{"id":7552,"date":"2017-11-12T10:39:05","date_gmt":"2017-11-12T18:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.elizabethbader.com\/elizabethbadersblog\/?p=7552"},"modified":"2022-06-12T16:22:40","modified_gmt":"2022-06-12T23:22:40","slug":"psychology-spiritual-groups-idr-cycle-avi-magidoffs-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elizabethbader.com\/elizabethbadersblog\/psychology-spiritual-groups-idr-cycle-avi-magidoffs-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"Psychology of Spiritual Groups and the IDR Cycle: Avi Magidoff’s Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post contains profound thoughts on Elizabeth’s post on the Psychology of Spiritual Groups and the IDR Cycle<\/a> from Avi Magidoff, an internationally known acupuncturist and\u00a0 teacher of spirituality and Buddhism.<\/a>\u00a0 For more on Avi Magidoff, please go here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Photo\"
Avi Magidoff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0THE IDEALIZATION PHASE: LIKE PARIS IN THE SPRINGTIME<\/h4>\n

When we are in the \u201cfalling in love\u201d phase with a teacher or a path, (\u201cthe idealization phase\u201d in terms of the IDR cycle<\/a>),\u00a0 it often feels like our suffering has been entrusted.\u00a0 Falling in love makes the darkest of winters feels like Paris in springtime.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/h4>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The Idealization phase is like falling in love, like Paris in the Spring<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0In fact, for me the definition of a teacher is the one who \u201ctakes on your suffering\u201d until you are able to handle it yourself. There are very few people who do that.\u00a0 Most prefer to \u201cteach\u201d in a manner that is really more \u201cpreach,\u201d especially in today\u2019s world with such big audiences.<\/p>\n

THE TEST AND PERILS: REALISTIC RESOLUTION<\/h4>\n

But the real test is what happens later. If the teacher\/group was just some sort of coat check, when we check our baggage back, we get back the same suffering.<\/p>\n

But if I now take my suffering back and it feels different, it is a \u201cdifferent coat,\u201d so to speak.\u00a0 It has not been just a coat check. \u00a0Then the experience can be said to have produced a true spiritual transformation.<\/p>\n

THE ROLE OF COMPASSION<\/h4>\n

Some spiritual teachers, for example Gurdjieff, \u00a0are big on \u201cthe stick\u201d and less so on \u201cthe carrot.\u201d My personal experience has been that encouragement is the \u201cmother of all teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n

If that basic quality is not there\u00a0 — \u00a0the desire to alleviate the suffering of the student, to encourage them towards something rather than discourage them away from something — in the realistic resolution phase, the student ends up carrying seeds of bitterness.<\/p>\n

Some might claim these seeds of bitterness are food for practice. To some extent this may be so, but in my opinion, they are largely obstacles.<\/p>\n

CONCLUSION<\/h4>\n

At the end of the day it is the compassion and commitment of the teacher (or the Sangha around the teacher) to the student\u2019s suffering (and well-being) that is perhaps the best test of our path. Admittedly, when we are \u201cin love\u201d we are not likely to apply this test well. \u00a0\u00a0Also, there is always the issue of how much we tend to mix the teacher and the group around him\/her.<\/p>\n

This is such a volatile subject. Anything that starts to \u201cpeel\u201d it is a good thing.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n\n

\n <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Avi Magidoff’s profound response to Elizabeth’s post on the Psychology of Spiritual Groups and the IDR Cycle, and Elizabeth’s comments on his response. Avi Magidoff is an internationally known teacher of spirituality, Buddhism and acupuncture. He emphasizes the role of compassion in the IDR cycle, and the role of the teacher in holding or alleviating the student’s suffering. Elizabeth’s comments relate his insights to mediation and the Theory of Holes, among other things.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":7891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[114,55,78],"tags":[21,29],"class_list":["post-7552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology-of-spiritual-groups","category-the-spiritual-journey","category-understanding-spirituality","tag-idr-cycle","tag-spirituality","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"yoast_head":"\nPsychology of Spiritual Groups and the IDR Cycle: Avi Magidoff's Perspective<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethbader.com\/elizabethbadersblog\/psychology-spiritual-groups-idr-cycle-avi-magidoffs-perspective\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Psychology of Spiritual Groups and the IDR Cycle: Avi Magidoff's Perspective\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Avi Magidoff's profound response to Elizabeth's post on the Psychology of Spiritual Groups and the IDR Cycle, and Elizabeth's comments on his response. 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