{"id":3148,"date":"2012-03-04T17:03:04","date_gmt":"2012-03-04T22:03:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/beginnersheart\/?p=3148"},"modified":"2012-03-04T17:04:35","modified_gmt":"2012-03-04T22:04:35","slug":"teaching-the-teacher-a-roller-coaster-ridereprised","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beginnersheart\/2012\/03\/teaching-the-teacher-a-roller-coaster-ridereprised.html","title":{"rendered":"teaching the teacher: a roller coaster ride, reprised ~"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>More than a year ago, I was offered this amazing (but intimidating!) opportunity: write a blog for a national website. On Buddhism. I felt (still feel) woefully inadequate to the task.<\/p>\n

But I figured, I can just tell folks: I’m no expert. And I’m a pretty good looker-upper :). So I took a deep breath and jumped in.<\/p>\n

One year later, I have learned so much. Which is, of course, what happens when we teach. We learn far more than we give. I’ve learned about Buddhism, certainly — about Buddhist holidays, temples, rituals, beliefs, teachings I didn’t know, and a hundred other things.<\/p>\n

I learned a LOT about blogging :). And still am!<\/p>\n

But mostly, I learned about myself. I learned that no matter how long I write — for how many years — it’s always a bit scary. I learned that when I can’t write, I can’t think. I learned that my sense of humour doesn’t always strike folks as funny…:) And I learned how very much I have to learn.<\/p>\n

It’s the perfect metaphor for Buddhism, of course, not that I don’t find Buddhism in most things :). But learning is particularly apt. Because in Buddhism, the more I study, the less I feel I know. And the more I believe I have to, as I tell my writing students, just do it. I have to practice, in other words. Such a lovely word — a license to mess up, to get it wrong, to let go of the idea there’s only ‘right.’<\/p>\n

So today I offer you this: if you want to know more about something, tell someone you’ll teach it. And then watch out: the ride is crazy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than a year ago, I was offered this amazing (but intimidating!) opportunity: write a blog for a national website. On Buddhism. I felt (still feel) woefully inadequate to the task. But I figured, I can just tell folks: I’m no expert. And I’m a pretty good looker-upper :). So I took a deep breath…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[11,1181,1187,262,308],"class_list":["post-3148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-teaching","tag-beginners-heart","tag-britton-gildersleeve","tag-buddhism","tag-buddhist-blogs","tag-teaching-and-learning"],"yoast_head":"\nteaching the teacher: a roller coaster ride, reprised ~ - Beginner's Heart<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"More than a year ago, I was offered this amazing (but intimidating!) opportunity: write a blog for a national website. On Buddhism. 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