One important distinction is that being a therapist is a profession, but being a guru is not and should never be. It’s not a way to “make a living,” so to speak. One should live for the Dharma, not use the Dharma for a living.

Actively analyzing for at least a year will go a long way in helping you sort out your preconceptions. After a year of guru window shopping, you can narrow your search down to a handful.

We can get used to the idea that however the guru manifests, good or bad, is all our own unique perception. Then gradually we can start to include the rest of phenomena in this exercise, and this is how we build confidence in our own perception.

Devotion to the guru helps us develop the habit of wanting.

Your guru is not like a mobile phone, always at hand when

the following is a list of questions you should ask yourself before you finally decide whether to take initiation:

But Naropa was not driven by that kind of worldly achievement, so he left. This is where the real prestige lies: in his leaving.

A disciple is supposed to reveal everything openly to his or her guru,

those texts also say that if you encounter someone during degenerated times who has even just one or two of these qualities, especially respect for the law of karma and trust in the triple gems, you should venerate that person as the Buddha.