| Let me tell you a secret. The real reason we have a | | | | once every few years for just a few days, we will |
| Guru is for him to scold us, to tell us off, to point out | | | | think he is holy and wonderful, and we will cry when |
| our weaknesses, to tell us ugly things, to tell us | | | | someone just mentions his name. |
| things we don't like to hear, to push us to do things | | | | A real Guru is not someone who is nice to us. He |
| we do not want to do, to make us achieve | | | | might do that in the beginning to train us and prepare |
| something we did not think we could and to give us | | | | us. But a real Guru is someone who challenges us, |
| something inside that he can perhaps see through | | | | pushes us, tells us ugly and nasty things, and tells us |
| experience, divination, dreams and revelations, which | | | | things about ourselves that are both true and untrue. |
| we did not know we could do. A real Guru is not | | | | When we are challenged, we will see where our mind |
| someone who praises us, gives us gifts and tells us | | | | is. A Guru will press all our buttons to help us see our |
| nice things. It is the person who scolds us, tells us off | | | | minds; and to help him see our minds so he can help |
| and tells us what is wrong. | | | | us. We want a Guru to bring us to Enlightenment and |
| We should not fight back or make excuses. We | | | | we achieve Enlightenment by destroying the qualities |
| should achieve whatever our teacher tells us to do - | | | | in our mind that block us from Enlightenment. We |
| no matter how impossible and difficult it may seem. | | | | destroy those negative qualities by recognising them; |
| That is what a Guru is for. | | | | and we are led to recognise them when our Guru |
| Think about our teachers at school. They made us | | | | brings them forth to us. |
| do everything we did not want to do and they gave | | | | When we reach a higher level of practice, when our |
| us all those difficult, ugly assignments! Think about | | | | minds are more stable, our Guru may even accuse us |
| our parents. They made us do everything we did not | | | | of things that are not true. How we react, what kind |
| want to - eat vegetables, take vitamins, go to sleep | | | | of face we show to the Guru and behind the Guru |
| early, wash up, brush our teeth, not watch bad | | | | shows us our level of practice. Ultimately, through this |
| television shows, not to be rude to our neighbours or | | | | training, we will get to a point where nothing disturbs |
| not to fight. Everything that we have now comes | | | | us. |
| from being made to do what we did not want to do. | | | | When nothing disturbs us, we have acquired a |
| A Guru is not someone who is supposed to be kind, | | | | wish-fulfilling jewel just like what Avalokiteshvara |
| nice, gentle, easy and all smiling to us. That is not a | | | | holds in his hands. This wish-fulfilling jewel is a mind |
| Guru, that is a big Shangri-la man who comes once | | | | that creates no negative karma, a mind that fulfils all |
| every three years, gives initiations, pats us on the | | | | our wishes. That mind arises when nothing disturbs it |
| head, throws some flowers and tells us how | | | | anymore. |
| wonderful we are. Of course if we see these Gurus | | | | |