How can one identify an authentic Buddhist lineage or disciplic succession?

Across religions and spiritual traditions, there is a common view that authentic spiritual understanding is preserved and transmitted through a lineage or disciplic succession descending either from God Himself or from enlightened or exalted spiritual masters. The idea is that sacred teachings are not meant to be interpreted independently by anyone at whim, but are properly understood through guidance received within a living tradition. Christianity has the concept of apostolic succession , where authority and teaching are believed to pass through an unbroken line from Jesus and the apostles onward. Sufism has the concept of Silsila a spiritual lineage where a Sufi master traces initiation and authority back through earlier masters Hindu traditions place strong emphasis on the concept of guru parampara, where spiritual knowledge is transmitted through a chain of gurus descending from an original teacher or God himself . Looking at Buddhism, it does not seem entirely different in this regard. In MN 72 , the Buddha says to Vacchagotta: > “No wonder you don’t understand, Vaccha, no wonder you’re confused. > For this principle is deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, > sublime, beyond the scope of logic, subtle, comprehensible to the > astute. It’s hard for you to understand, since you have a different > view, creed, and belief, **unless you dedicate yourself to practice with > the guidance of tradition.**” The Buddha appears to be telling Vacchagotta that remaining outside the tradition while trying to independently interpret his profound teachings will naturally lead to confusion. The statement about practicing “with the guidance of tradition” seems to strongly suggest that there already existed a recognized lineage or transmission structure during the Buddha’s own lifetime through which the Dhamma was properly understood and preserved. ---------- That raises several questions. Did the Buddha ever describe the characteristics of the kind of tradition or lineage one should follow? How is a person supposed to determine which Buddhist sect or lineage is genuinely preserving the Buddha’s teaching? Are there any criterias in the scriptures for distinguishing an authentic lineage from a deviant or corrupted one?