Teachers

In Tibetan Buddhism there is great weight placed upon the guru/disciple relationship. This is because there are tried and tested methods for gaining a real and lasting realization that has been practiced in an unbroken lineage from the Buddha himself to the present day, making the lineage a living accumulation of real experience and wisdom that spans generations. When you become a practising Buddhist and take a teacher, then you gain access to the wisdom of this lineage yourself.

That doesn’t mean that you blindly accept the first person to come along as your teacher though, the Buddha advised that you check the teacher out, and they check you out for a period of up to five years before committing yourself to them, and them to you. Then any guru-disciple relationship cannot help but be strong, stable and built on trust and understanding. At the same time keep in mind that the Buddha himself advised people not to blindly accept everything he said just because he said it, but to think things through thoroughly for oneself first, so that if you do accept what is presented, then it will truly be a part of you.