If a certain guru says you should have only one guru and should follow only one lineage, I would almost take that as a sign to not follow that particular guru. On the other hand, if this advice is coming from someone who is thoroughly compassionate, someone who knows you and whose wish is to save you from going astray,

Many tulkus, monks, and khenpos are sent by lineage holders to the West, and while some of them have been adequate, most of them haven’t managed to inspire students.

If you think about it, when you are out there free, you don’t know what to do with all your freedom.

But nowadays, under the pretext of needing to propagate the Dharma, the notion of Buddhist teacher training keeps springing up in every corner.

But if you have strong feelings about how a guru should behave, you may not be fit for tantra.

As you become more skilled in practicing, you will see that devotion is the awareness of impermanence, devotion is the renunciation mind, devotion is compassion

if all conditions are met, the guru can make the disciple hear all sound as mantra.

If we stopped for a moment and took a long, hard look at our version of the world, we might detect a few tiny cracks here and there, but for the most part the thought doesn’t enter our heads. If, by some chance, a tiny crack were to be discovered and someone managed to open the casket just a little, the entire system that is samsara would be

So, at least in the beginning, a guru with knowledge of the Dharma who is from a traditional, institutionalized path is a safe bet.