How to find the right Dhamma teacher The practice of Buddhism, as with any other spiritual development, largely relies on the guidance of a good master. With the large variety of traditions and practices out there, how should one go about looking for the right teacher to guide one along the (right) spiritual path? I have been to retreats conducted by teachers from the Theravada and Chinese Mahayana tradition, and I am interested to find out more about Tibetan Buddhism.
At this point I venture to say that the school one picks is largely irrelevant. It's much more about the teacher's ability to connect the map of the teaching with the jungle of your immediate living experience. Once you see how the two relate, you can start making progress. As was said in Kalama Sutta: 


  Come Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon ... nor upon ... nor upon ... nor upon ... nor upon ... nor upon ... Kalamas, when you yourselves know: "These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness," -- enter on and abide in them.


The right teacher will capture your attention and inspire motivation by appealing to things that you yourself value high. Using samsaric inertia as the fuel and stepping stone, he or she will help you cut through habit and get a fresh look at obvious issues that you have been ignoring far too long. The right teacher makes you feel extremely uneasy AND inspired at the same time. Uneasy, because the teacher holds a mirror for you to see that you have been a fool all along. Inspired, because in front of your very eyes you see a perfect role model, a living example of what Dharma actually stands for, far beyond theoretical constructs.

In my experience, traveling/lecturing "rockstar" teachers rarely provide the level of up-and-close personal guidance required to break through. Retreats and books help to a degree but nothing replaces the immediate influence of watching a master go about everyday things.

I'm inclined to say, the best bet is to find a resident teacher/master/lama and join the sangha of students on a permanent basis. Many Zen masters run meditation circles, with some degree of study and personal guidance mixed in. Tibetan lamas regularly take students for the preliminary Ngondro course, from which one can graduate to Vajrayana proper to receive in-depth guidance. In any case, I would suggest, search locally for little sanghas organized around a resident master - whether at a temple, or a secular meditation circle.