Customer Reviews

A Rare and Precious Thing: The Possibilities and Pitfalls of Working with a Spiritual Teacher

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John Kain's A Rare and Precious Thing is a book which is astonishingly accurately named, for, indeed, it is. Kain introduces eight teachers from different spiritual disciplines, including an adept in Ahmsta Kezbeh (which is some sect of Sufisim); the bearer of the sacred bundle of the Lakota, Dakota, Nakota Nation; a Benedictine abbess; a rabbi; a Buddhist monk; a Hindu Vedanta reverend mother; a Zen abbot; and a Zen renegade (if that's possible).

Kain introduces a bike-riding Zen dude called Adyashanti, whose picture reminds me pleasantly of a thirty-something Charlie Brown. His words are even more pleasant: "I don't want to be in the role of `wisdom guy' all the time. . . . I mean, who wants to sit around talking about the Truth for any longer than is absolutely necessary?" I heard that, and I've lost count of the times I've wished somebody would say it. Now, somebody has, and Adya (as he is known affectionately to his friends) has other stirring things to say. My favorite: "Most spirituality is a construction project," he says, "But enlightenment is a demolition project." I like this guy's approach to teaching. Step one: stay out of your own way.

Chief Arvol Looking Horse is the nineteenth-generation keeper of the sacred bundle, and for a guy with so much responsibility, he seems circumspect and thoughtful, unlike so many charged with such duties. The chief finds himself in a difficult position. Pledged to protect his religion, he cannot profit from ceremonies related to it nor can he live off the reservation. As a result, he finds his income limited, and unfortunately, like truly religious people anywhere, he finds that the poverty his office requires is not eased by the people who benefit most. He has a sense of humor, however, and that seems to sustain him: on his mission of peace to South Africa, government officials refused to allow him to leave the airport without an armed guard. As part of his sacred office, he cannot be around guns, and he refused. The officials insisted, so Arvol responded, "All right, let them have their guns but take the bullets out." His confidence and creativity is enough to endear him to anyone.

Sister Joan Chittister is a Benedictine with a radical streak as wide as thirty books and as profound as a stream of ink. I found her thoughts provocative: ""I really think that religion at its best is when it moves us beyond religion. We do make a God out of religion, but the function of religion is to move us beyond itself." I found her spiritual questions intriguing, and I'd like to e-mail them to every one of the self-selected godly: "If we're still in a state of ongoing creation, what are we helping to create?" Try that one on, Oral. And if you are interested in the knots religion can set in your shoelaces, you should read this book just to find out why Chittister likes to tell the old Hindu story "about the master who tied up his cat during prayer time." Good stuff.

For me, this book was as bracing as a dive into a Sierra stream, eye-opening and moment-inducing. I enjoyed the clear vision of the teachers looking at themselves, their pursuits, and their students, which was so ably conveyed by the author, and I recommend these pages to anyone who needs to step up or step back from a spiritual pursuit, for whatever reasons, real, imagined, or fabricated. If you want to follow up, the book also includes a reading list of the works of the teachers Kain interviewed.

John Kain's thoughtful and sensitive writing speaks to much more than working with a spiritual teacher. The candid and often intimate conversations tell us of the common messages inherent in all spiritual practices. There is a circular thread in this book which leads the reader inside these relationships; allowing us to see the human-ness in both the students and teachers. A Rare and Precious Thing is about ALL relationships and how we might be wise to embrace them.

This book by John Kain is an exceptional aid to all who have a spiritual teacher, are considering such a teacher, or are curious about spiritual teachers in general. In my years of Buddhist practice, I have observed tremendous energy focused on understanding one's relationship with teachers. Too often this attempt at understanding occurs post-hoc in the wake of a problem or rift in the relationship with a teacher or the community of a teacher. While nearly all traditions have explicit lineages of teachers, there is very little written about this the relationship especially across traditions. In this way, John Kain stands in for all of us as he asks questions of well-known teachers and their students actively working in a wide range of spiritual paths.

Mr. Kain has a keen eye for the character, style, and every day environment of these teachers interviewed outside their formal roles. With him, we appreciate the great dedication of these genuine human beings --not super-beings -- who are sometimes called "teacher." Understanding their work as the result of extraordinary dedication by an ordinary person should help us all to see our own potential for depth in spiritual practice. It may also help to remove the mystique surrounding religious leaders that has sometimes led to imbalanced and improper behavior in so many religious and spiritual communities in America.

John Kain's writing is a pleasure to read with its poetic touches throughout this basically journalistic approach. I appreciate that the author has not left himself out of the dialogue as he reveals but does not belabor some of his own views in working with his teacher. This book gathers knowledge and insight on both sides of the teacher-student relationship, opens up the dialogue to a wider audience, and provides material for more in-depth study of our own relationships to spiritual mentors and friends. For this we owe Mr. Kain a great deal of gratitude for his thoughtful, even-handed and insightful work.

John Kain approaches each teacher and spiritual practice with a genuine warmth and respect that creates an immediate connection with the reader. Neither the author nor the teachers ever speak from some removed, condescending pinnacle of spirituality--quite the opposite--the engaging personalities, exuding a great mix of humility and humor, are introduced in a way that makes you wish to share a meal and conversation with any one of them. Their down-to-earth openness offers many surprises, too, as they alternately support, nudge, sometimes even provoke their students toward higher levels of self-reliant spirituality. These are remarkable individuals, all, with tremendous insight to share about spiritual growth. The book therefore offers something precious not only to individuals who have or are seeking a teacher within a specific spiritual practice; it speaks just as directly to those of us who are living everyday lives without the benefit of a formal teacher, but who value spending time with wise souls wherever we encounter them. The sincerity of the spiritual search, and of the questions raised by the teachers and students alike, satisfies.

American spiritual experience has often been characterized as the activity of a small group of religious institutions. Wisdom is transmitted from a deity or inspiring source through a legitimized teacher to the practitioners. Adherents rely on group contact for defining and orchestrating valid experience. The institution provides the moral leadership and direction that the practitioners feel unable to foster without direct guidance. Since the 1950s, the number of legitimate spiritual traditions outside this small group has mushroomed. A large segment arrived from Asia and a smaller sliver emerged from the practices of indigenous peoples in this hemisphere. For the most part, practitioners were drawn to these new sources of inspiration because they represented an opportunity to tap into spirituality stripped of institutional calcification. Across three generations, practitioners have used their own judgment to accept what was meaningful, reject what was unusable and create a lived response on their own terms. John Kain, the author of "A Rare and Precious Thing", is clearly a practitioner of the latter group, a sophisticated seeker. He gives us a very readable reaction to his own spiritual journey by examining alternate disciplines through the words of their teachers and students.

To begin with, Mr. Kain explores each of their settings. His descriptive tone is casual in an engaging way when telling us where and how the teacher lives and the type of community that has formed around them. A serious amount of research is incorporated in these pieces- a kernel of history describes each tradition and a bibliography gives a selection of the teacher's writings for each chapter. Mr. Kain's strength is in bringing out the style of the teacher through transparent interviews. Some teachers are best heard as proponents of a particular set of principles or ideas; others are convincing when they relax and tell stories about their own awakenings. By acting as the intelligent listener, the author finds the tone of the tradition and delineates how this thread of spirituality creates a religious community. To tell the other side of the history, he also interviews key students. Most of these individuals have interacted with the teacher in profound ways, validating the quality of the teachings and revealing how personal interaction with the teacher is often the root of faith. The words of these students set religious ideas into a real time and place and their appreciations and frustrations help to define not only what is intended but what is commonly experienced as well.

Between the interviews, Mr. Kain has written short pieces to explore religious ideas that appear dear to his own heart. These chapters are divided into two groups; the Possibilities - gratitude, a balanced appreciation of the ego, and 'turning' (profoundly moving) words and the Pitfalls - disillusionment, drawing the boundaries and leaving the teacher. Substantiated by additional quotes from his sources, recent religious history and his own experiences, the author suggests that the intuitive basis of any practice should be some form of common sense. In this case, common sense means examining your own actions and the actions of others in a fair and intelligent light, means taking responsibility for your own actions and conclusions, and means recognizing the use of disappointment for spiritual growth. From my perspective, this is the 'second heart' of the book. Having traveled so far, and having run across an abundance of truth-sayers and truth-seekers, we must appreciate our spiritual adventures with the same intelligence that we use to examine our everyday lives. Any deep inquiry into our lives will involve negative as well as positive elements; in fact, it must include all of these elements if it is to truly represent our experience. Disheartening experiences are merely another way that our heart gets involved. Knowing this can guide us in choosing growth opportunities as we shift the responsibilities of our lives from others onto our own shoulders. This is not a rejection of institution guidance but an acceptance of our own power.

Tradition is the passing down of culture from generation to generation. Mr. Kain's work, as important as it is in describing the student-teacher relationship, is equally important as a moment in religious history. This is a snapshot of the transmission process, that is, the transmission of religious culture. The future of these traditions is unknown, but it is clear that we are listening to history as it unfolds. For that we have to thank our seasoned guide.

A Rare and Precious Thing is an important book for uncertain times. John Kain addresses universal truths, the necessity of independent thinking, and the struggle of authentic self-exploration through personal insight as well as candid profiles of the somewhat accidental - and very human - leaders of eight spiritual disciplines. John's writing is solid; his poetry background shines through in this lyrical, thoughtful book. I found myself increasingly uplifted and engaged with each chapter. A Rare and Precious Thing is a still and quiet place amidst the hype of today's trendy, instant spirituality.

I gave this book four stars because it is well written. But the title is misleading. I would have called it *Teaching Styles Across Spiritual Traditions*. Kain offers a broad sampling of contemporary spiritual teachers from different traditions. The overall tone is positive--a bit too positive, perhaps, as he doesn't really seem to consider that just as there are plenty of good teachers out there, there are also quite a few who are deluded and misguided. Despite his inclusion of the word "pitfalls" in the subtitle, Kain doesn't explain what can go wrong in the teacher-student relationship nor how students can protect themselves from potentially harmful situations. Nevertheless, reading Kain's portraits of spiritual teachers is enjoyable and provides glimpses into beliefs, practices and customs that readers might otherwise not get to learn about.