An important point to remember is that whatever information we gather, we also filter, so what we’re left with is a very particular kind of understanding unique to ourselves. This understanding is not realization. It’s not even an experience. It is like a patch that will eventually fall off. It’s fine to be covered in patches of understanding because sooner or later they are bound to fall off so that experience can be revealed. However, we should also be aware that living with all these patches will prolong the time we spend on the path to enlightenment. How much time do we really have left in this lifetime? Twenty years? Thirty, if we’re lucky? Given that everything we have understood so far is nothing more than a patch that’s holding together our version of samsara, are any of us really willing to spend another ten years believing in that reality? We must, therefore, be prepared to peel off those patches.
But be aware that once the inner skin has been exposed, it’s possible to mistake it for the fruit, which is why we must always be ready to accept that it is just another skin. This is not a principle we apply only to hearing, contemplation, or reading; it’s even more relevant when we meditate. This is what is meant by the Tibetan saying “Experience is like a mist in the morning. It will evaporate.”

Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche
from the book The Guru Drinks Bourbon?
Read a random quote or see all quotes by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche.
Further quotes from the book The Guru Drinks Bourbon?
:
- The quest for a guru
- Why can’t the Guru be perfect?
- Your decision is now taking the lead
- Guru devotion and pure perception
- Devotion is supreme
- Sooner or later, you will have to check
- Open-minded guru
- Practicing Dharma requires sacrifice
- Skillful Guru
- The very essence of the Spiritual journey
- Check how the guru handles criticism
- Cultivating trust in simplicity
- Beginning to subdue and outshine appearance and existence
- Gurus Don’t Fish for Devotion
- The authentic guru lineage is indispensable
- A proper guru-student communication
- Good gurus are on the verge of extinction
- Going beyond Rational and Irrational Devotion
- Humble Gurus
- Peeling of our patches of samsara