The Spiritual Coach

I don't like the expression guru very much, it is over-used and it implies hierarchy, which does not exists within the Sonship. Choegyam Trungpa suggested the expression 'spiritual friend' instead in his book 'Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism', which is much better; it implies an equal playing field among us spiritual path travelers. You are lifting up your sister and you learn that in fact she lifts you up in the process. Yet there is the time when you have finally arrived at our Source while someone else might just have been initiated on his path. In this case I would still prefer the phrase 'spiritual coach' over the guru expression. The coach's job is to impart that special knowledge onto you to launch you on your path, but he also experiences the beauty and the power of your journey vicariously. The coach may have travelled his journey despite himself and only managed with pure will-power to run down an imaginary wall. Then comes along a new traveler who finds a way to turn with your help the scary monsters of your past into friendly spiritual guides. How much joy that would that be; perhaps you even manage to write a book on it, helping millions in the process. There is no hierarchy in a player coach relationship, both are equals who need each other to get the job done. So enjoy coaching, the next student will be ready when you are.

The Magnificient Experiment

True compassion is ruthless from ego's point of view, because it does not consider ego's drive to maintain itself. It is  "crazy wisdom". It is totally wise, but it is crazy as well, because it does not relate to ego's literal and simple-minded attempts to secure its own comfort.
 (Choegyam Trungpa, in 'Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism')

Why would anyone sign up to travel the Tao? You are going against everything you seemed to have learned and everything the fellow next door thinks is sane: being compassionate, while ignoring your own agenda. You can run an experiment and just see what happens; not because you expect to get something, but rather because it just 'feels right'. 

You are a Tao traveler perhaps because you are incredibly bold; you march into the opposite direction that everyone else is taking just to see what happens. Perhaps you have the incredible faith that there is 'the staff of the Lord that will comfort you in the presence of your enemies'. Or, you may have discovered the Tao the way I have, you kind of just stumbled on it, and now that you are here you have no choice but to continue.  The Tao is a magnificent experiment. If you look for security, you unfortunately have to look somewhere else.There is nothing secure about our experiment.  But then, once you took that first step into the abyss and an invisible bridge opens up magically, the path you will travel afterwards is full of peace. Unfortunately you will have to find out for yourself whether our claim is correct. No one else can take this scary first step for you.