Teaching dharma so people can recognize themselves in it

Very powerful thread—didn't go where I expected. Really appreciating the nuance & context-sensitivity described below. This isn't "for the sake" of anything but consciously working with language & meaning with situational awareness. t.co/bYuKanUnOd

Jul 24, 2020

As I've started learning more about the dharma, I've been struck by the Buddha's apparent tendency to teach in third person rather than second person (imperative). Not "do this", but "the skilled practitioner does this and realizes such & such". Descriptive, not prescriptive.

@JasnaSeishin's thread describes her surprise at the power imbued in her teacher's shift from "he/bhikkhu(monks)" to "she/bhikkhuni(nun)". It unlocked some new sense of seeing herself in the teaching. twitter.com/JasnaSeishin/s…

This then seems like a more generalizeable principle: Seek to communicate (eg) the dharma in ways that invite people to recognize themselves in it.

Gender is only one dimension. Ironically, it probably works less potently in the opposite direction. How do you say "MEN ♂️" when "men" means "people"? (Separately but relatedly, what good is saying "men" when most men don't really feel a meaningful connection with manhood?)

I have more questions than answers! 🙃 One thing it highlights though is the importance of having multiple role models for learning a subtle different way of being, so you can say "people—people like you—like you have learned this! yes, you in particular"

Malcolm Ocean 🏴‍☠️ @Malcolm_Ocean · Feb 27, 2019

@cosimia_ Talked with @Conaw last fall and he pointed out that this is why role models are so important. It's not enough to have a sense of which behaviors will get you punished (btw: reward is just the temporary relief of punishment). You need to have a multi-dimensional destination.