Om mani peme hum

Teachers: Asking the Right Questions.

So you are new to Buddhism? You have heard people talk about their teachers and how important a teacher is. Perhaps you are looking for a teacher, but you see that there is a risk. How can you tell if a teacher is sound? Abusers, fakes and liars are out there amongst the genuine teachers, be in no doubt. Just because you have chosen to investigate a religion from a distant culture, there is no reason to leave your common sense at the door - you know that, but it's easy to be dazzled. So when the opportunity comes, just how do you check a teacher out?

You may have seen texts that describe the qualities of a good teacher, or heard that the teacher and the student should examine each other for three years, or even 13 years, before they accept each other! This advice is all very well, but it may be difficult to apply effectively. How can you tell, for instance, whether the teacher's mind is "tamed"? Or whether he has a true insight into emptiness? Or if he is motivated by compassion? We must bring our questions down to earth.
(For simplicity I shall use masculine pronouns to refer to teachers.)

Suggestions

The gap between Tibetan and Western culture is quite large, even if it can be bridged, so it is only natural for the newcomer to be less sensitive to the clues that distinguish a genuine teacher from a fraud than they would when choosing, for instance, a doctor or lawyer.

I offer the suggestions below to anyone who feels confused by the claims, titles, qualifications and stories put forward about various teachers. The suggestions may look like a checklist, but no single point can be conclusive. Even the culture of a single Buddhist country, like Tibet, is full of variety. Teachers will come from different backgrounds and have different personalities. There will be exceptions to nearly every rule. But perhaps these pointers might help.

The Down Side

It's as well to accept the unpleasant truth right at the beginning: there are abusers, fakes, liars and charlatans out there. Over the years, figures have appeared whose claims are entirely spurious. There are some whose behaviour has, by all accounts, been seriously abusive. Not even high titles provide cast-iron guarantees. Nor does charisma prove much - after all, some of the greatest monsters in history have had powerful personal magnetism!

As your interest grows you may read, for instance, about Marpa and Milarepa, and you can get the idea that rough treatment at the hands of a guru may not be what it seems - that it may have some deeper, more "spiritual" significance. This can be used to deflect criticism of the most outrageous behaviour. When you have to judge, remember that it can be as bad as it looks.

Don't Panic!

Having sounded that note of caution, consider this: don't panic! Tibetan Buddhism, even in its shrunken, exiled form, is rich and alive. If you find a bad apple, throw it away. It's still worth looking into the barrel!

There is another reason not to panic. Getting into trouble with a teacher often follows from jumping too far, too quickly. A caricature might go like this (in the voice of Homer Simpson, if you like):

I am interested in the Dharma. That is unusual! Hmm, I must be quite a spiritual person!
I must be ready to find my true teacher. And they say that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. So my teacher will appear! He's probably even nearby right now!
In fact, this guy in the dark red robes, the one who gave me such a penetrating look - that's my teacher! I've found my teacher! I must become his follower immediately!
I must do everything to show him what a devoted follower I am, so that he recognises my spiritual potential!"

The first teacher you learn from probably isn't your "special teacher", the one who will bring you to full realisation. Most of us never meet that kind of teacher - traditionally, only a few ever do. There are those who can teach us theory, give us vows or refuge, train us in meditation or ritual, even grant us high tantric empowerments. They are all worthy of respect, honour, even veneration. But none of these teachers is necessarily the one teacher to whom we might make a total commitment. That kind of "root teacher" might emerge when the time is right. In the meantime, our real teachers, and the holders of whatever lineage we are learning, are quite enough!

Samaya

The idea of the tantric teacher is inseparable from the idea of commitment, or "samaya". This can be misunderstood as blind obedience. To make matters worse, it can be combined with the idea of "crazy wisdom". The result is an absurd version of "do as I say, not as I do". "Do as I say", because you have a bond of commitment, and you will be a dismal failure if you question it. But "not as I do", because I am a crazy wisdom teacher, so you can't judge my actions by ordinary the standards. The trap is obvious, unless you fall into it!

Fame

So just what can we look for?

We might start with the question of fame. It is obvious that a teacher who is thirsty for fame has a problem. But, like greatness, fame arrives in different ways.

There are those who have been destined to be well known since they were children. The Dalai Lama and the Karmapa are two particularly famous cases of such recognised incarnate lamas, or tulkus. A large number of tulkus of one sort and another are, however, recognised. In a traditional setting, recognition as a tulku would often have brought particularly good opportunities for study and practise of the teachings. It is therefore quite possible for a tulku to have become an effective teacher.

Most of those who can function as good teachers go about their business quietly, whether or not they actually have any students. Most of them are therefore almost entirely unknown, yet even a very humble teacher might have students who are very enthusiastic in his praise. So it may take some time to be able to answer the "fame question":

Teaching History

Buddhism is not a trivial matter - if it were, teachers would not be so important. It is said that a teacher must be "well versed in the scriptures", and this can only be achieved through study. Does this mean that only an academic star is fit to be a teacher? No, but it does mean that just having an "intuitive grasp" of the teachings is not enough. There have been cases, particularly in the West, where students have followed a teacher for a few months, admittedly with enthusiasm and devotion. They have then gone one to act as teachers themselves. We might wonder what their students are, in turn, actually learning!

It is normal in the tradition to keep very careful records of teachings received. A good teacher will naturally not want to blow his own trumpet, but he will not be shy about explaining this. It is quite common to hear a piece of history at the beginning of a session of teaching, as the teacher explains where, when and under which teacher he himself received this particular transmission. A Westerner might fear that asking about these things will be taken as a sign of being excessively critical - such fear is not called for. Tibetan Buddhist culture puts a heavy emphasis on lineage, so that it is far more likely that such questions will be taken as a sign of healthy, even devoted, interest. So do ask:

It must be obvious how different this is from the approach of the mix-and-match merchants on the loony fringe - the Hindu zen master; the one who taught genuflection before Buddhist prostrations; the "incarnate tulku" whose teachings are based on auras, pyramids and the writings of Alice Bailey (God bless 'er!). Real teachers do not, in general, busk it! It would be good to check:

Retreat

Study is only part of the picture. Formal practice - which often means close retreat - is a vital part of the usual training of a lama or teacher. Most good teachers will have done some years of retreat. In the Kagyu system, at least one close retreat of three years and three months is normal, and a number of such retreats is far from unknown. Completing this kind of retreat is considered absolutely essential for the mastery of certain advanced teachings. Once again, there is no need to fear that asking about a teacher's retreats will be taken as some sort of inappropriate interrogation! These are the things that a devoted student would want to know. While the lama may not talk about them without being asked, he can be expected to be pleased if such questions are forthcoming. Questions like:

Asked with respect, these questions are entirely fair.

Lineage

"Pride" is a difficult word, as there are certain forms of pride that the Buddhist is expected to try to overcome. But any Buddhist teacher will, in a certain sense, be proud of his lineage, of the teachers from whom he learnt, of his teachers' teachers, and so on. It is not uncommon for a chain of forty or more teacher-student generations to be traced. Any would-be teacher who is vague about who his teachers are, or what his lineage is, must automatically be considered suspect. Once again, asking about such things is considered to be just what the good, respectful and devoted student should do:

Money

In the West we are very quick to realise that a teacher should not be "in it for the money". We must, in fact, be careful here - a number of lamas carry very heavy responsibilities for large monasteries. Fund-raising is not just appropriate, it is part of their duty. At many events it is also difficult for the outsider to tell how much of the income is going to the lama (whether for himself or his monastery) and how much is staying with the event organisers. Of course, a teacher who is accumulating personal wealth is suspect, and of course there have been some cases of this kind of abuse. In practice this test is difficult to apply. Ask yourself, nevertheless:

Observe

You can observe how the teacher handles those around him. In traditional Tibetan society, a teacher may, under certain circumstances, have been in a position that was clearly "superior" to his students. This does not mean that he should take advantage of them. A lama can take a powerfully central place in the lives of his students. There have been a number of cases of lamas exploiting this to obtain sexual favours, in some cases quite extensively! This is often abetted by secrecy, and by naive students who simply will not believe that it's going on! Drunkenness is also given far greater scope by the same combination of deliberate secrecy and naivety. It is worth wondering:

Fraudsters

On quite a different note, there are those who put themselves forward as teachers, but who are simply frauds. The questions about who their teachers are, what their lineage is, where and when they studied and where and when they did retreats are the right questions. A canny fraud can take advantage of Tibet's strangeness: vaguely pronounced or vaguely transliterated Tibetan names for places or people are almost entirely meaningless. Weigh the evidence carefully! "Letters of recognition", grand titles and photographs of the would-be teacher shaking hands with the great and the good have all been used in the service of fraud! So even if it all looks very official and grand, it may be worth checking:

Eyes Open

The gist of all this is quite simple - don't be naive! The teachings of Tibetan Buddhism are rich, powerful and precious. Good teachers are alive, some have come to the West, and a few now are of Western blood. But there is a significant cultural gap, and many Westerners are thirsty for a meaningful spiritual tradition. This combination gives scope for abuse, charlatanry and quackery - there is no reason for Tibetan Buddhism to be immune! So keep your eyes wide open - it is worth it.

Chagchen home

Om mani peme hum