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In today's consumer-oriented society, we all spend enormous amounts of time choosing between different things to buy, comparing one thing to another before making the final purchase. But it rarely - if ever - happens that one actually 'chooses' his spiritual teacher in this way. What actually happens is that people find that their inner being is drawn to a particular teacher or his philosophy, and they somehow sense that this is the teacher for them, without the need to compare against any other teachers out there.

But how does a person find that teacher that it right for him? Often it happens that events naturally put him into contact with his teacher. To quote another saying that is often used in New Age circles - "when you really want something, the entire universe conspires to make it happen for you". Not only do many people naturally find the path they are looking for, they also do it at a time when they are finally ready to embark upon it - to quote the old Indian saying, "when the student is ready, the Master appears". My own personal experience is an example of this: the Dublin Sri Chinmoy Centre had been in existence for quite some time, but despite the fact that they offered meditation classes regularly just minutes from where I live, I had never heard of them before I went to the meditation classes that would eventually result in me becoming Sri Chinmoy's student. Looking back, I can see that I still needed to have certain experiences in life before I was truly ready to embark upon the spiritual life in earnest. I have heard of many similar experiences over the years. i remember reading a beautiful book called "Pure Heart, Enlightened Mind" by an Irish girl called Maura 'Soshin' O'Halloran, who went to Japan and ended up training under one of its greatest Zen masters. Reflecting on how she came to Zen, she realised that it was actually Zen that found her. I can definitely empathise with that.

But of course it also happens that you might have heard of quite a few spiritual teachers, and wonder what is the right teacher for you. In that case, Sri Chinmoy gives the following advice: "In selecting a Guru, there is one thing you can try. Write down the names of all the Masters that you have come across or heard of or found out about in books you have read. There will be about six or seven names. Then, take the name of the first spiritual Master on the list and, as you repeat his name, place your right hand on your heart. Try to feel the sound in your heart as you repeat the name seven times. Go down the list, and as you repeat the name of each Master, try to feel your heartbeat. If you feel joy, delight or ecstasy, instantly give the Master a grade. You have to feel what kind of joy you are getting from repeating his name, and then rate it on a scale. If you get no response, no joy, no inspiration when you repeat the name of a particular Master, then you are in a perfect position to give him zero out of a hundred. If you get a tremendous response from the name of a Master on the list, if you are thrilled all over, if his very name sends an enormous palpitation from the soles of your feet to the crown of your head, you are bound to give him ninety-five or even a hundred. Then you know without a doubt that this one is your Master."

Sadly, there are more than a few false meditation teachers who have not realised the high states of enlightenment that they lead their students to believe, leading the general public to be sometimes a little wary of Eastern spiritual figures in general. In fact, telling a false meditation teacher is quite simple if your own inner sincerity is strong enough. "How can we recognise a false teacher?", asks Sri Chinmoy. "If a teacher says he will give God-realisation or a spiritual experience in the twinkling of an eye, then rest assured that he is a false teacher. A sincere Master will always say that he and the seeker have to work together. The Master says he will not be able to grant the seeker realisation overnight. If the Master says he will grant the seeker realisation if the seeker gives him millions of dollars, then that Master is false." False teachers often claim that they are the only one who is realised, and that the other teachers are all false. In contrast, true teachers also know that they are not the only teacher, and they are equally happy if someone attains the highest goals of meditation through some other teacher rather than them. "No matter who your teacher is, I want you to realise God. That will give me the greatest joy. It is not who takes you, but where you go that is important: whether you stay in ignorance or enter into the sea of Light. When I see an aspirant swimming in the sea of Light, that gives me the greatest joy. Who brought him is not what pleases me; only the fact that he is there, in the sea of Light."

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