---Hua-Ching Ni, Mastering Chi

When we share the teachings of the Integral Way we often find that our lives and the lives of those around us change in a profound and healthy way as the natural wisdom gradually internalizes and becomes the Way of life. Selfless service to all people in the world then naturally becomes part of this Way. At this stage some members and coaches choose to become a mentor as a further spiritual commitment. Mentors make a deep commitment to preserve the teachings and tradition of the Integral Way.

Purpose of being a Mentor of the Integral Way:

To further the balanced and healthy growth of society. A mentor is a student who prepares themselves to be a guide and model of the Integral Way and lives a complete life.

A mentor is a spiritual knight, or a person of spiritual qualities which includes fairness, courage, kindness, courtesy, honesty, generosity and loyalty. A mentor is committed to meritorious conduct and to the virtuous fulfillment of spiritual service. In daily life, spiritual virtue means acting prudently in accordance with the guiding principles of harmony and balance, and with a clear understanding of what you are doing and how you are doing it. Virtue is the sincere fulfillment of an integrated life.

Being a mentor of the Integral Way is an opportunity to join with like-minded people who wish to provide a spiritual service by guiding others toward the universal essence of life, which is the way of integration, balance and harmony. Mentors are a network of friends or a spiritual family who support each other’s spiritual development and effectiveness as teachers, and who make themselves available to support the spiritual development of others and of society as a whole.

Some mentors establish centers to teach the Way in the broadest sense, some teach movement classes like tai chi or qigong, while others have monthly gatherings with friends and those interested in learning the Integral Way.

Mentors receive all benefits listed for General Members and Spiritual Coaches, as well as inclusion in our directory of Community Contacts. Mentors are formally recognized as spiritual "elders" of the Integral Way Society, who have attained a level of spiritual maturity in the Integral Way tradition, and who offer spiritual service through open availability to anyone who chooses to contact them for spiritual guidance, and other active teaching, organizing and healing type activity.

Mentors also have the privilege of learning Advanced Traditional Practices (ATP) to assist their personal development and spiritual healing. ATP is a long-term program with annual instruction in the esoteric spiritual practices of the Integral Way tradition that were traditionally only taught to a few higher level students. Mentors are empowered through learning ATP to develop further and more effectively, and to become better healers of themselves, others and the world.

Personal testimony of a Mentor:

"The Integral Way has helped me open a communication with my soul much like sunlight bringing warmth and color to a dark forest. In those illuminating moments serious problems become mere challenges and a deep peace erases my painful past. It’s like I am welcomed into an eternal family which causes the love I longed for as a boy and desperately searched for as an adult to become a reality"

--Edward Sullivan, 2009

How to become a Mentor:

Some helpful guidance for students who wish to become teachers or leaders:

"If a teacher is going to do a good job, they must be a living example of internal and external harmony."

---Hua-Ching Ni, The Gentle Path, Chapter 12

"Make your teaching the unity of self-discipline and self-cultivation. Add nothing more to this."

---Hua-Ching Ni, Golden Message, page 131

How will I know if I am a potential Mentor? Becoming a mentor requires:

• familiarity with the tradition of the Integral Way,
• a sincere desire to faithfully preserve and transmit this tradition,
• a commitment to live an exemplary and morally upright life, and
• a willingness to work cooperatively within the Integral Way and larger humanity for the benefit of all.

If you would like more information on how to become a mentor please contact us.

For a directory listing of Mentors, or other Community Contacts, please visit the Community Contacts webpage.

Tao Deh Ching Chapter 48

---Hua-Ching Ni, Esoteric Tao Deh Ching