score:3
"The Words of My Perfect Teacher" by Patrul Rinpoche has a chapter (Ch. 6) on how to choose, test and follow a "spiritual friend" (teacher):
Teachers to avoid:
"Treasury of Precious Qualities" by Jigme Lingpa has several pages (in Ch.5) on fully qualified masters vs. false teachers:
(repeats most of the above and adds the following)
Upvote:0
I disagree with the comment "Don't accept money, especially for a teaching."
I am not sure where that particular comment comes from, but as both a Tibetan practitioner and an ordained monk, I have Never seen it written that one should not accept a teacher who is paid for his/her teachings. In fact, and supporting teachers, who traveled from afar, individuals, benefactors, and Dharma centers all make donations to the teacher.
Most likely, the implication is that students should be wary of teachers who appear to be"money β hungry."
Finally, if you find yourself in a group where money and making money seem to be more important than teachings and/or Dharma, it is probably not a good place to be.
Upvote:1
The "Jewel Ornament of Liberation" by Gampopa describes different levels of teachers and their qualifications. Some rely on the 31st chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra (also known independently as the "Sutra of the Ten Bhumis") which describes a set of criteria on which to judge someone as a Mahayana teacher.
edit: it occurs to me that you may have been wondering about specifics, not just where you can find it talked about.
Some basics would be: have they taken the Bodhisattva Vow? Do they have demonstrable knowledge of the Mahayana path? Are they patient while teaching? Do they make sure people understand? Do they seem to get discouraged or disappointed with students? Can they speak to you at your level of understanding?
And of course standard things like ethical behavior.
Upvote:1
(Disclaimer: This is not a VajrayΔna approach so feel free to discard it but I'd say the advice is useful nonetheless.)
To find a skillful teacher, one could approach the matter prudently by trying to get the most points checked from the following list:
Note that these points are just good guidelines and should be taken as a supplement to one's own discernment.
For further references, you might want to read some early discourses concerning this:
Footnotes: