted me to this fact was nice enough to include a copy of the discourse in his transmission. As I read it, I could not stop laughing. The Ph.D., (I will be kinder to him than he was to me and not mention his name), had gone to my website, taken brief passages, and then intermixed these statements, out of context, with his own negative appraisal of my life and my works. He really attempted to slam me.

Perhaps the most amusing thing, at least to me, was that he attempted to present his paper as a work based in scholastic fact -- as he applied the necessary reference points to my website and other sources. Of course, he didn't mention the limited scope or the one-sided approach to his research. The reason this was particularly funny was that this paper was present about a person like myself, who's life is such an open book. In association with being amused, I was really amazed that a university employed Ph.D. would have even wasted his time writing such a limited dissertation. I mean, what was the point?

Though the individual who e-mailed this document to me was very upset -- me, I loved it. "The first expose' on Scott Shaw." It was so National Inquirer.

As the day went on, I received additional copies of the document and other postings that this Midwestern Ph.D. had made about me over the past year or so from people who thought I deserved to know. In all cases, he really attempted to attack me.

I found it hilarious. I mean, the minute you accomplish something, there is always going to be those envious people who are going to try to bring you down. The people who had contacted me were not so amused, however. They attempted to post rebuttals on the e-mail group. The webmaster of the group apparently disavowed all of them and several of these individuals were blocked from possessing the ability to even access the group.

For several days I received e-mails about how angry these individuals were about the Ph.D. who wrote the Scott Shaw expose' and the webmaster who barred them from the group. One individual, who was an attorney, suggested I sue the author and the webmaster for libel. But me, I thought, "How perfectly poetic." You see, these events demonstrate the root source of why people do not interact with enlightenment -- because most people choose to focus their Life-Time upon the lives of other people instead of refining their own consciousness.

Now, this goes both ways. Not only does it ideally depict the individual who bases his life upon negatively attacking others, as this person did to me, but it also defines the individual who chooses to worship a teacher or mythical being to the degree that they are left forever separated from higher consciousness due to being locked into the realm of worship.

The Meditation Class

I remember when I was about twenty-one years old, I was teaching the martial arts on a daily basis and one night a week I taught the meditative aspects of Yoga in a course at the local University Extension. Several of the students in my class where also taking a course in Kundalini Yoga from another instructor. This Kundalini instructor expected the students to bring him flowers each class session as a sign of devotion. The students asked should they also bring me flowers. I laughed.

One particular couple in class were about my age and were heartily walking the spiritual path. After class one evening they asked if they could have a private meeting with me. "Sure." So, a few days later they came by my apartment and asked if they could become my disciples. Again, I laughed.

You see, this is the problem with people in a position of power: whether it be a Ph.D. or a person who has walked the spiritual path for a long period of time, -- some of these people falsely believe they hold knowledge that others do not. And, they believe it is only they who can summarize this knowledge and pass it along.

But, this is ego. It is not knowledge.

If one lives in this state, and they pass their understanding along, it will simply be biased by their own sense of judgment and self-worth. It will not be the passing along of True Knowledge.

This is the entire reason I did not remain living in an ashram in India. Though you possess a great support group for your spiritual practices, those who visit the ashram or see you walking down the street in orange robes immediately identify you as holy. In India, they literally walk, or in some cases run up to you and touch your feet -- hoping for a blessing. And, this is just because of the style of clothing you wear. But, holy is never external. Holy is only internal. Knowledge can never be given, it can only be experienced by the individual who possesses the mindset to understand the source of knowledge.

If this sounds complicated. It truly is not.

Teaching Without Teaching

At the root of Zen is the understanding that we are ALL already enlightened. It is simply the fact that most people do not realize this ultimate truth. Thus, they do not interact with Nirvana. Instead, people choose to spend their time wearing "Holy" and "Knowledge" as if it were clothing. But, this is never holy. In fact, if someone is wearing their degree or their ordination as an accomplishment, they are about as far from possessing TRUE KNOWLEDGE and DIVINE UNDERSTANDING as one can be.

This is where disillusionment in one's teacher is born. Either the teacher places himself upon an ALL KNOWING pedestal or the student provides this pedestal for the teacher. Then, when the teacher is realized to be only human, (as we all are), they fall from grace in the eyes of their student and the student is left feeling foolish for once possessing a belief.

Modern Sages

The great modern sage, J. Krishnmurti, truly proved his ultimate understanding -- he never claimed to be a teacher. By not claiming secret knowledge, he taught from a position of purity. Thus, this man's cosmic understanding can not be denied.

Alan Watts, another great modern teacher, was a chain-smoker, alcoholic, and admitted womanizer. Yet, this did not stop him from possessing a truly deep understanding of cosmic reality and sharing it with the world. He did this without ever claiming enlightenment or stating that he possessed any more knowledge than anyone else. He was simply a vehicle.

Doing What You're Doing

You can go to India and become a Swami. You can go to a university and receive a degree. I did both. But ultimately, "So what!" That is just something to do. And, "Something to do," is the condition of this place we call life. "You must do something."

This requirement of, "Doing Something." is one of the main sources of Maya (illusion) -- as most people choose to do things from a very unconscious perspective.

We are all programmed, from youth forward, that we must achieve, that we must accomplished, or our lives will be meaningless and we will not have made a contribution. But, this is a subtle point on the path of consciousness -- we are in a human body, so we must do "Things" to survive. But, it is our state of mind while we are "Doing," that makes these actions either spiritual or actions simply lost to the meaningless ways of the world.

Ask yourself, "Why are you doing what you are doing?"

There is no right or wrong answer. It is only you who can come to a conclusion as to whether or not you are advancing universal spirituality or simply embellishing yourself and the entire world in more nonsense. This is an essential point that most people never take into consideration while doing what they are doing.

The World Begins with You

The world begins and ends with you. What you do effects so many unseen actions. Everything that you say, write, think, or do, sets a never-ending chain of events in motions. This is Karma.

Your actions can be positive, which will cause positive actions to emulate from you -- which will make the world a more positive place. Or, they can be negative. What comes from negative is obvious.

Ultimately, you can either lay the building blocks of positivity and consciousness or set a row of dominos falling. It is your life. It is your choice. So, what are you going to do?