Finding a teacher in India

A forum for beginners and members of other Buddhist traditions to ask questions about Theravāda (The Way of the Elders). Responses require moderator approval before they are visible in order to double-check alignment to Theravāda orthodoxy.
Post Reply
himanshu
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2011 7:30 pm

Finding a teacher in India

Post by himanshu »

Hi,

I am from India, and I am looking for a teacher/school to learn from, and perhaps also volunteer for. Basically I am looking to spend a couple of months or more trying to further my understanding the mind and its training, while also contributing in whatever way I can to the establishment I go to, if possible. I am looking for possible recommendations/pointers from the folks here.

A brief background follows.
A mystical kind of experience I had a couple of years back set me on the path of spiritual seeking. After reading around and trying to refine/deepen my understanding, I found that I could connect most deeply with Buddhism, and its focus on the mind and suffering.

Some of the ideas/teachings completely make sense to me - like impermanence, dependent origination, interconnectedness, no-self, the origination of suffering in our minds, and hence its solution being in our minds too. However, there are others that I don't really understand yet - like what happens after death, and the doctrine about rebirth, and the importance of ending the cycle of birth and rebirth.

At a gross level, I feel that I am no longer prone to suffering, which means that whatever happens, I remain generally happy in life, and grateful for it, and that I can no longer get depressed whatever happens or bitter about the actions of someone. Yet, at a closer level, I find negative tendencies such as pride, envy, agitation, self-consciousness and greed still operating in their subtle forms. Even though I can totally see that there is nothing that I could call the self, yet I find myself associating my actions with pride or shame. I feel some of this is due to deeply ingrained habitual tendencies of wanting to please others and/or project a certain image of oneself, that have their roots in the past. But some of it is also due to presently existing impurities of the mind. I also have a bit of attention deficit disorder, which could either be the cause of, or the result of, an unstable mind, or perhaps both, to varying extents.

My self diagnosis, at the moment, consists of a gradual process of purification of the mind (the intent, motives, etc, ) and a training in concentration/one-pointedness/ attentional stability and vividness. I have being working on this two-pronged approach myself, and its going good, but I feel I have reached a plateau and that I could do better in the company of like minded people, and with a teacher for guidance.

A little "non spiritual" background:
I am 26, male, Indian. I have a background in Computer Science and IT. I worked for Microsoft in India for 2 years, and following a degree in the UK, for a couple of months in Bloomberg at London. Both of these were technical positions. I am fairly good at what I do. I mention this primarily because I wonder if my general ability with computers and programming might help me contribute to the establishment I go to (seeing as computers, websites, etc. are ubiquitous these days). Of course, I would be happy to do any other work as well, including unskilled work (anything, so long as I can meaningfully contribute). I have taken a break from working for now, so that I can devote some time to pursuing mind work/spiritual work full time. I am in no hurry to go back to full time employment.

Would you have any recommendations/pointers about how to go about doing this? I have read of people finding teachers/schools that they train under the guidance of, but I have never tried anything like this myself. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Much love and thanks for your time,
Himanshu
User avatar
cooran
Posts: 8503
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2009 11:32 pm
Location: Queensland, Australia

Re: Finding a teacher in India

Post by cooran »

Hello himanshu,

Lovely to hear from you, and look forward to future posts. :group:

Here are 129 Theravada organisations and/or Meditations/Teachings in India from the Buddhanet.net site:
Hope you find something close and suitable.
http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/search.ph ... =theravada" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

with metta
Chris
---The trouble is that you think you have time---
---Worry is the Interest, paid in advance, on a debt you may never owe---
---It's not what happens to you in life that is important ~ it's what you do with it ---
dhamma follower
Posts: 354
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2009 5:48 am

Re: Finding a teacher in India

Post by dhamma follower »

Dear Himanshu,

Several things in your post have made me feel like reading parts of my own path...

I come from Vietnam, a supposedly Buddhist country. However, it was through my encounters with masters from Thailand and Burma that my understanding of the Path has grown. I went to those countries to attend retreats and now continue my studies of the Buddha's teaching through books and the internet.

I encourage you in your endeavors to follow the Buddha's Teaching and in your finding of a good teacher in India with whom to explore further. Meanwhile, you could also consider going to those countries, where the Sangha's activities are quite strong and the availability for teachers/retreats is great, and also the source of information through the net. In my experience so far, the most important is to find a teacher who knows the right direction to penetrate the depth of the Buddha Dhamma and who has the skillfulness to show it to you. This is not easy as there are so many teachers/books...

I would like to recommend two living teachers that I have found particularly good in helping me to refine the Path, among others. They are:

Sayadaw U Tejaniya of Burma
http://sayadawutejaniya.org/teachings/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Khun Sujin of Thailand
http://www.dhammastudygroup.org/#mtgs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.abhidhamma.org/sujin3.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Best regards, :buddha1:
D.F
User avatar
Ben
Posts: 18438
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:49 am
Location: kanamaluka

Re: Finding a teacher in India

Post by Ben »

Greetngs Himanshu

My own teacher is a Burmese gentleman of Indian heritage who has been living and teaching in India since 1969. Centres in the tradition of Sayagi U Ba Khin as taught by SN Goenka
are very numerous in India, and I recommend the introductory ten-day course.
http://www.dhamma.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.dhamma.org/en/bycountry/ap/in/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
kind regards

Ben
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

Compassionate Hands Foundation (Buddhist aid in Myanmar) • Buddhist Global ReliefUNHCR

e: [email protected]..
himanshu
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Aug 14, 2011 7:30 pm

Re: Finding a teacher in India

Post by himanshu »

Thanks for the replies. I will have a look at the links. However, traveling outside of India might not be an option at the moment.

If anyone has any more recommendations to offer, especially of teachers based in India, please do post them here.

Thank you so much.

Himanshu
User avatar
Assaji
Posts: 2106
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2009 7:24 pm

Re: Finding a teacher in India

Post by Assaji »

Hi Himanshu,

There's only a few Theravadin organizations in India:

http://dhamma.ru/sadhu/directory?catid=93" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Best wishws, Dmytro
User avatar
FaceaceRAWR
Posts: 37
Joined: Fri Aug 19, 2011 2:49 am
Location: Missouri, United States
Contact:

Re: Finding a teacher in India

Post by FaceaceRAWR »

:goodpost:
Thanks for all the links! This gets me interested to find an actual teacher other than the internet. As informative as it may be, I feel like someone there to guide me would be so beneficial.

Random, but I saw the number 1006[answer to bot question] on a house as I was walking by. I wasn't searching for it or anything, by the way. Anywho, I look in the yard and what do I see? A wheel in the middle of the yard. I look around me and I see two more at nearby houses. Really got me thinking about you guys here... and made me wonder if I had a prospective teacher amongst me already. Of course, I still have a bit of fear in my mind otherwise I would've blatantly walked up, knocked, and asked if he was a Buddhist. :D

Anywhatnots, thanks again for the links! :thanks:

Sincerely,
Ace :strawman:
Post Reply