It is said in the writings of the great masters of the past that if you see your teachers as Buddhas, you will receive the blessings of the Buddhas.

If you see them as Bodhisattvas, you will receive the blessings of Bodhisattvas.

If you see them as accomplished beings, you will receive the blessings of accomplished beings.

If you see them as ordinary beings — simply as good spiritual friends — then that is the sort of blessing you will get.

While if you have no devotion at all, you will not receive any blessings at all.

For this reason, we should cultivate devotion, and there are four ways to do so. First, no other Buddha is greater than your own root teacher. The essence and embodiment of every one of the Three Jewels in the ten directions and three times is the teacher, and there is no end to the excellent qualities of the Three Jewels.

• Dudjom Rinpoche – A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom