Greetings from a past member

[Dhammakid]

Hello everyone,
Many blessings and well wishes to you all. I am one of those on-and-off again members who have been active and then inactive several times over the past 7+ years, and recently I've been gone so long that I figured it might be a good idea to re-introduce myself.

I am Kourtney Andar. I was originally named Kourtney Mitchell, and then I got married and took my wife's name, which she created for herself after the Spanish verb Andar - to walk. We are avid walkers and hikers.

I was on E-Sangha back when it was still going strong, and I still miss it sometimes. I think I may still have a profile on Dharma Wheel as Dharmakid.

I first joined Dhamma Wheel back in 2009 while I was still enrolled in college. I unfortunately did not finish my degree, but I hope to do so within the next few years. I wanted very much to seek Theravada ordination, but that didn't work out, so now I'm hoping to go as far as a doctorate or Ph.D degree in the future, and gain some kind of credential to teach Vipassana and Buddhist practice in one of the Western practice centers.

Believe it or not, I made the silly decision to join the Army infantry in the National Guard even after I first started practicing Buddhism, and was enlisted for almost three years. I finally had enough and went AWOL (Absent Without Leave) when I realized that I would either have to stay in until 2017 and deploy to Afghanistan, or go through a two-year Conscientious Objector process. I decided both options were too long and too risky, so I just stopped showing up for training. They discharged me, no court martial, no jail time, barely any fuss.

I am now on the Board of Directors of a veterans peace organization - Veterans For Peace.

I have finally gotten serious about my practice and developed some consistency. My wife and I are living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, attending the local Zen center almost every day. I have studied and practiced both Theravada and Zen over the past 8 years, and the local Zen center is the most convenient site for us to practice, and is really a wonderful community of compassionate, devoted practitioners.

Even though I greatly enjoy attending the Zen center regularly, I still find myself constantly drawn back to Theravada practice and study, no matter how long I spend away from it. I just remain skeptical of the way most Mahayana teachers present the bodhisattva path, with heavy vows that seem unrealistic and almost unrecognizable when considering the simplicity of the earliest existing teachings (i.e. Theravada). So I find myself back to the Pali Canon, but still sitting zazen everyday.

Okay that's enough rambling. I won't promise to frequent the board more often than I have been, but I will try to do so.
Kourtney Andar
Dhammakid

[DNS]

Welcome back! Long time no see. Glad you're doing well.

[retrofuturist]

Welcome back Kourtney!



Metta,
Paul. (but you may know me as retrofuturist)

[cooran]

Glad you're back!

With metta,
Chris

[Dhammakid]

Aww thanks. Nice to see familiar faces!

[Sprouticus]

Nice to see you!

[Khalil Bodhi]

Welcome back Kourtney!

[bodom]

Welcome back!

[DC2R]

Welcome back, we are glad to have you.