At meditation retreats, the group naturally asks the teacher a lot of questions, usually about their experience or practice.

An interesting phenomenon is that what the typical answer to these questions boils down to is something along the lines of: “I think you need to be intimate with it”.

Sure, there are pointers and abstractions and an excellent teacher will have a tremendous impact on the student’s practice merely through their presence, but when it comes to gaining a deeper understanding, the only way is through one’s own contemplation.

Only through greater intimacy with whatever blocker we’re encountering can we make progress.

One teacher I have had would always say: “Don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself”.