How do I test a Guru to know that he/she is authentic?

First, always consider the source. Get the answers to the following questions:

• Who taught this Guru?
• Who is was this Guru’s spiritual guru?
• How long did this Guru serve his/her Guru?
• Who authorized this Guru to teach and lead others?
• Is this Guru in an authentic lineage of spiritual masters who can be verified and researched?

Next, you should research and get answers to all of the following questions, based on your own personal experience and observation of the Guru:

Do you have an ongoing experience of Grace, simply by keeping the Guru’s company?

Has following the instruction of your chosen Guru, caused permanent spiritual transformation in you, over a period of months and years?

Do you observe that the Guru’s behavior is in alignment with the scriptures and sacred texts of the Guru’s lineage or path?

Is the Guru patient, compassionate, kind and also capable of tough love?

Does the Guru instruct you and insist upon a spiritual discipline that he/she has been thoroughly tested in by his/her master?

If the answer to any of the above questions is No, it is likely that you have not found a true Guru, but more of a spiritual teacher. Then you will have to choose accordingly.

Authentic Gurus have the authority and power to initiate you into a state of Grace, by transmitting God’s Grace bestowing power to you. This usually occurs by way of the receipt of Shaktipat.