ADVAITA VEDANTA

In this Vedanta tradition you are not meant to question the integrity of the guru, but look at the lineage they belong to and have faith. They say not having faith in the guru makes one ineligible for the teaching.

They say that one would have to find a teacher first and learn how to do teach. That would mean this teacher would have to be a brahmanishtha (knower of Brahman) and a shrotriya (someone who is well-versed in the scriptures). That usually means being a sannyasin or a renunciate, but not always.

A sannyasin is not the same as a monastic, by the way, because a renunciate is not always a part of a monastic teaching order. Ramana was a renunciate for example, but not a monastic.

One could be a layperson, but they would have to know the Vedas, the scriptures, and be self-realized, though being self-realized is not always enough to teach others.

For example a brahmanishtha may know the truth but doesn’t have the ability to teach others because they are not versed in the scriptures. It is said in the Vedas that this type can very easily mislead others; like the blind leading the blind.

Teachers can be classified into three types:

(A.) One who is self-realized and knows the scriptures. This is the best kind to learn from.

(B.) One who is self-realized only and does not know the scriptures.

(C.) One who knows the scriptures but is not self-realized.

It is said that one is better off learning from the one who isn’t realized but knows the scriptures, than the one who is realized but doesn’t know them. The best is the one who has the realization and also knows the scriptures, as well as the other Yogas:

1.  Jnana Yoga (philosophically the word jnana means ‘technique revealing the secrets of the wisdom, the truth, and the law of the Absolute).’

2.  Raja Yoga (the way of meditation and mindfulness, as well as the way of investigating, analyzing, and dissecting the workings of the mind in order to enable one to overcome its conditionings and karmic patterns and to liberate oneself from these patterns).

3.  Bhakti Yoga (the way of spiritual devotion and love directed toward God or the majesty of the universe. (In the Christian tradition this is done in a church or prayer and is very effective).

4.  Karma Yoga (the art, science, and activity of self-realization through converting every action and one’s duties and work (whether physical, mental, moral, or spiritual) into yoga through linking it up with a ceaseless consciousness of the omnipresence of the Absolute).

In traditional Yoga, it is to surrender one’s personality to God, to take a stand as an unaffected witness of the movements of the internal and external nature.

Hatha Yoga (the disciplining of the physical body in order to balance out the central nervous system as well as the energetic forces, prana, or Qi in Chinese).

The intention of Hatha Yoga is not just to be in good shape but rather to prepare one for the practice of the higher yogas or inner disciplines and meditations such as Samadhi Yoga.

Kundalini or Tantra Yoga (knowing how to control these life energies, these forces of prana, qi, during one’s meditation practice to facilitate deep states of concentration, or to be able to have a clear mind to study the scriptures).

Mantra and Yantra Yoga (other ways of generating spiritual forces through vibrations of specific sounds, as in Japa Yoga within, or ways of controlling forces without, through the symbols formulas, diagrams, and rituals).

A combination of a few types yoga may be needed to attain freedom.

THERAVADA BUDDHISM

Many ask, is there a way in the Buddhist tradition of testing a teacher to see if they are enlightened or not?

The Buddha said, “You should examine the teachers by their words and actions to see if there is any defilement there. He said one would be able to see with one’s eyes and with one’s ears whether someone is still not clear or is mixed up and confused. Or, if one is clear, was this a recent development. One also needs to find out if this person is convinced of this attainment and to make sure there is no danger there. He said there are signs to look out for . . . Then he should further examine. Does the venerable one not indulge in sensuality, through destruction of greed or through fear? When examining, he knows. The venerable one does not indulge in sensuality through destruction of greed, and neither through fear.”[1]

It is important to have faith in a teacher because without faith you will probably not go to the teacher. Without faith you will not listen to a teacher. Without hearing the message you will not reflect on what you had heard. Without reflection there will be no insight. Without insight, there will be no knowledge. Without knowledge, suffering will continue.

Teaching in the Theravada Buddhist tradition would mean becoming a renunciate or a monk and training for at least five or ten years or more with another monk, as well as receiving all monastic precepts and living by this code.  Taking certain vows and precepts before one teaches.

However what is very interesting is that in the Theravadin tradition, they don't even refer to themselves as a teacher but as a spiritual friend, kalyana mitra. Some of these friends simply have more experience or knowledge than you do. Its not the same thing as a guru disciple relationship as in some other traditions. Reason being the only teacher and teachings are of the Buddha, and the spiritual friend is only supposed to pass these on, not to present themselves as being more than that.

A kalyana mitra isn't looking to be worshiped or to be seen as a new Buddha, a world teacher a "Bhagavan" or a new Christ figure out to create some kind of new earth, new planet, community or a worldly position for themselves at the head of this or has any expectations of whom they share the knowledge with. They don't see it as a conditional transaction of any kind such as Ill tell you about this if you give me that.

They would have to be answerable to their peers and other teachers in their sangha (community). Theravada has very strict guidelines about all of this. They only teach the Pali canon, the teaching of the Buddha, not their teachings and never deviate from this.

Lay teachers are different but most of them have undergone some kind of formal training or at least know the fundamentals of teaching meditation, taken the precepts but again the idea is to stick to the book and this way you cant go wrong, or send anyone else down the wrong path or get inflated and deluded by seeing your self as some kind of world teacher. This seems to happen all the time.

FAMOUS TEACHERS

The Buddha talked quite a bit about why its not good to become a  famous teacher and the pitfalls that derive from this. He mentions it in the Heartwood sutta as well as the Dung Beetle sutta where he describes it as something to reject and not to strive for.