Indian guru during the Flower Holi Festival, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Guru getting flower petals thrown over his face during the Flower Holi Festival, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, covered, in the Darbar Sahib at the Gurudwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Sikh temple, Dhubri, Assam, India, Asia

The Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book, at the 17th century Gurudwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Sikh temple, Dhubri, Assam, India, Asia

Statue of Sai Baba of Shirdi, the guru and fakir also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, at Ganga Talao, Mauritius, Indian Ocean, Africa

The Guru's Bridge over the Pool of Nectar, leading to the Golden Temple of Amritsar, Punjab State, India, sia

Guru lying on a bed of nails in Pilot Baba camp at Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India, Asia

Sikhs at the entrance to the Golden Temple, crossing Guru's Bridge travelling in a clockwise direction, in Amritsar, Punjab, India, Asia

Devotees rally round Amma, Mata Amritanandami, a Hindu guru, Cergy-Pontoise, Val d'Oise, France, Europe

Guru and worshippers at Scindia Ghat, Varanasi (Benares), Uttar Pradesh, India, Asia

Sadhu smoking nirvana at pashupati nath temple, nepal

Sadhu doing yoga at hindu temple pashupati nath, nepal

Fire ritual at chiwang monastery during the mani rimdu festival. these monks circumambulate the pyre after its ignition. one holds a long book wrapped in a felicitous scarf. the purifying fire takes the offering and raises them towards the sky in smoke. the circumambulatory ritual also recalls the way disciples showed respect for the buddhas body. solu khumbu, nepal

Monk beating traditional drum called gong, int he courtyard of chiwang monastery during mani rimdu festival. chiwang monastery, solu khumbu, nepal

A solitary mask dancer appears wearing a frightening mask and silk brocade. they circle the courtyard with sprightly leaps. called protectors of faith, or dharmapdla, the origins of figures like these can be traced back to the pre-aryan peoples of india. originally known as yaksas (literally, a wondrous thing), they were tree spirits, who were accepted by the buddhists as defenders of the faith. in nepal and tibet, as in india, local deities were converted into protectors. a devotee of an alien sect devised a means to humiliate the buddha and his disciples. the buddha discovered it and succeeded in converting him to his teaching. due to lack of wisdom, the buddha remarked, some could not realize the goodness of his disciples and he compared the ignorant to the blind and the wise to those who have eyes.nobody is condemned in buddhism, for greatness is latent even in the seemingly lowliest just as lotuses spring from muddy ponds. -the dhammapada. solu khumbu, nepal

Sang sang rimpoche uses the dorje, a sacred ritual object to make the first decisive cut into the sand mandala on the last day of the mani rimdu festival. chiwang monastery, solu khumbu, nepal. solu khumbu, nepal

Bhutan. Prayer flags. supreme guru is someone is drunk with experience of three higher trainings. qualified is someone confidence, energy, intelligence compassion, is mindful of shortcomings of worldly life transcended wordly concerns. -vajra verses of whispered tradition by indian mahasiddha naropa

Sadhu, indi

Volunteers cooking for the pilgrims who visit the Golden Temple, Each day they serve free food for 60,000 - 80,000 pilgrims, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Making chai. Volunteers cooking for the pilgrims who visit the Golden Temple, Each day they serve free food for 60,000 - 80,000 pilgrims, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Sadhu meditating, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Sadhu meditating, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Sadhus praying and begging, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Sadhus sleeping, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Maiking chai. Volunteers cooking for the pilgrims who visit the Golden Temple, Each day they serve free food for 60,000 - 80,000 pilgrims, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Sadhus begging, in Dashashwamedh Ghat Road , Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Volunteers cleaning dishes, Each day eat 60,000 - 80,000 pilgrims in Golden Temple, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Volunteers preparing onions for cooking to do meals for the pilgrims who visit the Golden Temple, Each day, they serve free food for 60,000 - 80,000 pilgrims, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Sadhus sleeping, in the ghats of Ganges river, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Men praying, in the Ghat of Yamuna river, Vrindavan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India

Maiking chai. Volunteer cooking for the pilgrims who visit the Golden Temple, Each day they serve free food for 60,000 - 80,000 pilgrims, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Volunteers preparing broad beans for cooking, to do meals for the pilgrims who visit the Golden Temple, Each day, they serve free food for 60,000 - 80,000 pilgrims, Golden temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India

Bhutan, Kingdom, Himalaya, convent Takstang near Paro (Tiger's Lair), said to be built by Guru Rinpoche getting there on the back of a flying tiger

Tibetan Buddhism, old wall painting in the assembly hall, Padmasambhava, right, Guru Rinpoche, demons, Trakthok Gompa Monastery, Sakti near Leh, Ladakh district, Jammu and Kashmir, India, South Asia, Asia

Temple in Guru Shikar, the highest place in Rajasthan, Mount Abu, India, Asia

Atri Rishi Temple in Guru Shikar, the highest place in Rajasthan, India, Asia

Having arrived at the confluence of the Yamuna and Ganges river for a purifying bath, these sadhus wait for their guru to enter the waters first. Kumbh mela festival: Allahabad India

Bhutan, Thimpu, Gold painted carving of Guru Rimpoche on rock wall.

Continuous reading of the Guru Granth Sahib Sikh holy book, Patna, India

Continuous reading of the Guru Granth Sahib Sikh holy book, Patna, India