Originally posted by Dharmadhatu:actually, i should add that my own convictions are largely derived from my own experiences, which i have had some quite intense ones in the past.
in the dharma, it is not advisable to make decisions based on usual human way of thinking or judgement, rather in the long run, it is advisable to abide by what is stated in the teachings. Always, you will find that these wisdoms in the teachings will always prevail in the end.
Hi, i think for Vajrayana path, teacher is very important. But this question is very wide and difficult to answer... I can only comment from i observed in Singapore context.
Obviously, it is very important you find a teacher with very good knowledge of whatever practice in Vajrayana you want to learn. teachers have different specialties. But this is often overlooked. The student is overwhelmed by charisma, publicity, and other public relation characteristics...
This teacher should be able to communicate with you in your language, and he should be reasonably accessible for any queries. your main teacher will have the kind of 'yuan' with you that you feel at ease with him/her and a genuine relationship can build up.
The teacher should be interested in your development, not only in how you will contribute to his/her activities. Though these 2 kinds of motivation are sometimes mixed up in various degrees and difficult to discern. He should have time and patience and interest in you & your questions to a reasonable extent. I say reasonable, because sometimes students have so many neuroses that it is good to cut them off :-)
If you are looking to practice Dzogchen, the teacher must be realised. It is impossible for the blind to lead the blind.
Don't hurry to call a teacher 'root Guru', because this is not something one chooses really. The teacher who gives you the greatest, the most ultimate benefit, that one automatically becomes your root Guru.
There are also 2 camps of thinking. One camp says that you should just stick to one Guru till the end. The other one says that you should be open and learn from many Gurus. Each has pros and cons. I think that for anyone beginning Vajrayana, you should choose the open option first because it expands your horizons.
Each teacher comes with a style of teaching, some tend to be more on the intellectual side, some more on the practical side. Some more traditional, some more free-style... So the teacher you choose depends on which style you are more comfortable with.
The teacher should be looking to make you more and more independent and self-equipped with all the knowledges, skills and confidence to go on the spiritual path yourself. You should not be more and more dependent on the teacher as some kind of crutches (emotional or otherwise)
You can also take a look at how the closer long-time disciples of the teacher are doing... if you like how they are turning out, then it may also be a good sign that the teacher is doing a good job.
Besides assessing the teacher, one should also assess oneself, your own motivation and see what is it exactly one is after. If you understand yourself well, i feel that more or less, one will have alot more clarity to choose a proper teacher.
Actually, this teacher-choosing thing is very difficult to define as there is such a wide variety of situations. What i said is just what came to my mind impromptu. It is a matter of your conditions and merits. I would suggest that anyone who wants to get a good teacher, makes strong prayers to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to guide them towards a genuine master and accumulate merits. They should also start by learning as much as possible about Vajrayana. There are alot of introductory books out there already.