The Waking

  Image: Ram Dass and Chogyam Trungpa Here are some indications:     • Lack of Personal Growth If you feel you are no longer learning or growing under the guidance of your current teacher and what they say no longer helps, this might indicate that you've outgrown the teachings or that the methods are no longer effective for you.     • Misalignment of Values or Beliefs Sometimes, as you evolve, your values, beliefs, or the direction of your spiritual journey might diverge from those of your teacher. If this happens, it might also be time to seek guidance elsewhere.            • Ethical Concerns If you witness or experience unethical behaviour, such as manipulation, exploitation, or abuse (emotional, financial, or physical), this is a clear sign to reassess your relationship with the teacher. Spiritual guidance should never harm or exploit. This can take many forms. You might want to look up the history of Chogyam ...

    I have enjoyed the ‘Dalai Lama’s Cat’ series of books, including the most recent addition, ‘The Dalai Lama’s Cat and the Claw of Attraction.’ The author of the series, David Michie, also recently wrote a helpful article, based on the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, on how to find a guru (Michie, 2023a). The article includes a summary of how a guru can help someone seeking enlightenment and then gives 10 points to look for to help find such a being. It is a very clear and useful guide, and well worth a read, so I have linked to it in the Bibliography below. I thought it might also be helpful to write a short blog, not from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, on finding a guru or teacher within oneself . Most of us are familiar with this through labels such as ‘gut feeling’ and ‘intuition’. This is something that can be used and developed to be a more powerful inner guide, guru or teacher, also by those seeking to develop their potential and awaken to a deeper experien...