A. It is true that it is almost impossible for unenlightened people to tell whether a teacher is enlightened or not. Only the enlightened have an eye for the enlightened, just like only those who know maths can tell if a maths teacher has real capacity. However, I am going to tell you a few essential requirements that I think a teacher should be equipped with as a teacher, regardless of whether he is enlightened or not.
A teacher should:
- Be able to give you a clear definition about what enlightenment, the final goal is.
- Be able to give you a persuasive explanation about what his way of practice has to do with enlightenment, or why you should practice in his way.
- Be able to give you sufficient Dharma talks explaining the True-self and how to see it in detail.
- Welcome all your questions and give you satisfactory answers to them.
If someone satisfies all these conditions, he is worth following as a teacher, I think.
©Boo Ahm
All writing ©Boo Ahm. All images ©Simon Hathaway
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