Everyone can teach Kadam Dharma

For the last five years or so, one of the great joys in my life has been teaching weekly General Program classes. I am not a Geshe, but twice a week I have the opportunity to share Kadam Dharma with anyone who wants it.

I remember the day that I approached my Resident Teacher and told him that I wanted someday to teach. At the time I was thinking that "someday" meant after a few years of study and meditation, but within about a month he found a class for me. I was surprised when he asked me if I would be happy to take over for another teacher who was helping to start a new Foundation Program class, but I accepted.

I am very happy that I began teaching Dharma when I did because the blessings and experience have helped me to learn more that I would have through study and meditation alone. Having students who depend on me to bring them real solutions to their problems each week motivates me to think more deeply about the Dharma than I would otherwise, and their questions and thoughts reveal new perspectives that I would not have discovered on my own.

However, it was quite a challenge in the beginning. I was a little nervous before each class, and very nervous if there were new people. I had a lot of deluded pride and I didn't want to make any mistakes. Occasionally, I wondered what my Resident Teacher saw in me that made him think that I was qualified.

Later, I heard a story about someone who asked Geshe Kelsang a similar question: Who is qualified to teach? Geshe-la responded by saying that everyone can teach Kadam Dharma. He drew an analogy, saying that if we see a beggar on the street, we don't have to be a millionaire to help them. Instead we reach into our pocket, find whatever little money we have, and give it to them. In the same way, we don't need to know a lot of Dharma to teach, we can just give whatever little bit we can, and people appreciate it because it helps them.

I don't need to be an authority on Dharma to teach. After all, it's not really my teaching anyway, it's Buddha's. No one is actually learning anything from me. Instead we are all learning from Geshe-la together.