guru

Literally meaning heavy or weighty, guru refers to a respected teacher whose authority derives from learning, practice, and lineage. While teachers are important across Buddhist traditions, the role of the guru is especially central in Vajrayana Buddhism, where the guru transmits initiations, oral instructions, and tantric practices. In this context, devotion to the guru is emphasized as a means of recognizing and realizing awakened qualities, but interpretations of the guru as a living buddha vary across traditions and teachings.