The Guru Drinks Bourbon?

the probability of easily finding a root guru among the scholars, rinpoches, tulkus, and three-year retreatants is at least greater than finding one at the grocery store.

When gurus manifest human qualities and weaknesses, a seasoned and savvy student can reap merit by thinking this is just another symptom of the guru’s limitless kindness. But for those of us who cannot tune our attitudes this way, we can at least have human affection for a guru who sneezes, coughs, and feels sleepy.

You won’t have any trouble seeing the guru as a human being because that’s already your habit. But you’ll have to work to make that person a hybrid by “seeing” him or her as sublime.

Gurus who have knowledge of and respect for all the different lineages and schools of Buddhism can be especially effective.

The quintessence of the Dharma is mindfulness.

when we do our best to do the right thing yet suffer unexpected consequences. We trust only the immediate and obvious causes and conditions and never suspect that there are layers and more layers lining up behind them.

The only things that cannot be used on the path are wrong view, covetousness, and harmful thoughts.

At the very least, the quest for a guru should be fueled by a revulsion of worldly life. If not revulsion, then at least some understanding that success in worldly endeavors is not the ultimate answer.

Even if we do our practices, it takes effort and mindfulness to turn them into antidotes to our habitual patterns.