It’s almost impossible to find a guru in this world at this time who has all the noble qualities of a Vajrayana master described in the ancient tantric texts. But in the Mahayana sutras the Buddha offered advice about what to do if we can’t find an authentic master. He said if you encounter a person who talks about buddha nature, such a person should be venerated as the Buddha himself. If you think about how many millions of people there are who talk only about food and clothes and bank balances and never about buddha nature, you see why the Buddha would say such a thing. In this degenerate time, if you can find a guru with even a few of these qualities, then you should consider accepting him or her as your teacher because such a person is so rare, on the verge of extinction.
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
from the book The Guru Drinks Bourbon?
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Further quotes from the book The Guru Drinks Bourbon?:
- No one can please everyone
- Samsara
- Experience is like a mist in the morning
- Gurus Don’t Fish for Devotion
- Why can’t the Guru be perfect?
- Your decision is now taking the lead
- The moment there is devotion
- Beginning to subdue and outshine appearance and existence
- Controlled by circumstances
- Sooner or later, you will have to check
- Open-minded guru
- Famous unintentionally
- The very essence of the Spiritual journey
- The guru is like the horizon
- Humble Gurus
- Skillful Guru
- Modern Buddhadharma
- Guru
- Look beyond titles and hats
- Cultivating trust in simplicity