How do you recognize a spiritual teacher?

[Uriwhetu]

Some lovely sage advise here...i have been waiting for a spiritual teacher to find me...my cards keep telling me one is on the horizon and i look forward to that happening. In the mean time im trying to live my spiritual truth, learn and grow with what resonates.

[Pequena Estrela]

A spiritual teacher or master - you recognize them by their actions.

If they speak the truth no matter how inconvenient to themselves or others, if they are loving and believe that love is the most important thing in the world, if they show love to animals, their environment and other people, if they help others to get stronger, wiser, and bigger (in a spiritual sense) then you have found a true teacher.

If they are humble, you have found a true master.

But if they praise themselves, claim to be perfect, good, or to know everything, to have special powers, to be better than others - then you have come across a false teacher who can only drag you down to their low level.

Nothing is gained from communicating with someone like this - leave them by the wayside, they are not worth your time.

[ocean breeze]

A spiritual teacher/master need not meet my expectations of how one should be. They may be labeled as good samartians or trouble makers. They may follow the rules or rebel against them. None of that matters. If they can challenge me, shock me, make me think, bruise my ego rather than inflate it then that's a pretty good start. If they are only trying to make me happy or believe they speak the truth then it would definitely be a red flag.

Many on here and else where claim to be spiritual people or teachers but its all just appearances. Be careful. Just scratch a little on the surface even by accident and watch how thrown off and upset they get (and that's just what gets displayed, imagine what doesn't and remains bottled up). Watch how they avoid you when you challenge or question them. Their spirituality is a joke.

Well said Ocean,

The spiritual teachers/masters that I had a chance to meet in my life would just laugh at me if I were to call them Master.

Regards,

I'm going to flip it around and say it's more important to recognize the qualities of being a spiritual seeker as opposed to those of a spiritual teacher.

[Truth307]

Originally Posted by Innocence3.0

Hello everyone!
I'm new here but happy to share with you and today i have this question on my mind.
Through all the videos of the net, how would you single out a true spiritual master? Is it his teaching? His aura? His "results" in teaching awareness to others ? His behaviour in life?
Personally i've met two spiritual masters that i am certain of. It's Amma from India, whom a lot of people know, and a woman called Maria in France.
She's just been interviewed recently and the videos are on youtube (in french but there are english subtitles for the first one).
Her teaching is about awareness of the egos in our daily life, letting go of the suffering caused by our dysfonctioning and living in the present moment. Nothing new under the sun, but of course it depends on WHO is teaching you.
Tell me what you think!

You usually know because they generally practice what they teach. They live the Truth in Action. Nanak was a great teacher, I know another one who lives a householders life. Jesus was a great teacher and also taught us martyrdom.

The greats taught us the Truth. To live a true life being a good soul, living beyond and detached from the foolishness. Yes many saw a great auras etc around the greats, powerful spiritual energy from those souls being their true selves, practicing it in everyday life and teaching it to others.

[Truth307]

Originally Posted by Busby

Well, I'm an old man, have been to many places, seen and heard many things, listened to a load of Mumpf, observed cheats and swindlers, liars and charmers, but I have never seen, heard or encountered anyone who could vaguely be called a spiritual teacher.
Look at yourself in the mirror - there you'll see a spiritual teacher. There's not one person who knows more than you - in fact we all know little or nothing except experiencing that universe which impinges upon our senses.

Nothing else is valid.

Great post. The spiritual teacher is simply a true reflection of oneself, the Truth in form. We are our greatest teachers for we are Truth itself in form, we just don’t accept it. Plenty of social conditioning etc that has made us believe that we are unworthy when in reality, we are All and All is us. All in One and One in All.

[Truth307]

Originally Posted by Innocence3.0

Thanks to all of you. You seem experienced in the matter.
I agree a true spiritual master, and what i mean by true is that it is a person capable of transmitting the depth of light through the layers of ego, should give teachings that emanate from compassion towards humanity. And a master is the first to live by his teachings.
A lot of people talk about not-in-the-flesh spiritual guidance, i reckon it is real, but to me, it doesn't seem to be as efficient and mind-blowing as being in the vicinity of a flesh and bone spiritual soul incarnated to help humanity. I think mainly because it is too easy to being led astray by our own illusions... Are we strong enough to see through our mental discourse? Are we clairvoyant enough to be truthful in facing our beliefs?

I know one, he’s a seemingly normal guy living a householders life, but he’s the greatest most evolved soul I’ve met on this earth