The necessity for a guru- different questioners

Q: Is a teacher necessary?

M: With any kind of physical and mental training we look for a competent teacher — the same rule applies to spiritual matters.

Q: Is a guru needed for spiritual progress?

M: Yes, but the guru is ●●within you; he is one with ●●your own Self.

Q: Is the guru necessary?

M: Yes, the guru is necessary. He shows the road to the Self and carries a light for you.

The guru sees all people as the Self. To him there are none who are ignorant; he finds no difference between them and himself.

Q: Is a guru absolutely necessary?

M: So long as duality persists in you, a guru is necessary.
Take the guru to be the Self, and yourself to be the individual self.

Because you identify yourself with the body you think the guru is also somebody, but you are not the body and neither is the guru. This knowledge that you are the Self and so is the guru,
is gained by what you call realization.

Q: Can’t a guru give us realization as a gift?

M: The guru is a very powerful aid on the path, but your effort is also essential; it is you who sees the sun — can your spectacles do it for you? You have to see your true nature.

• Conscious Immortality