M-4:What Are the Characteristics of God’s Teachers?

1. 1The surface traits of God’s teachers are not at all alike. 2They do not look alike to the body’s eyes, they come from vastly different backgrounds, their experiences of the world vary greatly, and their superficial “personalities” are quite distinct. 3Nor, at the beginning stages of their functioning as teachers of God, have they as yet acquired the deeper characteristics that will establish them as what they are. 4God gives special gifts to His teachers, because they have a special role in His plan for Atonement. 5Their specialness is, of course, only temporary; set in time as a means of leading out of time. 6These special gifts, born in the holy relationship toward which the teaching-learning situation is geared, become characteristic of all teachers of God who have advanced in their own learning. 7In this respect they are all alike.

2. 1All differences among the Sons of God are temporary. 2Nevertheless, in time it can be said that the advanced teachers of God have the following characteristics:

1. 上主之师的外在特征极少相似之处。
在世人眼中，他们长相不同，背景殊异，人事经验也大异其趣，外表“个性”上的差异至为分明。
他们在担起教师之职的初期，通常尚未具备上主之师比较深层的特质。
上主会赐给祂的教师一些特殊的礼物，因为他们在救赎计划中负有特殊的任务。
这些特点当然只是暂时的，它们虽具时空性，却能帮人超越时空的限制。
这些特殊的恩赐，必须透过具体的教学场景所建立的神圣关系而酝酿出来，进而成了资深教师的共同特质。
从这方面来讲，他们其实非常相似。
2. 上主儿女之间的差异都是暂时性的。
然而，在时空领域中，我们仍可列出资深上主之师的共同特质：
1.上主之師的表面特質大異其趣。
從肉眼來看，他們長相各異，他們的背景五花八門，他們的世俗經驗大相逕庭，而他們的表面「性格」則大不相同。
在他們擔任上主之師的最初階段，他們也尚未習得能為他們確立這一身分的深層特質。
上主給了祂的老師一些特殊禮物，因為他們在祂的救贖計劃中扮演了特殊的角色。
當然了，他們的特殊只是暫時的；在時間中，那是引領人們出離時間的手段。
教與學的場景是為了神聖關係而安排的，後者又衍生出了這些特殊禮物，一旦上主之師的學習轉趨深入，這些禮物就必會成為他們的特質。
從這個角度來說，他們全都彼此相似。
2.上主之子彼此間的差異都是暫時的。
儘管如此，在時間中，資深的上主之師仍具有如下特質：