Perhaps by way of a more down to earth or day to day description, someone on a spiritual group posted the following comment in response to a question about teachers charging...
“I see the traditional Sufi model as the healthiest. The teacher has to make his own money away from imparting the teachings. it cuts through all the potential nonsense that comes through involving the money with the teachings whether it is donations or fees. Besides that, it has many benefits to it, He is not put on pedestal and no ashram is created for him, he just lives life like everyone else. He might might be rich, poor or middle class, it does not matter, Just like the rest. It also discourages seekers to create an idol out of him and start worshiping him as his worldly life would not allow such rubbish to form. and many other benefits.
“All the Sufi masters throughout history to this day are house holders, engaging fully in day to day life with all its challenges, bringing knowledge to the midst of living.
“Usually they meet once a week and each seeker goes back to his normal life using it as a mirror to practice the pointings. Seeing one's own life as the ashram/temple.”
And the above reminded me a lot of Barry’s approach.
He did charge for his talks. But it wasn't much compared with what others are charging, and for a long time he still worked. And he definitely encouraged living in the world and not to run away from it. In fact not only would he not set up a commune or ashram for his 'followers' to live in, but he rejected the idea for a long time of even having his videos shown in his absence elsewhere in the world through the concern of a group becoming formed. He needed everyone to be responsible for their own life and not lean on others. Perhaps least of all him.
I was also important to him that the teaching and subsequent realisations were brought into the world. And not lived alone away from people.
REQUIREMENTSThe requirements to enter the Uwaysi System, are only two. The first one is to have a broken heart. Only then something can be given to you. As Rumi said: ‘the wound is the door through which the light can enter’.
And secondly, to have the strong intention to know your real self, and to work hard for it.
If you go through the process of Self-observation, the key tool in the Work, you will become able to turn inside and to walk in along the streams of your energies – that now you call emotions -: only then, you can have a taste of yourself. Your daily life will be no more dominated by confusion, sorrow, restlessness. Clarity will prevail.
You will enter an open space, you will begin to live a real life, in real peace and in real love; a life that will be a blessing for yourself and for the others....
This is what we call in the Method the shifting from the ‘multi players mode’ to the ‘single player mode’: now you see yourself as the only cause of your suffering or happiness.
There is no external cause, there is only you as the cause....
Then the real work inside the work will starts: you will be guided to follow your emotions back to their Source.
This is the final destination of the journey the Uwaysi System wants to accompany you through...
Only if you take the position of the single player, you take the responsibility for your own thoughts and actions. That means to take back your dignity, honour, power, energy.
You need to understand that there is no other source of your problems beside yourself. No one else is against you, except yourself, there is no other weight to carry, except yourself. There are no conspiracies, no enemies around.
And you can only win, because you have no real opponents, there is only you.
Through the Uwaysi Sustem you will understand and experience that you are the creator of your own life.
This is freedom.
