Charlatans and Spiritual Teachers: Who's for Real?
From: The Tibet Connection
Series: Open Mind
Length: 06:45
Geshe Lhakdor, a Tibetan Buddhist monk and the Dalai Lama's former translator and religious assistant, talks about how to tell which spiritual teachers are for real and which are charlatans. With humor and a practical approach, he offers advice on how to avoid ending up following a pseudo-guru. His first piece of advice: Be your own teacher.
"Even when someone goes to buy a horse or a cow, he has to check very carefully by seeing the teeth. If you are really looking for a spiritual teacher, it's much more important than buying a horse or a cow!" he says. "You need to be very careful."
Geshe Lhakdor is currently the director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, India.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
Geshe Lhakdor, a Tibetan Buddhist monk and the Dalai Lama's former translator and religious assistant, talks about how to tell which spiritual teachers are for real and which are charlatans. With humor and a practical approach, he offers advice on how to avoid ending up following a pseudo-guru. His first piece of advice: Be your own teacher.
"Even when someone goes to buy a horse or a cow, he has to check very carefully by seeing the teeth. If you are really looking for a spiritual teacher, it's much more important than buying a horse or a cow!" he says. "You need to be very careful."
Geshe Lhakdor is currently the director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, India.
Broadcast History
The Tibet Connection, via Sprouts (Pacifica network) April 2010
Intro and Outro
INTRO:This month in our Open Mind series, producer Peter Aronson (AA-ron-son) talks with Geshe Lhakdor (LOCK-dor), a Buddhist monk who served as translator and religious assistant to the Dalai (dah-LIE, not "dolly") Lama for many years, on the topic of how to tell a real spiritual teacher from a charlatan. Geshe Lhakdor is now the director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, India.
OUTRO:That was Geshe Lhakdor (LOCK-dor), a Buddhist monk and former religious assistant to the Dalai (dah-LIE, not "dolly") Lama, talking with producer Peter Aronson (AA-ron-son). This piece was produced for The Tibet Connection, more information at The Tibet Connection dot org.
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