a little thought on the subject of looking for a teacher....
Many students of the Tao are busy seeking a teacher or master. What they don’t realize is that a teacher or master can only take you as far as to the door. No one can ever take you all the way to the inside of the room of Tao except yourself. Many students, including myself, have wasted a good deal of time looking for the "Teacher". But the true teacher is already within us, surrounding us. A crumbled old tree in your backyard could be your teacher. Your friend’s cat could also be your teacher. Look at the river, the ocean, the sky, the cloud and the street. They can also be our teachers. What I am suggesting is instead of going round looking for the right teacher, why not absorb what we can now. Then we will be prepared, when the right teacher comes. You never know, maybe the teacher will come to you instead.