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not allowing. Buddhism is a tradition of self-responsibil- the mind of an enlightened one.
ity and anyone can teach it. However, there are guide-
lines laid out in the sūtras that guide teachers to check How can lay teachers be effective as Dharma
into their own minds to see if they have the required teachers in today’s context?
qualities, before teaching, as well as what students
should look for in a teacher. Aside from the qualities Aggacitta: (1) Be well-versed and confident in your
specific to being ordained, there’s no difference regard- subject. (2) Walk your talk. (3) Practice principles of
ing the qualities of a teacher. These ten qualities, regard- good public speaking. (4) Use contemporary vocabulary
ing Mahāyāna teachers, can be found in the Mahāyāna and imagery to further explain doctrinal concepts
Sūtrālaṅkāra said to be transmitted to Arya Asaṅga by illustrated in the scriptures by similes and examples of
the bodhisattva Maitreya-nātha. Likewise, one finds the ancient Indian culture and society. (5) Bear in mind the
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qualities of a tantric master laid out in the tantric trea- Buddha’s advice on how to preserve or guard the truth
tises which also apply to both the ordained and the laity and do not be fanatical or overenthusiastic in promoting
equally, except for those specific to either the ordained a certain interpretation or practice of the Dharma. It is
or the laity. The main emphasis is to be steeped in the always safer to confess ignorance rather than profess
three higher trainings of ethics, concentration, and wis- cognizance of things beyond your ken. (6) Try to
dom. Regardless of being ordained or a laity, one should illustrate your teaching with actual examples from life
take care to teach within one’s level of practice. experiences because the Dharma is meant to be applied
and practiced, not just understood theoretically.
Should there be some sort of certifying board or
authority that certifies that someone is qualified Nowadays many Dharma teachers increasingly use
to be a dharma teacher? How should such a body video clips and slides to engage the attention of today’s
function effectively? audience who are mostly exposed to easily available,

dynamic audio-visual stimuli and impressions. However,
Aggacitta: Ideally, perhaps, but practically quite some presentations are more efficacious than others
impossible to implement. Even renowned Dharma when presented as follows: (1) Essential phrases are
teachers within a single school and esteemed Buddhist set in large san serif fonts and presented in point form,
scholars differ in their views and interpretations. How each point being animated and shown in sequence and
then to form a certifying board, let alone implement its in sync with the verbal discourse, not simultaneously.
policies and guidelines? Most people these days are more visual than auditory
in their ability to retain the information presented to
Ming Wei: As I know so far, we don’t have such authority them. When faced with wordy text and articulate speech
to certify the quality of a Dharma teacher, but there are simultaneously, the level of their comprehension and
many Buddhist centers in the universities or colleges all retention would be greatly reduced. (2) Having white or
over the world where we can study and gain diplomas light-colored text on a dark background helps to reduce
or degrees in Buddhism. glare for the audience, thus improving attention on
what is projected and said.
Geshe Namgyal: That would be very difficult as there are
qualities that would be hard or impossible for a govern- With modern technology so globally pervasive in
ing body to measure. Specifically, for someone aspiring society, Dharma teachings need no longer be confined
to be a Dharma teacher, they would have to be the first to live events in specific localities. If well-edited videos
one to check if they themselves are qualified. Having a of your teachings are uploaded to YouTube, many, many
certifying board could give way to so many pitfalls of more people worldwide will be able to benefit. You can
corruption and would place the emphasis and responsi- then create snippets of highlights from the videos and
bility on others, rather than self-responsibility. Besides, broadcast through social media, with links to the full-
one might even say that in order to accurately judge length videos; this could be a very efficacious strategy to
someone’s level of understanding, one would require disseminate the Dharma in a pervasive way.