Even a bad teacher might do
If a beginner asked me for advice about finding a good teacher I would probably tell him to find a mediocre teachereven a bad one might do! The good news, it isnt that difficult.
So why a mediocre or a bad teacher? One reason is that it is necessary to break our dependence on teachers believing theyre all capable of teaching Buddhismtheyre not. Examining this a little more, teachers can easily become like a crutch, especially for beginners. With a growing dependence on a teacher (the crutch) the student becomes progressively weaker, not stronger.
Of the four reliances in the Catuhpratisarana Sutra, we learn that we must rely on the Dharma; not the person who is teaching it. While this should be a no-brainer it is not always self evident. Cults of personality are easily made in Buddhism as with any religion.
I would rather the student see his beloved Zen master passed out drunk or having sex with a nun. Hopefully, this would shake up the student forcing the student to question their over-reliance on the teacher.
The things I saw my teacher do certainly helped me to realize that I had to depend on Dharma, not him. His actions were instrumental in helping me to dive into the nuts and bolts of Buddhismfuck the teacher. What would have to sustain me had to come from within. It turned out it was my love of Buddhism, especially its mystery. I wanted to know what the Buddha knew.
A beginner needs to keep in mind that the words of the Buddha in the canon is where the real teaching is to be found. In addition, no beginner should ever imagine that if the Buddha were in front of them teaching they would all of a sudden become awakened. However, it would be correct to say that if they began to understand more about Mind (citta), for example, that it functions freely apart from the psychophysical body (skandha) (S. iii. 45), then sitting in front of the Buddha might be of great help.
