SecretMethod70

onesnowyowl, one of the great things that I've discovered is that most/all those great things about Buddhism ARE present in Christianity too. Just have to look toward the proper "teachers." I really like Thomas Merton, about whom the Dalai Lama said, after meeting him in 1968, that he had a more profound understanding of Buddhism than any other Christian he'd known. No question about it, Buddhism and Christianity are different, not just in the language used (Merton calls "contemplation" what Buddhists call "meditation" for example), but in deeper philosophical aspects as well, but there is certainly a "school of thought" within Christianity (and, in my experience, the more liberal groups within Catholicism especially) that shares many of the core tenets of Buddhist thought.

As for el_soulman, I agree with you in the general sense, although not necessarily in the specifics. The important point I would like to make though is that I would characterize humanity as beyond the stage of "teachers" (in the sense you used the term) at this point. Humanity has reached a stage of interconnectedness where I believe its spiritual development can be equated to that of a graduate student. We have all the materials we need; it's a matter of reinterpreting those materials and finding their relevance and meaning for our modern experience. In this exploration, we also have guides available to help us (this is where I believe clergy fit in) - people who have already done this exploration to a significant extent in their own lives. Humanity is capable of being its own "teacher" now through oneness and, of course, openmindedness.

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"Musicians are the carriers and communicators of spirit in the most immediate sense." - Kurt Elling