The Guru Drinks Bourbon?

To have devotion to the guru is to trust the undeceiving law of cause, condition, and effect—in other words, karma.

A superior student longs for a guru out of a strong wish to purify the temporary defilements that obscure his or her fundamental essence, which is ultimately flawless.

The point is that when you have too many choices, you become sophisticated, and when you become sophisticated, things become complicated.

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

Of all possible superior faculties, devotion is supreme.

feel free to burn incense or light a butter lamp. Generate kind thoughts, like, “May all beings have fresh water,”

After meeting many of Trungpa Rinpoche’s students over the years—witnessing their seriousness, their veneration to the Buddhadharma, their dedication to the guru—I cannot dismiss them as crazy and ignorant; I cannot say they are a disgrace to the Buddhadharma.

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

For the Vajryana practitioner, the right causes and condition are of utmost importance. Of all the many causes and conditions, lineage happens to be an extremely decisive factor.