Sadhguru tells us that only one who is seeking liberation should seek a Guru. If one is seeking solace, there is no need to seek a Guru. Sadhguru then tells us how one experiences a Guru's presence.

Questioner: For spiritual life, whether one has to search for a Sadhguru or it happens?

Sadhguru: Where will you search and how will you know who is Sadhguru and who is not Sadhguru? You have no way to judge, isn't it? So, how do I seek something? You just seek. You simply seek, ‘I want to know.’ The more you become ‘I do not know’ the deeper your seeking is, isn't it? Seeking does not mean seeking something. Seeking means seeking that which you do not know. If you have to seek, you should not make any assumptions. Isn't it so? You already made an assumption, ‘God is sitting up in the heaven, I am seeking him’ this is not seeking, this is just hallucination. Seeking means simply seeking. Seeking is possible only when a deep ‘I do not know’ has happened within you. If a vacuum of ‘I do not know’ happens within you, Sadhguru will happen to you, you don’t have to search because you don’t know how to search. If you search with your intellect, naturally you will search for that kind of person with whom you’re most comfortable, isn't it?

See, if you seek a friend, what kind of friend do you seek? Do you seek a friend who punctures your ego every day? You seek a friend who nourishes your ego every day, isn't it? Yes or no? If somebody punctures your ego, he becomes your enemy, isn't it? So, even if you seek a guru, you will only seek with this context. And that kind of guru who comforts you is no good to you. There is nothing spiritual about giving solace to people. It is just a psychological comfort which your family can offer, which your dog can offer. Dog is good solace for you, isn't it? Yes or no? You have pets at home? They can be a great source of solace for you. Isn't it so? You need…don’t need a God for solace. You seek the beyond not for solace but for liberation, to become free from everything that you are right now. So, if you are seeking a guru for solace, there are many. If you are seeking a guru for liberation, then if you sit with him you feel threatened, you want to run away from him but at the same time, you don’t want to leave him for a moment.

If you constantly feel threatened by him, at the same time you want to be with him, that means he’s a good guru for you. If you are very comfortable with him, he is a no good guru for you. You must be constantly uncomfortable with him; at the same time, you long to be with him, that is a good prescription for you.