i need a teacher!!!

[alan...]

there are no temples near me and travel is out of the question until i become rich for no reason someday

there has to be some way i can find one remotely, online, or heck i'd even settle for writing letters like in ancient times!

anyone know of a way i could find this???

[Cittasanto]

there are no temples near me and travel is out of the question until i become rich for no reason someday

there has to be some way i can find one remotely, online, or heck i'd even settle for writing letters like in ancient times!

anyone know of a way i could find this???

are there any groups in your area?

[alan...]

there are no temples near me and travel is out of the question until i become rich for no reason someday

there has to be some way i can find one remotely, online, or heck i'd even settle for writing letters like in ancient times!

anyone know of a way i could find this???

are there any groups in your area?

not theravada. plenty of zen and vajrayana, just no theravada

[plwk]

something i always ask myself: am i ready to be a student?

[Cittasanto]

there are no temples near me and travel is out of the question until i become rich for no reason someday

there has to be some way i can find one remotely, online, or heck i'd even settle for writing letters like in ancient times!

anyone know of a way i could find this???

are there any groups in your area?

not theravada. plenty of zen and vajrayana, just no theravada

well until you find someone, may I suggest that the community here can support you to some extent.
Happing a live in person teacher is important but There are plenty of people here with 10+ years experience.
although on a side note you may wish to keep these posting in the general theravada sections rather than open Dhamma, so posts are more relevant.

[alan...]

something i always ask myself: am i ready to be a student?

um... what are you insinuating?

[alan...]

well until you find someone, may I suggest that the community here can support you to some extent.
Happing a live in person teacher is important but There are plenty of people here with 10+ years experience.
although on a side note you may wish to keep these posting in the general theravada sections rather than open Dhamma, so posts are more relevant.

good idea thanks. the main problem is i too have 10+ years experience. i need an accomplished master, either lay or Bhikkhu or Bhikkhuni, to teach me. although surely there are users on here who have had a more productive 10+ years than i and can give me guidance, i just don't know who they are.

[James the Giant]

What city and country are you in? (if you are in a city).

[Cittasanto]

well until you find someone, may I suggest that the community here can support you to some extent.
Happing a live in person teacher is important but There are plenty of people here with 10+ years experience.
although on a side note you may wish to keep these posting in the general theravada sections rather than open Dhamma, so posts are more relevant.

good idea thanks. the main problem is i too have 10+ years experience. i need an accomplished master, either lay or Bhikkhu or Bhikkhuni, to teach me. although surely there are users on here who have had a more productive 10+ years than i and can give me guidance, i just don't know who they are.

Well if anyone declarers their accomplishment I would be doubtful as to their accomplishment, particularly a monastic.
Even if they have only meditated one day and have gained insight they are worth listening to. your experience of 10+ years against someone who has had real progress in 5+ years is no reason to disregard what they say.

when you are looking for help ask, and the responses will come. how long they have practised is irrelevant to whether or not they have valuable advise.

[alan...]

well until you find someone, may I suggest that the community here can support you to some extent.
Happing a live in person teacher is important but There are plenty of people here with 10+ years experience.
although on a side note you may wish to keep these posting in the general theravada sections rather than open Dhamma, so posts are more relevant.

good idea thanks. the main problem is i too have 10+ years experience. i need an accomplished master, either lay or Bhikkhu or Bhikkhuni, to teach me. although surely there are users on here who have had a more productive 10+ years than i and can give me guidance, i just don't know who they are.

Well if anyone declarers their accomplishment I would be doubtful as to their accomplishment, particularly a monastic.
Even if they have only meditated one day and have gained insight they are worth listening to. your experience of 10+ years against someone who has had real progress in 5+ years is no reason to disregard what they say.

when you are looking for help ask, and the responses will come. how long they have practised is irrelevant to whether or not they have valuable advise.

oh indeed! please do not mistake my statement for arrogance. all i was saying was my questions are more abstract than the average beginners and require more explanation than early questions like how to avoid alcohol or how to be mindful when you are distracted and so on. i'm looking for a teacher that is scores above me and can guide me by the hand so to speak. i'm actually quite sure i inquire too much and am spreading myself to thin in the dhamma and i need someone greatly experienced to point me in the right direction and focus my efforts better. surely there are people like that on here? and of course, someone training even for five days could have more insight than me! i don't doubt that or think my length of time practicing means anything special.

and of course there is valuable advice but i need consistency. as it is i get golden advice that is really helpful from five or six people but it's not always consistent across the board since everyone has different interpretations and even different schools of thought completely. getting a single teacher would solve that as well.

[Cittasanto]

oh indeed! please do not mistake my statement for arrogance. all i was saying was my questions are more abstract than the average beginners and require more explanation than early questions like how to avoid alcohol or how to be mindful when you are distracted and so on. i'm looking for a teacher that is scores above me and can guide me by the hand so to speak. i'm actually quite sure i inquire too much and am spreading myself to thin in the dhamma and i need someone greatly experienced to point me in the right direction and focus my efforts better. surely there are people like that on here? and of course, someone training even for five days could have more insight than me! i don't doubt that or think my length of time practicing means anything special.

and of course there is valuable advice but i need consistency. as it is i get golden advice that is really helpful from five or six people but it's not always consistent across the board since everyone has different interpretations and even different schools of thought completely. getting a single teacher would solve that as well.

like I suggested to you before, start with what you are actually doing now and worry about what is next later on when you come to the next point. preparing for what is coming up does not mean you have a precice detailed knowledge of what it is before the need. develop and master one things at a time.
why not rely on those whom you have faith in their experience here for the time being until you find a teacher?

[Justsit]

something i always ask myself: am i ready to be a student?

um... what are you insinuating?

Perhaps plwk is hinting that becoming a student is not always simple or easy.

Many students travel long distances to receive precious teachings. For example, in the old days, students walked across the Himalayas from Tibet to India to seek authentic masters. Today, we may not have to make those kinds of sacrifices, but the path will often require us to move out of our comfort zone. In the old Christian terms, it will require our time, talent, and treasure. We may have to take off work; some people go into debt to travel, or use their vacation time for retreat, or whatever. It isn't always convenient, but sometimes more effort yields better results.

[alan...]

oh indeed! please do not mistake my statement for arrogance. all i was saying was my questions are more abstract than the average beginners and require more explanation than early questions like how to avoid alcohol or how to be mindful when you are distracted and so on. i'm looking for a teacher that is scores above me and can guide me by the hand so to speak. i'm actually quite sure i inquire too much and uam spreading myself to thin in the dhamma and i need someone greatly experienced to point me in the right direction and focus my efforts better. surely there are people like that on here? and of course, someone training even for five days could have more insight than me! i don't doubt that or think my length of time practicing means anything special.

and of course there is valuable advice but i need consistency. as it is i get golden advice that is really helpful from five or six people but it's not always consistent across the board since everyone has different interpretations and even different schools of thought completely. getting a single teacher would solve that as well.

like I suggested to you before, start with what you are actually doing now and worry about what is next later on when you come to the next point. preparing for what is coming up does not mean you have a precice detailed knowledge of what it is before the need. develop and master one things at a time.
why not rely on those whom you have faith in their experience here for the time being until you find a teacher?

I don't really know anyone on here well enough. Who do you think is experienced?

[Cittasanto]

Hi Alan...,
I am not going to drop names of who I personally pay more attention to in certain areas than others, but use your discernment and look at what people say or do not say, and potential reasons why. things maybe missed out because these have already been mentioned a number of times....

This is an online community so commune with others.

oh indeed! please do not mistake my statement for arrogance. all i was saying was my questions are more abstract than the average beginners and require more explanation than early questions like how to avoid alcohol or how to be mindful when you are distracted and so on. i'm looking for a teacher that is scores above me and can guide me by the hand so to speak. i'm actually quite sure i inquire too much and uam spreading myself to thin in the dhamma and i need someone greatly experienced to point me in the right direction and focus my efforts better. surely there are people like that on here? and of course, someone training even for five days could have more insight than me! i don't doubt that or think my length of time practicing means anything special.

and of course there is valuable advice but i need consistency. as it is i get golden advice that is really helpful from five or six people but it's not always consistent across the board since everyone has different interpretations and even different schools of thought completely. getting a single teacher would solve that as well.

like I suggested to you before, start with what you are actually doing now and worry about what is next later on when you come to the next point. preparing for what is coming up does not mean you have a precice detailed knowledge of what it is before the need. develop and master one things at a time.
why not rely on those whom you have faith in their experience here for the time being until you find a teacher?

I don't really know anyone on here well enough. Who do you think is experienced?

[SDC]

there are no temples near me and travel is out of the question until i become rich for no reason someday

there has to be some way i can find one remotely, online, or heck i'd even settle for writing letters like in ancient times!

anyone know of a way i could find this???

Do you have a monk or teacher in mind? Find out where they are and write a letter or email.

Took me two years of emails to various people before I was able to find a certain monk I was looking for. Eventually I was able to meet and speak with him.

[ground]

"Bhikkhus, dwell with yourself as an island, with yourself as a refuge, with no other refuge; with the Dhamma as an island, with the Dhamma as a refuge, with no other refuge. When you dwell with yourself as an island, with yourself as a refuge, with no other refuge; with the Dhamma as an island, with the Dhamma as a refuge, with no other refuge, the basis itself should be investigated thus: 'From what are sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and dispair born? How are they produced?'"

"And bhikkhus, from what are sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure and despair born? Here, bhikkhus, the uninstructed worldling, who is not a seer of the noble ones and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma, who is not a seer of superior persons and is unskilled and undisciplined in their Dhamma, regards {aggregates} as self, or self as possessing {aggregates}, or {aggregates} as in self, or self as in {aggregates}. That {aggregates} of his changes and alters. With the change and alteration of form, there arise in him, sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure and despair."

"But bhikkhus, when one has understood the impermanence of {aggregates}, its change, fading away, and cessation, and when one sees with correct wisdom thus: 'In the past and also now all {aggregates} is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change,' then sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair are abandoned. With their abandonment one does not become agitated. Being unagitated, one dwells happily. A bikkhu who dwells happily is said to be quenched in that respect."

SN22.43 (B. Bodhi)

[tiltbillings]

As for the individual who has attained neither internal tranquillity of awareness nor insight into phenomena through heightened discernment, he should approach an individual who has attained both internal tranquillity of awareness & insight into phenomena through heightened discernment... and ask him, 'How should the mind be steadied? How should it be made to settle down? How should it be unified? How should it be concentrated? How should fabrications be regarded? How should they be investigated? How should they be seen with insight?' The other will answer in line with what he has seen & experienced: 'The mind should be steadied in this way. The mind should be made to settle down in this way. The mind should be unified in this way. The mind should be concentrated in this way. Fabrications should be regarded in this way. Fabrications should be investigated in this way. Fabrications should be seen in this way with insight.' Then eventually he [the first] will become one who has attained both internal tranquillity of awareness & insight into phenomena through heightened discernment. AN 4.94 PTS: AN ii 93 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html

[barcsimalsi]

You can submit questions to his YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/yuttadhammo

His video did helped me a lot and i'm sure he qualified as a good online Theravada teacher even though i find the way he talk a little boring(because i got spoilt by Ajahn Brahm's stupid jokes).

[alan...]

something i always ask myself: am i ready to be a student?

um... what are you insinuating?

Perhaps plwk is hinting that becoming a student is not always simple or easy.

Many students travel long distances to receive precious teachings. For example, in the old days, students walked across the Himalayas from Tibet to India to seek authentic masters. Today, we may not have to make those kinds of sacrifices, but the path will often require us to move out of our comfort zone. In the old Christian terms, it will require our time, talent, and treasure. We may have to take off work; some people go into debt to travel, or use their vacation time for retreat, or whatever. It isn't always convenient, but sometimes more effort yields better results.

for me it's about kamma. i could go into debt and leave my family behind to struggle while i lose money by taking time off work and go see a teacher in a far off land. if i had no responsibilities i would already have ordained actually! however i feel like if i did this it would be bad for my family and would be some seriously bad kamma. yes dhamma is important and good but chasing it selfishly has got to be bad. so i stay and work hard to make sure my family is happy.

[alan...]

You can submit questions to his YouTube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/yuttadhammo

His video did helped me a lot and i'm sure he qualified as a good online Theravada teacher even though i find the way he talk a little boring(because i got spoilt by Ajahn Brahm's stupid jokes).

lolz! LOVE brahm so much!!! and thanks i'll check this guy out.