There are even psychological and psychiatric conditions explaining this. It is spoken about in the major religions and mystic teachings. You yearn for what is more. Remembering, far away, that there is something. It draws you. You feel yourself moving toward it. You feel yourself as something greater than just your body. You begin to associate with others who feel similarly - drawn inexplicably together or sought our deliberately. You find books, writings, readings, sayings, all of which motivate more.
Your priorities begin to change. What is important now is not so much being successful or wealthy or accomplished in outer endeavors. Questions of "What am I?", "What does it mean?", "Who am I?", "Where do I fit in?" replace "How can I make more money, or be famous, have fun, or acquire the next thing?" They move toward "What is important?", "What is lasting?", "Is there more?" Then inklings grow. Experiences happen which lead you to consider more what you are doing. Some may be violent upheavals in your life. Some may be soothing revelations and understandings. You begin to hear about and take more seriously the possibility that others may know about what you are experiencing and can assist you in finding out more. You start to pay attention to outer processes with names like ESP, Psychic, Life-Progression, Tarot, Mysticism, Occultism, Magic, Spiritualism, and a host of psychological and other named arenas.
You eventually discard them as being too shallow or limited. The heart begins to yearn for something Real. The lost avenues and alleys with ends do not suffice. The spiritual path beckons. You commence and continue your seeking. You hear about teachers, paths, processes of enlightenment and realization. It strikes a chord. You want to take part in that. Maybe this holds your answers. You start looking for a teacher, or path, or process, or group to help. You are on the stepping stones which will eventually lead you to your answers; and might possibly lead you to them sooner rather than later. The journey begins now. The journey continues. You seek a Teacher: To Learn.
The problem you face now is how to find the Real Teacher and Teaching; and if you do find it, how to recognize and evaluate it. You can't do this only with the outer senses and criteria; and the other tools at your disposal are either unused, not developed, missing, or covered with filters, needs, and desires.
The problem is compounded by the fact that many, if not most, of the people who put themselves out there as teachers, or who are placed in that position by others in various groups or organizations, ARE NOT. This includes many who are learning to teach, in whole or in part, through groups which resulted from a real inspiration and transmission, but have now degenerated. So what you are faced with can seem like an insurmountable difficulty. How can you find something that is a real Teaching and a person who is a real Teacher without either the tools to evaluate it fully or the ways to determine if a group has deteriorated - when its current function may still be beyond your present development?
The short of it is that you will get what you deserve. That is primarily determined by you, and secondarily, by the teachings and teacher you encounter.
You get what you deserve as a response to your intentions, desires, and needs. As a precursor to real learning, you must have the capacity to do so. This is determined in part by openness to instruction, and in part by an understanding of the signposts of a true teaching and teacher, and a clarifying of your wants and desires. It also in part is determined by how much you have satisfied the outer circumstances of living. That is, how well you have adjusted to and are able to handle the day-to-day aspects of life. If these are not in at least some rudimentary balance, they will have to be dealt with first.
That is why - but only one of the reasons why - a person is given rudimentary outer jobs in a living group; and more importantly, and to this case, why a teacher will generally not accept an aspirant until he or she can demonstrate a minimal competence in living in the world. The other side of this is that when you have aspirations for success, advancement, experiences, or other worldly desires that are not satisfied, then they will get in the way of further learning. They will have to be satisfied, let go, or transmuted to proceed. The real Teacher will assist you in that process first before guiding you further. That immediate, outer work essentially then also becomes the highest spiritual work that can be done.
As you read through these sections you may want to note a few things. One is the use of the "teacher". I am using it as a convenience. What can be taught? That is a good question to consider. As you already exist and have the understanding, awareness, and answers to your questions available to and as a part of you; then a far more accurate word to use would be "Guide or Assistor" rather than teacher. As the spiritual path is one of rememberance and re-assimilation, then it is not an external process of one person "teaching" another. A person can show you how to make candy, or cook a roast, or weave a tapestry; but for you to do it, you must catch it yourself. When you do, there will be a little difference in that food or cloth - certainly showing your own nature - which is something to celebrate. When this is applied to spiritual "teaching" it is far more subtle, and more far-reaching. You will find those answers and more as part of the realness that is within you and IS you; and all the worlds will celebrate along with you each step of the way. There is a saying that when a person takes one step toward the Divine One - it takes 10 steps to the person. An assistance, welcoming home of glad heart, and the songs of the Angels are both present and await.
Are there some qualities or characteristics which can be seen in "Real" teachers? The answer to that is generally "yes", but those attributes may be different than what you expect them to be; and may or may not be shown, depending upon the qualities that the teacher needs to manifest in a certain situation.
Another question of some value is "Are there some general characteristics which show up in all real teaching settings?" A corollary to that question is "Are there some things you can generally expect to see in most situations with Real Teachings?" The answer to both these questions is "yes and no". Before we go into more detail here, it would be beneficial to consider how people become teachers, what kinds of teachers there are, and what they do.
First, I will say that most people who are considered as teachers or who consider themselves so, are not. They are not true spiritual teachers in a larger sense. For the sake of ease I will refer to them as "teachers" - with a small "t". There are some people who are Real Teachers. I will refer to them as "Teachers". There is also the larger Universal Teacher/Teaching. It is this that the Teacher becomes a part of and that expresses through the Teacher with the person aware. It expresses in other ways also without that specific personal awareness. This I will refer to as the TEACHER or TEACHING.
We find that the vast majority of people who are called a spiritual teacher, or who call themselves that, have a limited viewpoint through which to express limited information or experience. In general they work through structures which are dead or dying; cultish in function; and are either very misleading in the material that is presented, are severely curtailed in the capacity to reach toward the truth, or both. Within this category we also find the spiritual professional. He or she can be paid in money, power, fame, control, or any combination of the above - these being for the primary satisfaction of the person. (To read in-depth examples and discussion of teachers, teachings, and the ways in which people approach them, I would direct you to "Learning How to Learn", by Idries Shah.)
These people work in groups or organizations which at one time may have had real inspiration and/or a true source. They could be traditional religions, bastardized forms, splinter groups, cults, groups formed around personalities, or groups formed to espouse a certain belief, code of conduct, experience, method of seeking, effect or manifestation.
If the group was set up by one person without the proper training and authority, then that person generally sets himself or herself as that authority. He (I will refer to the person as "he" regardless of gender) may indicate that a greater unseen authority has anointed or appointed him as the earthly representative and invested him with authority.
For the one seeking guidance, it will be a test of faith. That one should be very careful to apply some of the criteria for the True Teacher that are found later in these writings - and compare them the best one can in both an outer sense, and by feeling and heart. The validity of this claim can generally be tested. Some of these are brought out in writings about the qualities and functions of the Teacher. They can also be verified or judged false by those who are Real Teachers directly. In the main, claims like this are false; but it should be noted that they CAN be true.
There are some situations where a person does have Divine Guidance and authority to bring forth a teaching. So in these - much fewer cases - it actually could be true, but one has to be very careful here. The person bringing this must have clear, unambiguous, impersonal guidance and direction for this; and must NOT in any case be driven by personal gain or greed. In the case of the Real Teacher, this person will also not have any individual desire or satisfaction from this position. If he is still seeking, looking for something, not in balance, has areas still to be assimilated, or is unsure; then he is "over his head"; and at the very least, is premature for this work.
More prevalent than the one personality driven group are groups which have deteriorated or never had a transmission. In this category, most of the people within it will receive some degree of instruction along with little actual direct spiritual experience and realization. The bulk of their instruction is intellectual. In cases where there is some broader experience, it is generally shallow and misinterpreted as to its value and applicability. However, at least it is experience instead of talk.
These persons, upon completion of a set of studies, are certified as teachers. They may be teachers in the sense that they can further instruct or convey information and shallow experience within the confines and structure of their field of study, but this is not spiritual teaching, and they are not Teachers. You will find, if you spend any length of time in their system, that the end is reached rather rapidly, and it is not universal.
There is another group of teachers. These are associated with real Teachings and may have as their source a spiritual Teacher with realization and transmission. As part of the learning process for his students, the Teacher may start (more properly assist) one along the path or work of teaching. It should be noted that this is a very tenuous situation. The Teacher must be extremely clear that indeed the student is to follow that path, rather than simply using him as an available vehicle to further his own work. There must be inspiration and guidance both for the Teacher and student to set one this way. It must also be understood that the student is not a Teacher in the real sense, even though he may take on some of the duties. That work tends to be more outer than inspirationally driven. The hope is that through this process the student will grow into a more full position. It is very important that the person be monitored closely to assure that the people he is working with are getting correct guidance. This person then starting out we can call a Teacher-in-Training.
In many cases you will come in contact with one or more of these people in the initial stages of contact with a group rather than the real Teacher. It is still difficult to evaluate the Teaching - if not impossible with traditional educational criteria - and this difficulty is compounded when the teaching goes through the very active and present filters of this student Teacher. (In fact, for a full evaluation you would generally need to either go through the teaching or have the perspective of the goal to really know it). You can hope, though, that he is trying to do his best by following his intuitive guidance and expression; and by adhering to the training, attunement, and transmission through his Teacher. You will find that in these situations, the Teaching may not be so limited as the previous grouping; and the end may be more universal and experience based, but that it is limited through the channel of the student Teacher and takes on the characteristics of his filter. You will have to deal with it on that basis.
When the student Teacher has progressed to a certain point, he is then many times given a title representing him as a Teacher. In reality this is generally just a starting position waiting to be fulfilled rather than the end of a prior instruction or course of study. It is like being given a name to grow into. But in this case, both the Teaching and Hierarchical Guidance accept and pass on the authority to this person to act in that capacity. The student Teacher should in the process also have gotten guidance and inspiration that he is to do this work and that this timing is now appropriate. It must also be added that if any of these criteria are missing, the student Teacher should not be elevated higher by an earthly Teacher, nor should he accept such a position if offered - no matter how tempting.
The final grouping we will now consider for the purposes of this writing is the real Teacher. He has gone through what amounts to all these previous stages and more - much more. It also should be noted here that this is not the end of the Teaching ladder; nor is it the end of the growth and learning of the Teacher. In reality, when a person really reaches this level he is also able to continue learning from that One TEACHER, as part of himself, and he as part of IT. From this point of view, ALL beings and things - including all people and nature - are sources of learning. They are welcomed, and appreciated as such.
The first thing to recognize is that this person is Real. The second thing is that he can show himself in many forms, but is always part of the same being. He must, if he has reached this position of function, have certain experiences common with those of a similar rank, and those who have come before or will come after. He may take the form of Guru, Sage, Murshid, or other un-named person, but in all cases re-presents the one true TEACHER. Depending upon his functions he will be readily seen - showing himself openly or hidden deeply, working as needs be.
This person will generally have gone through training and teaching by one or more Teachers; both on the physical and/or unseen levels. He will have been accepted by the Hierarchy and is recognized by others of his kind. He will be initiated in the greater path or ways, and will have attained and grown to the larger Universal path or Way.
He will be illumined and realize his true nature and being. He transcends the boundaries of space and time within himself. And he will know himself as one working unit. Within this framework and base, he will continue to grow, deepen in realization and function, and become more of what he is - without any worry, doubt, or inadequacy that there is more. And he will not want to be more - "want" to be a teacher. That is, he will not have personal desires to be a Teacher, rather than being one, and he will not have satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment in his station. If he is not of this level as a minimum, then he is still a student Teacher - from the Universal point of view. He may well be a teacher within a partial system, method, path, or tradition, however; and well capable of instructing a person within that more limited framework; or as a Teacher, if utilizing that path, tradition, or method as a framework, will also make clear the universality of the greater goal and function.
He will not claim to be a Teacher to justify function. Indeed, claims are meaningless. The real proof of a person is in his function, not his claims. The individual who claims to be a Teacher without first having both the background and experiences as indicated above - at a minimum as a base - is not worthy to be considered as such. All such claims are spurious, are false. This person is an imposter. The proof of the Teacher is in his works, and the proof of his transmission is found in his students - in their light and realization.
Part 1, Section 2
Now that we have considered what kinds of teachers there are and how they become what they are called, let us turn our attention to how a real Teaching would look. In addition we will consider what a Teacher may do or not do; a little of why it would or would not be done; and what the point of view of the Teacher is in that process. We can also consider how a teacher may convey what is needed in a given setting.
By putting attention in these areas, you may begin to get a sense of how a Teacher may appear when you approach him, what his work may look like, how to differentiate between a real learning situation and not, and what common qualities and characteristics one can usually find in a Teacher and the Teaching.
First, having said all these things about how a Teacher may look or act, etc., it is equally possible he may do anything or everything differently, and not act at all like we say here. The final decisions are up to the person working, not someone writing in generalities; and certainly not because of the expectations of anyone else. As illustrations, I will give you the following examples.
There are stories of Teachers who have asked great sums for their work. They were generally negatively criticized and later it may or may not have been found that they were using the money for a needed service. On the other hand, there are some charlatans passing as Teachers that make a very good living from fleecing people who come to them. Along that line there are some Teachers who would not charge any money or ask for donations, and others who would require minimal giving or payment. Sometimes any of these teachers may even do one thing in one setting or with one person and something quite different with another.
The reason a person would do that is because that approach is what is needed in that particular situation. Given another, the approach may be quite different. At one time, years ago, in a class someone was giving, that person requested that people give a donation each time they came. He laid out certain guidelines for doing so. He did this because it was a means or a tool to use for those attending to focus through, and as a result gain or strengthen certain attributes. They could then apply these attributes to other situations.
However, in that class were two people who objected strongly to making any donations. To one potential student, the person said he must pay a certain amount each time or he could not attend. This was done to motivate those attitudes which were causing this particular set of blocks. The other potential student felt less inclined to work and give of himself than to give money. So if he were "forced" into either paying or not attending; even though he had shallow philosophical reasons for thinking paying was not right, he would have reluctantly done so. However, the money was not that important to him, so for him it was required that in addition to a smaller payment than generally requested, he would have to work a few hours each week as a precondition to attend a class. This bothered him much more, and roused attitudes in him that were blocking progress far better than requiring him to pay more money.
Now this person also had a penchant for wanting to discuss spiritual things. He, if left to his desires, would talk and talk incessantly about them. So, as an additional requirement of his work, he was not permitted to discuss or bring up anything of a spiritual nature. All conversation had to be strictly related to the work he was doing or common physical things. He was very ungrounded, and this combination of work/payment and focus on the "mundane" was the best thing for him right then.
There was another person who also attended those classes who had almost no money, yet worked very hard, was in need of money, and not only had no reluctance to give, but tried to give more than what was asked - to his own detriment. He needed balance in the other direction; so for him it was required that he give, but it was modified that he was to give that amount to himself. This of course raised other blocks for him to deal with.
Now if you had come in to that setting and seen only one of those actions or requirements, how would you determine if that was the "right" thing to do - especially because in some ways they were contradictory? And, if you had been aware only of one procedure, would you generalize from that and conclude that it was the overall approach or teaching; and if so was "right" or "wrong"?
The only way through this is by feeling. You would need to put aside your intellect for evaluation and sense if there was something behind the outer action. Even if it was not seen fully, the point is that you would have needed to be open to multiple approaches with the possibility that all were right. Just because a person sets certain guidelines or requirements in general and then acts counter to them in a contradictory manner, it does not necessarily mean that person is acting wrongly.
From the point of view of a Teacher, the most important thing is to provide the appropriate impetus in the right settings that has the potential to act upon the person or group in the right way at that time. He is unconcerned how it is taken by outer eyes or evaluation. Sometimes he will use this as a tool to "drive away" the person who is not ready, or let a person self-select his own leaving. Many times he will also give the means to attune to him or find the path to understanding when encountering opposites or contradictions on one level, but complementary actions on another. The point is that you cannot just generalize from one action or approach. Do you remember the story of the elephant?
In the reference above to the two students in a class, would the person leading it and prescribing the correctives have done the same thing in another situation with another group of students? Doubtful, although possible. Speculation is absolutely worthless here. One really would not know what he would do until faced with the particular situation and people. If another Teacher came in to the same setting, would he have taken a similar approach? Possible, but also doubtful. Again, speculation is worthless. There are many approaches that can achieve the same end result; and that is what we are after - results, not the method to get them. In fact, a person could have taken almost the exact opposite approach and potentially get similar results.
In this case, we have discussed only one small aspect of a teaching and how it can be applied in different ways. It is an outer aspect, that of paying money or making a donation for a class. It does not have to be that; it could be anything. The point is that for every activity or process, there is a potential lesson or learning situation that can take place; and that can be done in many ways, some of which might seem contradictory. If we were to multiply this one activity, of which only a few elementary examples are given, by the variety of situations that could take place, and for each one add many different potential actions depending upon the need, we will not be able to generalize very well that a certain approach or method is the way to distinguish a real Teacher from one who is not.
At times a Teacher will take on the attribute of the student that he wishes to bring to that person's attention. By being a mirror and projecting the qualities that are in the way of the student, the result is that it motivates a response, usually negative, and brings those attitudes to the surface. In this way it gives the student the opportunity to become aware that what bothers him are actually his own qualities. This gives him the opportunity to then work on and adjust them.
So in the case of the student who was barred from discussing spiritual things, another Teacher might do just the opposite, and respond to everything, excessively in that manner. There are other approaches, all of which may be equally valid - such as giving concentrations, meditations, recitation, stories, koans, walks, work, and more - any of which could bring about the desired effect. So in evaluating a Teacher, outer process is not a good indicator of what is going on.
(*) These examples can be found as appendices A and B. They are for reference only, and were applicable in those limited situations. If they are applicable for other uses now, that is fine. Appendix A is titled Fee Schedule; while Appendix B is Some Guidelines for Donations.
Part 1, Section 3
I know of a situation in which people coming to a class were having difficulty in getting a working sense of levels within levels. They were practicing quiet attention. Rather than pursue that more, a Teacher took the opposite approach. He put on several noise-making appliances at the same time. In one room were several radios, a tv, a stereo, and an alarm clock. The volume of each one was set so that only the loudest and most active could be heard. Attention therefore went to that. When that item was turned down, another came in to awareness, and so forth, until there was nothing on. The end result was the excess noise helped convey the lesson of quietness, the tricks the outer attention and the active mind play, and a better sense or feeling for moving from one level to the next more refined one.
A similar approach was taken at another time. Here the example was to feel getting larger - more than the identification with and attachment to one's body as one's self. The exercise was to concentrate all one's attention in the tip of the little finger and identify oneself with and as that. Then to slowly move back into the fingers, hand, arm, etc., identifying and focusing on larger and larger parts of the physical body until the person reached the whole body. Then the next step became apparent. In letting go of the identification with the body to that which is more, and so forth, identification could go beyond the body and one could then become more in ever refined and larger steps. If you were to have come in to either setting without the background and understanding of what was being done and why, it would be easy to miss the lesson, or have it work less effectively than for those who were in the processes of gaining those understandings and functions.
Therefore, pay attention to the outer work and lessons to evaluate the Teaching, but also remember from your own experiences how to learn a skill going step by step. You will find some parallels.
Will there be some underlying qualities, attributes, or approaches that are constant and present in the approach of Teachers? Yes. These tend more toward their Real personalities and things they emphasize. You will find some common qualities in those Real Teachers.
First, they tend to be freeing rather than controlling. If a setting, teaching, or person wants to control you - it is usually time to go. The Teacher will be a person of joy. If he is sour, sad, morose, complaining, and negative, it is likely he is a fraud. Again, the outer appearances can be misleading, but by careful observation you should be able to determine if it is a mask put on for a purpose or that person's active personality.
There should be a feeling of joy, peace, and love through the teacher. It should be apparent and inspirational. The heart should feel all encompassing. Giving, rather than taking is the rule. The Teacher will never depend upon the student for support - money, ego, gratification, status, or otherwise. No matter how much is given to him, nor how much he accepts, he will not accept it for personal gain.
The Teacher will speak from the heart. He will not bow to niceties when they are not warranted, nor will he offend and be harsh when kindness or consideration is needed. He will shield what needs shielding, hide something that needs hiding, and be stridently outspoken and blunt when that is needed.
In speaking from the heart, the Teacher becomes the pipe or flute. This only comes from long reliance on the intuition and Guidance that eventually becomes part of his process and he part of it. In this manner he is able to express whatever is needed at the given time.
The same is true of his level of consciousness. It will change and both go to and include the level(s) that are needed at the time to convey what is appropriate. Part of the work of the Teacher is to have developed that function. It comes from trial and error, until that reliance and trust is to the greater Spirit of Guidance, and it has grown from "permission" to allow it to manifest as and through oneself until it is total, unassuming, and natural. This is part of a base the Teacher needs to function. What starts as intuitive and seemingly external guidance and inflow, develops with attunement and a shift of identification to being a part of oneself.
The Teacher will not think of himself as anything special. Rather he will be aware of how small the person is in comparison to all that is and that can be. He will be aware of how special everything and every one is - not only as "others", but also as himself.
He would not cause harm to another, as much as he would not harm himself. But he will remove the splinter from his body if it should not be there. He will not exceed his limits of authority or position, nor impose himself on someone's free will. He will try to assist one to expand ones own scope.
He will not have anger or bitter words outside of himself. That is, he may express what seems like those feelings, but they will be controlled, not ruling - it will be appropriate. He will be sincere; will have a sense of humor, and not take himself too seriously.
He will assist rather than do, and can take the position of the lowest without feeling put upon. He will accept that which is provided and that which comes as sufficient, embracing each thankfully and equally. He will be a friend, a guide, and an assistant.
These are some of the qualities to see and feel in the Teacher. If they are missing, you would be wise to look elsewhere; or certainly consider why you do not see them. If they show up also in the disciples or students, you may feel you are probably in the right place.
Part 1, Section 4
I am now inserting a section of a book written by a Guide. It is clearly written and pertains to the subject. However, it IS NOT in the same form as printed, nor with the same line breaks, punctuation, type sizes, etc. There are 449 pages before this and 200 after, so it is taken out of context and process. I am using it without specific permission.
..........
Here is the precious pearl. The teeming millions mass-produced on a gigantic scale each having his own idiosyncrasies apparently with a view to produce a few masterpieces: more valuable, more exquisite, more fascinating than the rarest Stradivarius violin or the Mona Lisa or the Chartres Cathedral.
That such men as Jesus should have walked the earth is the greatest miracle on earth.
It is more important than any other thing sought after in the world, and this is why sensitive people nurture an idyllic picture of an ideal state of being. The whole forward march of evolution tends toward this ideal.
Man, that wonder, molded and burnished through ages of deep searching and all the seeming trials and errors to produce that mixture of physis and psychis converging from all our ancestry and predecessors on the planet (mixed with a draught of the heavens) inspired by the heroism of archaic legends. Yet in the course of repeated disappointment through life, many begin to wonder whether such ponderous musings are not pure fiction of the imagination.
What is it then that is so desperately, so consistently sought after by such large numbers of people, some highly discriminating? It is the most valuable treasure in the world and possibly hence the rarest: a perfect human being.
Man in search of his ideal of perfection. Nothing less. But the hope surges up again and again. Every time one meets a person whose qualities one admires. Naturally one nurtures the wish to contemplate such a being with one's own eyes. And when told that they are to be found at some outpost of civilization, some will cross the widest stretches; suffer the most ignoble ills; take the most foolhardy risks; for that moment of encounter that can change a lifetime.
Has the course of your life ever been completely turned-about by the encounter with a being? A being who incorporates those values that you have always worshipped in your soul? If this happens, it is because that being was already in you.
Confrontation with the qualities of his soul triggers off the like in you - the most wonderful thing that can happen until one realized, as Buddha said, There is a place one cannot reach by going anywhere. - Or the Rishi high up in the Himalayas who said to me "Why have you come so far to see what you should be?" To see what you should be.
We wish to see in another what we should be ourselves and we would wish for another to inspire us to be so. Yes, the time comes when one realizes that: the guru cannot do it for you but can only catalyze like properties.
The time comes when one has to make the effort oneself to be what one wishes to see. You may have been perplexed by some of his actions or words - whatever. If he is your guru he will live in you by day and be present in your dreams, in your life, in every moment the heart and core of your being.
But beware of the obsessive quality of the being who exercises coercion upon your will; robs you of your freedom; places you in a position where your conscience is in a quandary; he who is the master of men while being the slave of his ego is the most pernicious leader astray.
Many innocent or candid souls have fallen victim to these either by becoming hybrid examples of a strange spirituality blended with sanctimonious contempt for others, or an insufferable sense of righteousness, or blind materialism concealed under the guise of holiness.
Many do not seem to have the measuring rod to distinguish the genuine from the false sometimes to a disconcerting degree!
What criteria can one offer to the pilgrim on the search for the teacher? Quite apart from the considerations given earlier about the real purpose pursued in his actual living; if he or she has no axe to grind he will be bubbling over with the joy of an inner freedom, even though greatly sensitive to pain connected with the problems surrounding him. This you can ascertain if you feel inspired after seeing him.
Like Walking on Air. If he feels that you are an earnest wayfarer relentlessly pointing to the azimuth he will guide you from perplexity to perplexity.
A crucial criterion is to see how he reacts to personal insults. If he handles the matter soberly, without taking personal offense he is most likely to be the master you are seeking. The slightest mark of a lack of charity tells a long story because the characteristics of a person spring to light when he is off guard.
You will also watch for any show of importance other than the natural sovereignty and dignity of his being - AT ALL TIMES.
He would rather underplay his power than preen his feathers; screen you from his power that burn you by it; walk gently by your side rather than crush you from an upraised throne; enlist your approval by his wisdom rather than impose his opinion by force of will.
The divine power passing through him will give you a sense of optimism regarding your problems rather than coercing you into subservience. If he is endowed with superior wisdom he may not counter your arguments by arguments which might give vent to further debate or pass his mind behind the quandary.
"He has passed before you had time to see him". A Real Guide, when asked "How do I attain liberation?", answered "Who is it in you that wants liberation?"
"The answer that uproots the question" (A Real One).
Rather than allow you to juggle with theories he will test you in your life - in your life, in the reality of what you are trying to work out theoretically revealing you to yourself.
You have come with a question on your mind. You are now saddled with a challenge in your life, for that is where it all works out in practice.
Dare you wage war upon your shadow? Dare you cast the torchlight of truth in your soul? This is the issue. You did not think that was the reason you came with a question and there it is staring you in the eyes. He may inspire you to give up that whose giving up will make you free.
And if he asks you to do it, it is because he knows how glad you will be to have had the courage to give it up; and you will realize that you have given a pebble for a pearl.
He is strong. He is showing you the way he followed himself. If he is a real guru he will never ask you to do anything against your conscience, but just give you that extra push to do what you should do anyway.
Once you have become conversant with his handling of paradoxes and gained confidence in his guidance knowing that no perplexity will befuddle you any more he will double his zeal in your guidance and point out to you hidden ways that you, however, have to discover as he turns your attention towards them.
For the ways of the lord are mysterious. "He will caress you with the hand of your worst enemy and he will admonish you with the hand of your dearest friend." (A Real One).
You think you have discovered a reason but there is a further reason hidden behind it. And no sooner this has flashed upon you than you intuit a further one each more incomprehensible than the former.
The one in command never reveals his plans even to his forces. They are ever concealed misleading those who would foil it. Each officer is entitled to know as much as he needs to know to fulfill his part in the strategy. As he rises in rank, more of the plan is revealed to him. In fact, spiritual vision is awareness of the divine plan.
This only happens if one identifies with it beyond any personal consideration. Of course if you understood what the teacher grasps you would not need a teacher. And even if he told you what he grasps you would not be able to grasp it. Unless you had developed his caliber.
Therefore he does not try to teach but to promote your growth and expand your being that you may see what he sees, and understand what he understands, and have the wisdom to react to what he sees the way he does. His purpose is to conduct you to the point where you do not need him any more.
"With a sweep of his arm he will lift your consciousness way above his own." (A Real One).
You will recognize him by his sense of truth. He will keep faith with you and you will strive to keep faith with him. If you love him, you can say what you have on your mind and he will never take offense. You can in any case never conceal a thought from him because he reads you as an open book - not from curiosity, but how can a sensitive being fail to respond to that which is placed before him?
"The greater the teacher the better he can play with children." (A Real One).
Murshid would even scandalize people to prevent them from taking themselves too seriously. People were serving cakes and he would take three. He really did it spiritually. People think to be holy you have to be so very serious. It had a wonderful freeing effect upon them.
There was a madzub who was looking at people as though he was laughing. "Why are you laughing like that?" he was asked. "I am not laughing, I am smiling. Because each manifests God in a different way: as an elephant, a giraffe, a dove ..... if only they could see themselves, they would smile too!"