Tag Archives: teacher

Daily Buddhism, Ethics

Buddhist Helpers

2 Comments
Buddha Tech Support
Buddha Tech Support

Buddhist Helpers

A Reader writes:

Do Buddhist monks work on an individual case-by-case basis with lay Buddhists who seek advise on a specific problem in their lives and then offer a diagnosis and prescription in, of course, Buddhist terms? Or are the 4 noble truths, 8 fold path, 5 precepts, etc., always to be generically self-prescribed? I suppose this question arises from vestiges of Catholic confession, the psychoanalytic model, and just a plain old desire for commiseration.

My Response:

It depends. Monks and monasteries vary a lot depending on denomination, leadership, community involvement, etc. Some don't interact much with the lay community, while others are a central part of it.

I suspect very few monks would turn down a request for help if it were made.

Keeping that in mind, you mention Catholicism. Catholic priests undergo MANY years of training in working with the community. They take courses in counseling, psychology, social work, etc. They are heavily educated in these areas. Many high-ranking Buddhists, on the other hand, have very little formal education. What I'm saying is that most Buddhists would be willing to help you, but they are sometimes limited in their real-world applications of Buddhism outside the monastery.

I'd like to hear about others' experiences with this. Anyone have any really good stories of Buddhist Helps? About bad stories/disasters?

Another answer to your question is that I seem to do it all the time; what can I help you with? 🙂

 

 

Daily Buddhism

Is A Sangha Necessary?

A reader writes:

Just found your website. Thank you for putting such great content available for all to see. I got into Buddhism because of a friend. She is part of the NKT and that’s all the Buddhism that I know. Due to their dispute and protests, I no longer want to be involved with the NKT. I would like to continue my studies. How do I pick a buddhist lineage to follow? How can you learn about Buddhism without a sangha?

My Response:

I discussed the debate over the NKT (Lamas, Geshes and Cults… It’s the NKT!) last year, and nothing has really changed there. The organization has some problems with its image, to say the least.

I did a brief overview of most of the major denominations back in 2008. Here are the links:

Denominations of Buddhism: Theravada & Mahayana

Denominations of Buddhism: Pure Land

Denominations of Buddhism: Vajrayana / Tantric

Denominations of Buddhism: Tibetan

Zen, Part one and Zen, Part two as well as Zen, Part three and Zen, part four

Just from the number of links above, you can probably guess where I’m coming from. If you are seriously looking for a local church/sanga, you are most likely going to find many that follow the Pure Land or Tibetan traditions; at least those are the ones I see most commonly in the Midwestern USA.

One of the three Jewels (The Buddha, The Sangha, and the Dharma) is obviously the “Sangha.” This has traditionally meant the local Buddhist community. In our Western minds, this often translates to “Church,” but this is not really correct. Any gathering, grouping, or community (in the real-world OR online) of Buddhists can be considered a Sangha.

Your best bet if you cannot find a local sangha, or don’t like the teachings of the ones that are nearby, is to go it alone. This is completely possible, since we have the greatest method of learning and teaching ever created right in front of our faces. The Internet is your friend. Watch Youtube videos. Listen to podcasts. Buy/Borrow books. Join forums. You can be as interactive or as isolated as you desire.

Back in ancient times (like pre–2000), it was necessary to have a local sangha or teacher to advance, since there was very little in the way of non-face-to-face interaction between Buddhists, and the material that was out there was poorly translated or difficult to understand. You could order books and pamphlets, but nothing like it is now. You want a live, real, face-to-face teacher? Facetime and Hangouts make that easily possible.

Can you teach yourself Buddhism? Up to a point, yes. Can you advance a long ways using just the Internet? I believe you can. Can you reach Enlightenment on Facebook? OK, that last one might be stretching it, but I believe that it’s entirely possible to do it from home.

Daily Buddhism, Ethics

On Teaching Buddhism: My Point of View

A long-time reader wrote:

You mentioned in several past episodes that you are not a Zen Master or Guru, and yet, you have taught hundreds if not thousands of disciples through your podcast. Does this not make you then a teacher of aspiring Buddhists? With the availability of the internet, it is likely your students/listeners have more information at their fingertips that aspiring Buddhists decades, centuries, or millennia ago did not have available. What exactly is required to *be* a Zen Master or teacher of Buddhism? The Buddha simply went around teaching and his students called him Teacher. Do you need some kind of ritual or official certificate to be a Teacher of Buddhism these days? Or were you just being humble and did you not realize that you are what you do?

My Response:

Traditionally with Zen, one master confers the title of “Master” on to very experienced students after so many years of study and meditation. There’s no official certificate or plaque, no, it’s just done when the old Master thinks the student is ready.

I didn’t study under a Master, and never have had one. I’ve taken college courses, and have a degree in “Comparative Religions.” I have a Minister’s License from the State of Ohio that allows me to marry people. I’ve read tons of books, watched umpteen videos, and practiced all kinds of meditation. I have to admit that I’ve experienced a lot of what Buddhism can offer. Does this make me the equal of a Zen Master? I don’t think so. I might go so far as to say I’m an “expert” at Buddhism, but I’d have to point out that even then, it’s mostly book-learning, not experiential.

Do I know more about Buddhism that the Masters a thousand of years ago? Probably, but only because there is so much more to know now than in those days (all those new sects and groups that didn’t exist back then, for one example), and the access to that information is so much easier today.

When I think of a modern “Master,” I think of Thich Nhat Hanh or Sheng Yen. Those guys are the real deal.

Am I a teacher of Buddhism? Absolutely. Am I good at it? I don’t know, but I like to think I have a fairly unique voice in the Buddhist community, and I’d also like to think it’s an honest one. My goal here is, and always has been, to clarify, simplify, and remove the layers of mystical jargon and mumbo-jumbo that tends to accumulate around Eastern religions.

Am I being humble? Probably a little. I’d like to call it something else… honesty.