Guru is not a person. He is the mind. Guru is just an answer to your inquisitive mind.  He may be there in the books, in the scriptures, in a friend or in the entire neutral world, the entire neutral universe, that you see in front of you, I wrote to a friend recently.



You find him in a discourse. When you listen and not see the guru. When guru does not speak from the elevated stage, he speaks from your own inner depths. When you do not admire him to the extent of worshipping, but know that there he is to answer you and you and he are one at some level. He is there for the question and you are there for the answer.


You may find guru in your own mind. When you form a question, properly articulated one and put it to yourself before putting to anyone else. You are answered by your own mind, by your own inner activity of thoughts. May not at the same time, may be after many days (of contemplation).
There are instances when the theoreticians, the scientists found answer to their problems during sleep, in the dreams.
 
 
While the guru contemplates for you, you are not watching silently, like Arjuna you put your doubts clearly, you take the answers to you inner recesses of mind whatever theKrishna, the guru speaks.


Guru is also like your physical trainer. You know that you are weak fellow and will often run away from the hard penance, the guru has prescribed. He is there seeing you at the other side, encouraging you and discouraging your weakness. But here guru strengthens your ego, the ego of performance besides training your mind to enter the inner depths. You are alone at the inner depths. If that is not so, and still guru is hanging around then you have just hypnotized yourself.

Guru is there not to teach you but as a friend share with you the things unknown to you. Why guru does so may be because of his own inner urge of sharing.


Guru has no agenda to transform the outer. Yes he transforms your inner self. He transforms your perceptions  How you perceive the world. He sharpens your vision.  if he is paramjnani  he knows that this world goes by its own,
 
The world is sacred.
You cannot improve it.
If you try to change it, you will ruin it.
If you try to hold it, you will lose it.
(Lao-tse in Tao Te Ching)