How do I choose a spiritual teacher?

Choosing a spiritual teacher takes time spent together and observation. Enthusiasm, accuracy about a few things, or an impression of great ability is only part of getting to know someone. Also observe how the person usually treats others and teaches students. After learning with them, do you understand things more clearly, and are your life and judgment changing for the better?

Miao Nian used to trust people more readily. Looking back, she said that seeing a solemn spiritual center, a teacher who had published many books, and people waiting in long lines made her assume the teacher must be remarkable. Later she gradually understood the need to examine the substance and whether there was real help. Her family was concerned, so her younger sister Yi Qing first came to see what she was doing. After meeting me, Yi Qing thought I seemed like a good person, but still felt that one meeting was not enough to understand someone.

Yi Qing therefore continued attending classes, brought questions, and observed for a year before deciding to join. I enjoy people asking questions and consider this kind of understanding important. Her trust developed gradually through repeated contact and understanding the teachings.

A teacher's moral character must not be overlooked. Does the teacher respect people? When a problem arises, is the teacher willing to explain clearly? Is the position being used to obtain improper benefits or engage in inappropriate speech or behavior toward disciples of the opposite sex? Whether someone dresses fashionably or traditionally, these actual words and actions still matter. A spiritual title does not make everything acceptable.

Earlier in life, Dao Xuan visited various places because of confusion about dreams and spiritual perceptions. After receiving guidance that made sense, Dao Xuan chose to continue learning. Dao Xuan also described once finding a teacher's spiritual perceptions unusual and impressive. But with more time together, the teacher's uncontrolled temper and even rough treatment of young children increasingly seemed wrong, prompting a wish to leave. Being accurate once or seeming extraordinary does not make everyday conduct that hurts people acceptable.

What matters to me is whether practice broadens our hearts and helps us better understand other people's circumstances. This does not mean practitioners can never be angry. I still have emotions myself and keep asking myself to notice negative states promptly and make adjustments. But persistent volatility and narrow-mindedness call for a serious look at whether the compassion we learn from the deities and Buddhas is actually being applied to ourselves.

Trusting a teacher should leave room for thought. When I speak of listening, reflecting, and practicing, I mean first listening, then considering, then making changes. If another person's view makes sense, be willing to accept it and change. If something seems wrong, examine whether you have not yet understood it or whether there really is a problem with what was said. Questions can be asked. A soft heart means being willing to learn and understand, rather than accepting every statement without thought.

In conversation, you can also ask a teacher why they chose this path and what they truly hope to do for living beings. I value great vows and expansive love because, in my understanding of spiritual practice, a teacher's spiritual powers arise from great vows. If someone says, 'This is my fate; things go badly if I do not do it,' I would not conclude that they have no vow at all. I would feel that they may not yet truly understand the power of that vow. Sincerely wanting to help and simply feeling compelled to do so still carry different inner strengths.

Some people hope to practice until they are free from their own troubles. That is a choice, and attaining freedom from suffering deserves recognition. At Sheng Zhen Men, we place greater emphasis on learning expansive love and great vows, taking other people's concerns to heart. I therefore suggest learning from a teacher willing to understand the difficulties of those seeking help and explain their problems clearly. People ask precisely because they do not understand. A willingness to explain patiently is something you can observe.

Also distinguish a teacher who does not suit you from a teacher who is unqualified. Dao Fan shared that some people may leave spiritual practice because their former group or teaching method did not fit them, rather than because the other side was bad. Dao Fan felt these connections were a pity to lose. I also hope to organize the reasoning behind the teaching clearly so people can understand what they are learning.

Some religious frauds are not completely ignorant of fortune-telling. They may even describe things accurately, which encourages increasing trust. That makes it all the more necessary to examine the demands that follow. Knowing certain things about you does not mean every request involving money, your body, or your family is reasonable. If you are confused, discuss it with someone trustworthy and keep observing, listening, and learning. Having encountered a bad teacher does not mean all spiritual practice has no value. Good teachers and environments are still worth getting to know.

An unfamiliar name for a deity is not enough to decide immediately whether a claim is genuine or false either. I met a fellow female practitioner who called the deity she perceived 'Astro Boy.' After asking further, I learned that she meant the Third Prince. Even with an unusual name, ask whom the person means and how they understand it, instead of ending your judgment at the name. Conversely, using a familiar deity's name does not make every subsequent demand reasonable.

Dao Xuan also spoke of groups that made people afraid to leave by saying something bad would happen or blessings for their families would be withdrawn. In such circumstances, examine whether the interaction has left you with nothing but fear. To understand a teacher, ask about their vows and observe daily conduct. Ask for an explanation when something is unclear, then use ordinary judgment. You do not need to begin by finding a reason why the teacher could never be wrong about every unreasonable statement.

Someone else recounted that a former teacher would hit followers publicly and pull their hair, while bystanders explained it as repaying debts or expelling spirits. The friend said no spirit expulsion was taking place, and the more they watched, the more wrong it seemed. This was an experience someone else came to discuss, but it offers a practical reminder: when behavior hurts people, do not immediately use a religious explanation to silence the questions.

Sometimes the first encounter really is not enough to tell. Someone's enthusiasm and accurate description of your pain may move you. Still, continue observing how the person handles matters and whether there is expansive love and a great vow. Ask for explanations where needed and speak with experienced people, giving yourself more grounds for judgment.

Great vows must also be considered in everyday life. Willingness to help someone understand a problem and teach in a way the person can understand and accept makes compassion visible in action. Someone who wishes only to be free from personal troubles may still be a very good practitioner. Whether that person is suited to guiding others is another question.

If someone claims to be a reincarnation of a deity or Buddha, I first look at their conduct and how they actually help people, without rushing to believe a title. In my more than twenty years of involvement in spiritual cultivation at the time, I had not discovered or confirmed anyone to be a deity or Buddha incarnate. This does not mean I know everyone's origins. Someone who is truly learning does not need an exalted identity to stand in for everyday moral character.

In respecting a teacher, also distinguish someone who is learning from the deities and Buddhas themselves. I am still human, learning their character in my role as a teacher. I once discussed with students that if I were someday to ask everyone to worship my photograph, they should be alert to the possibility that things had gone astray. This was a hypothetical reminder to one another, not a demand students had actually received. At Sheng Zhen Men, the focus remains learning the compassion and wisdom of the deities and Buddhas, rather than raising a teacher beyond examination.

A deity's spokesperson must not be treated as the deity personally either. When I was receiving the energy of the Lady of the Nine Heavens, a female devotee felt as though she were seeing her mother and asked for a hug. Her husband was beside her at the time. In the end, there was only a hand on the shoulder and a light pat, not an actual embrace. This also deepened my understanding of the need to distinguish the person from the deity. After the deity withdraws, I am still Shengyuan and Dao Xuan is still Dao Xuan. We can interact and discuss things normally. Respecting a teacher does not require elevating a person to a deity's position.

I have also spoken about facing trials in spiritual practice with firm faith: 'You may not understand, but you must not doubt.' That discussion concerned how people already practicing could face their own wavering, and it also said to voice questions when they arise. In other conversations, however, I reminded everyone to use their own judgment and listen to other opinions if a teacher cannot explain the reasoning clearly. Shortcomings can still be raised. These reminders must be considered together. One statement about trust cannot be used to forbid further questions about harm, intimidation, or unreasonable demands.

Eason once described not understanding Taiwanese and asking a fellow male practitioner a question while explaining the language difficulty. The response was, 'I know, but I am going to speak Taiwanese anyway.' I feel that teaching requires understanding the other person's circumstances. When a friend who could understand only Mandarin visited, Master Ji Gong switched to Mandarin. Compassion is more than a word. It includes a willingness to make the explanation understandable to the person asking.

You can also observe whether respect goes beyond what a teacher says. Ming Fen shared that a former group required core members to support a designated election candidate. In discussing this, I said that I can have political views and encourage students to vote, but I do not require everyone to vote for a particular person. One group should still allow different choices. Trust must not be used to take away someone else's decisions.

Look carefully at fees as well. A spiritual center has expenses. Support contributions and course fees are not by themselves evidence of wrongdoing. But if someone keeps pressing after a refusal until you feel only pressure, or responds to every problem by saying you are not grateful enough, do not believe enough, or must repent, without understanding individual difficulties, it is worth pausing to think. Gratitude and repentance still matter, but they cannot replace every explanation.