The importance of a Guru

This year during Gurupurnima Sri Swami Vishwananda talked about the importance of having a spiritual teacher. Here is an excerpt:

How lucky it is for a disciple, for a student to have a teacher in one life. In the Hindu tradition, we consider the Guru even higher than the Mother and the Father.

We can say ‘No’ to the Mother, we can say ‘No’ to the Father for something that we don’t want. But when the Guru says something we don’t say ‘No’ to him. Even if it is not to our own perception how it has to be, because we like things to be our own way. Don’t forget that on the spiritual path you are face towards the opposition of yourself, so that you can learn to transcend. The question will arise where to find that teacher? Here, inside of you. He is not far away. When you feel deep inside of you ' hat person is my teacher, he can help me to attain the Divine', give yourself completely to that person.

Of course here in the West we understand it in a different way, because we like to say “Yes I want to follow this, but that is also good.” Well, all the ways are good. You are free to do whatever you want. But if you go to a mathematic school or a mathematic tutorial, you will not expect the mathematic teacher to teach you French.
So you can’t expect the spiritual teacher to teach you something else. Such is life. When the soul yearns for the Divine, then the Divine comes, like the Gita said. Krishna said “Not everybody can attain me, but they can come to me through help. I will come to them in the form of a teacher. Through that they will attain me.” This is how life is. We reincarnate ourselves, but life becomes so boring, that we don’t know where to go. Then we turn towards God and say “Help”. God is always merciful. He always comes. When you call sincerely, He will always respond.