I am not a person who deifies people. Life experience repeatedly shows me that we are fallible. I do believe that the most valuable contributions we can make while we are alive are, to be truly honest, to be kind and aware of whom we are in relationship to so that we do no harm. Christian impresses me as a sincere teacher who, through his acquired spiritual knowledge, seeks to lead himself and others to spiritual practice that elevates all species to peace. As a long time practitioner of Buddhism, I traveled and met many religious and spiritual practitioners who were in the role of spiritual guide or director. Watching them in this role, I chose to observe their words and behaviors to see if I could detect abuse or transcendence of power. It was not an easy task, as my spiritual practice is lacking in its own. Time seemed to be the source of verification. Those who I perceived as abusing their power; their deeds somehow came to light. So I came to trust the hallmarks of mature spiritual leaders. There are many characteristics of spiritual leadership. Some that immediately come to my mind are: humility, the ability to listen deeply without judgment, the ability to surrender your ideas (but not your faith) for the sake of flexibility, compassion and harmony, the knowledge that you are not the teacher but are the vessel through which the truth comes and that the stronger your faith becomes the more your fears die. In Christian, I saw and experienced these qualities in their various stages of development. I believe that we exist amongst many people who qualify as being a sage. It is more common that we think. Think about Ancient Greece and the teacher sitting under the tree with students. It is a rare opportunity to allow ourselves to sit under the tree with a teacher. In my humble opinion, Christian is a teacher and that is why I want to invite my family and friends to sit under the tree. I hope to you there. Jacquie
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