Whatever your expectations and preconceptions, you may need to set them aside when you look for a teacher because he or she may appear in a guise you don't anticipate. At the same time, you may want to compare your prospective teacher against the following checklist of qualities that the best teachers should embody. Not all teachers will have every one of these characteristics, of course, but the more, the better:

* They're humble, ordinary, down-to-earth, not arrogant or inflated. In Zen monasteries, the head monk cleans the toilets.

* They're honest, straightforward, and clear, not evasive or defensive. As people gain spiritual maturity, they become increasingly free of psychological baggage.

* They encourage independent thinking and open inquiry in their students, rather than blind obedience to a particular dogma or ideology.

* They're primarily concerned with the spiritual development of their students, not with fame, power, influence, or the size of their organization.

* They practice what they preach, rather than considering themselves exempt from the moral and ethical guidelines that others must follow.

* They embody the highest spiritual qualities, such as kindness, patience, equanimity, joy, peace, love, and compassion.


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