Yes and no. Being a disciple of a living master remains to be one of the most efficient ways to make the realization, there’s no question about it. It doesn’t make it any less difficult, it will make it more difficult, precisely because an authentic realization will be more likely to happen. From this perspective, Internet chat is better than a book, phone is better than chat, and absolutely nothing beats in person. A living master can make you very uncomfortable and confused, and to a certain extent, it is his role.

But a living master doesn’t view himself as your guru. So the guru-disciple relationship is one-sided, it is your relationship to him. When you enter a disciple relationship with a master, it is an act of the ultimate sacrifice, because it’s an act of the ultimate surrender. It is based on the unconditional love for truth for which the master is but a representation in your mind, so it often times feels like it’s unconditional love for the master himself. This surrender is profound, because at a certain point a true master will sever your relationship to him, and it can be very painful, also. He wants nothing but your complete freedom, including your freedom from himself.

At the modern times, yes, I would say this model is somewhat outdated. We are much more seemingly independent, self-admiring, self-aggrandizing and self-righteous than probably ever before, especially in the west, and especially in the United States. We place an inordinate amount of value on individual expression, uniqueness, and emotional comfort. Enlightenment is the opposite of these things. This trend can be seen in the growing rate of depression, anxiety, narcissism and other mental hardships. We live in a society where personality is paramount, but people are socially isolated from each other in the comfort of their own homes. Most people can’t even surrender to their love for their spouses, true intimacy is very rare, and we’re talking about surrendering to an enlightened master, which is surrendering to your death, basically, an infinite form of intimacy. Very difficult for it to happen, very difficult. One must be truly desperate.

So, I would agree that a much better model for nowadays would be just being a friend, not a master. An all-accepting friend who can always give advice when it comes to spirituality, and kick your butt every once in a while when you need it. If you’re honest with yourself and open with him, it will be very productive. But the path to enlightenment is still yours to walk, and you’ll need to walk it in solitude. He can show you the way, but he cannot walk it with you.