Editing Guru (section)

== In Buddhism ==
{{Buddhism|terse=1}}
{{Further|Tibetan Buddhism}}

In some forms of [[Buddhism]], states Rita Gross, the concept of Guru is of supreme importance.<ref>Rita Gross (1993), Buddhism After Patriarchy, SUNY Press, {{ISBN|978-0791414033}}, page 253</ref> Guru is called as Garu in Pali. The Guru is the teacher, who teaches the spiritual and religious knowledge. Guru can be anyone who teach this knowledge and not generally need to be [[Acharya|Acariya]] or [[Upajjhaya]]. Guru can also be a personal teacher. Buddha is called as Lokagaru, meaning "the teacher of the world".

In [[Vajrayana]] Buddhism's [[Tantra|Tantric]] teachings, the rituals require the guidance of a guru.<ref name=berkwitz130/> The guru is considered essential and to the Buddhist devotee, the guru is the "enlightened teacher and ritual master", states Stephen Berkwitz.<ref name=berkwitz130>Stephen Berkwitz (2009), ''South Asian Buddhism: A Survey'', Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0415452496}}, pages 130-133</ref> The guru is known as the ''[[vajra]] guru'' (literally "diamond guru").<ref name=vajra>{{cite book |author=Strong, John S. |title=The experience of Buddhism: sources and interpretations |publisher=Wadsworth Pub. Co |location=Belmont, CA |year=1995 |page=[https://archive.org/details/experienceofbudd00stro/page/76 76] |isbn=978-0-534-19164-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/experienceofbudd00stro/page/76 }}</ref> Initiations or ritual [[wang (Tibetan Buddhism)|empowerments]] are necessary before the student is permitted to practice a particular [[Tantras (Buddhism)|tantra]], in Vajrayana Buddhist sects found in Tibet and South Asia.<ref name=berkwitz130/> The tantras state that the guru is equivalent to Buddha, states Berkwitz, and is a figure to worship and whose instructions should never be violated.<ref name=berkwitz130/><ref name=johnston371>William Johnston (2013), ''Encyclopedia of Monasticism'', Routledge, {{ISBN|978-1579580902}}, page 371</ref><ref>Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche (2007), ''Losing the Clouds, Gaining the Sky: Buddhism and the Natural Mind'' (Editor: Doris Wolter), Simon & Schuster, {{ISBN|978-0861713592}}, pages 72-76</ref>

{{Blockquote|
The guru is the [[Buddha]], the guru is the [[Dhamma]], and the guru is the [[Sangha (Buddhism)|Sangha]]. The guru is the glorious [[Vajradhara]], in this life only the guru is the means [to awakening]. Therefore, someone wishing to attain the state of Buddhahood should please the guru.
|Guhyasanaya Sadhanamala 28|12th-century<ref name=berkwitz130/>}}

There are Four Kinds of [[Lama]] (Guru) or spiritual teacher<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Lama |title=Lama |publisher=Rigpa Wiki |access-date=2012-12-26}}</ref> (Tib. lama nampa shyi) in [[Tibetan Buddhism]]:

# gangzak gyüpé lama — the individual teacher who is the holder of the [[Parampara|lineage]]
# gyalwa ka yi lama — the teacher which is the word of the buddhas
# nangwa da yi lama — the symbolic teacher of all appearances
# rigpa dön gyi lama — the absolute teacher, which is [[rigpa]], the true nature of mind

In various Buddhist traditions, there are equivalent words for ''guru'', which include ''Shastri'' (teacher), ''Kalyana Mitra'' (friendly guide, Pali: [[Kalyāṇa-mittatā]]), ''Acarya'' (master), and ''Vajra-Acarya'' (hierophant).<ref name=alexwayman>Alex Wayman (1997), Untying the Knots in Buddhism: Selected Essays, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120813212}}, pages 206, 205-219</ref> The ''guru'' is literally understood as "weighty", states Alex Wayman, and it refers to the Buddhist tendency to increase the weight of canons and scriptures with their spiritual studies.<ref name=alexwayman/> In Mahayana Buddhism, a term for Buddha is [[Bhaisajyaguru|Bhaisajya guru]], which refers to "medicine guru", or "a doctor who cures suffering with the medicine of his teachings".<ref>Alex Wayman (1997), ''Untying the Knots in Buddhism: Selected Essays'', Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120813212}}, pages 208-209</ref><ref>Paul Williams (1989), ''Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations'', Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0415025379}}, pages 247-249</ref>