A person who has never left a windowless room has no idea what the sky looks like. If he bores a small hole in the wall and peers through a hollow reed to examine the sky he will conclude that the sky is a little round patch of blue. If you tell him about the sun and moon, the galaxies, clouds, rainbows and stars he will think you crazy. Yet, although a teacher may sometimes be eccentric or outlandish, he should not feel he is free to do anything he wants. Only under extraordinary circumstances should a master use special methods to instruct his followers.
Unusual circumstances demand extraordinary methods.
If, however, a master believes he or she is enlightened and can transcend the precepts, doing or saying whatever he pleases, then he is not a true master. When Kumarajiva went to China in the fourth century, the Chinese Emperor thought that such a wise person should produce descendants to perpetuate his wisdom. So he gave concubines to Kumarajiva who had no choice but to accept them. He took a handful of needles and ate them as if they were noodles. I hear many stories about immoral behaviour of masters in the West today.