How can you recognize a true spiritual teacher?
► Rushdy El-Ghussein, former president of the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City: To answer a question about qualities of sincere religious leaders, I look to qualities exhibited by some of God's prophets:
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Commitment to one goal: Sincere and genuine leaders stand steadfast in what they believe. Temptation will not influence them by any means. From the life of Prophet Muhammad, one can see his unwillingness to compromise his goal when he told his enemies, "By God, if you gave me the sun in one hand and the moon in the other hand, I will not leave this message." Prophet Noah lived almost 1,000 years with few followers, but still he did not compromise his beliefs.
Genuine interest in serving the people: The lives of God's prophets show us that all of them were willing to serve their constituents. They were the champions of the poor and disadvantaged while their wealthy followers were models of good conduct and a help to others.
Congruence between word and action: In addition to calling their families and communities to follow the message being conveyed, all of the prophets strictly adhered to the same message.
Excellent communication skills: Either by nature or God's inspiration, these prophets were excellent in communicating with all kinds of audiences (poor or wealthy, weak or strong, meek or courageous).
Patience, compassion, empathy and a concern for others are important. Although today's religious leaders are not prophets, they should strive to have similar characteristics.
► Arvind Khetia, engineer and a Hindu: In Sanskrit, the language of the Vedas, a spiritual teacher is called "guru," which means a remover of darkness or ignorance.
In Vedic tradition, a guru is worthy of the highest respect and is regarded as the divine, as a guru's grace can be a source of salvation.
To be worthy of such high regard, a genuine spiritual teacher must have a deep knowledge of scripture, be pure in thought and be detached from worldly desires.
He or she is self-controlled, calm and an embodiment of compassion and selflessness. A true spiritual teacher, like Shankara, Ramakrishna and Ramana Maharshi, just to name a few, is established in the Self (Atman) and has realized the truths of spiritual life.
In ancient India, scriptural teachings and the teaching of spiritual disciplines like meditation and yoga were communicated directly between the guru and disciple. Therefore, a disciple also is required to have certain qualities to receive such spiritual teachings.
The essential qualities for spiritual learning are a deep desire for liberation, understanding the difference between the real and unreal, nonattachment and the six essential virtues: self-control, equanimity, calmness, tolerance, concentration and faith.
These qualities are essential to recognize a true spiritual teacher. Divine grace manifests itself in many ways. However, to receive the wisdom of an enlightened master is one of the mo
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