We received an email asking about
Gurus and what they can do for a
seeker. Here's one take on it:

Swami Chidananda On Gurus

The Guru never passes away; the Guru is
never absent. He is immortal and deathless
and has come to teach us that we are
immortal and deathless. As long as the sun
and the moon and the stars continue to shine
in the sky above us, the Guru is present in
the lives of all beings in the form of his
resplendent teachings. Guru jnana-upadesa,
the wisdom teachings of the Guru, are our
wealth and treasure. They represent for us
visible kripa (Grace). They are for us, and
they constitute, the ever-present light that
shines and illumines our life and
the path before us.

Understand this clearly and walk in the
light. Understand this clearly and know that
the Guru is where there is reverence for
his teachings, an eagerness to fulfil his
teachings and a keen desire to follow the path
pointed out by him. Where there is an earnest,
ardent and fervent wish to move along that path,
to practice his instructions, there the Guru is
fully present and guru kripa is fully present.
The anugraha (revealing grace - which grants
knowledge and severs the soul's bonds) of the
Guru enriches such an aspirant.