Sublime

In the tantra, the guru is not accountable to the student. He is accountable only to his own karma. Transparency is not a tantric responsibility.

“The Dharma is an inner journey,” Geshe Wangpo said, touching his heart. “Not about saying you are Buddhist, or wearing clothes to show you are Buddhist, or even believing you are Buddhist. What is ‘Buddhist’?” He gestured with open hands. “Just a word. Just a label. What is the value of a label if the product inside isn’t authentic?

It’s not as if all those institutionalized gurus are bad; many of them are really extraordinary.

Taking refuge in the Dharma in myself, I aspire to help all people grasp the way of practice and walk together on the path of liberation. Taking refuge in the Sangha in myself, I aspire to help all people build fourfold communities and encourage the transformation of all beings.

it is also important that we realize that the teacher is a traveler too, a person continuing on their own spiritual journey

Standing in the background is the great fourteenth-century Nyingma scholar and yogin Longchenpa, who, for the first time, brought together the various doctrines and practices of the Ancient School into one grand and comprehensive synthesis.

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

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