It’s probably safe to say that there can’t be a proper guru-student communication if the guru never steps down from the throne, unless the guru is a completely enlightened omniscient being who can communicate through telepathy, light, or supermagical powers. The guru is supposed to act like a doctor, and the disciple is the patient. How can a doctor treat the patient if he doesn’t know what’s wrong? He has to know some of the symptoms in order to diagnose the disease. If there is no communication, or if the communication is staged, formal, or rehearsed, then invariably, it creates a distance between the doctor and the patient, making the chances of a proper diagnosis slim—unless the guru is an omniscient being or his stethoscope is fifty feet long. So when you are looking for a guru, it’s good to consider how approachable he or she is, how much communication will be possible.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

from the book The Guru Drinks Bourbon?

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Further quotes from the book The Guru Drinks Bourbon?:

• Guru devotion and pure perception
• Peeling of our patches of samsara
• Teachings don’t just rain down
• Hearing the Dharma
• The authentic guru lineage is indispensable
• A different interpretation of austerity
• Pure perception
• Going beyond Rational and Irrational Devotion
• Devotion
• Good gurus are on the verge of extinction
• Never opt for the easy way out
• Spiritual wealth
• You and only you will decide
• Examining the Guru
• The Worst Forms of Abuse Award
• Dismantling the puzzle of dualism
• Vajra hell
• Celebrity Gurus
• The path is practical