Guru-yoga is a meditation on the teacher as the representative of the Buddha to establish the most close contact with the Enlightenment. The Guru has developed the qualities of mind and has a great meditational experience gained in this and in previous lives. He is the living Buddha, or released Bodhisattva. He has already come to the goal, and therefore can help others to achieve it. The Guru is essential as a guide during practice, as without his example, blessings and grace, genuine progress is held to be almost impossible.