Author: james-ing
Forum: Dharma Overground Discussion Forum

Hello Everyone,

An introduction is in order. My name is James and I live in Vancouver, Canada. I have found my way to this site in the same way I imagine many have found themselves here. Namely, I read Dr. Ingram's book / website. I must say that I found it to be something of a breath of fresh air. Finally someone seems to have addressed the matter of the "mushroom". I've been wandering through the Buddhist "scene" in this city and been terribly unimpressed, thus far. A whole lot of guru worship and getting bogged down in the aesthetics or metaphysics of Buddhism rather than the nitty gritty of practise. For a long time, it hadn't been much of an irritant, real practise seemed unneccesary and I was happy to float along in a philosophical quagmire. But somewhere along the way I've started to become irritated with my lack of progress. Four years in and I'm still at square one. So when I stumbled across the book and heard about this site, I became hopeful. No more nonesense I say. So I'm hoping to find support and help along the way.

But enough talking your ears off. I have one question to ask anyone who may happen to know whether there are any teachers in this city worth their salt (especially if they are Theravada based teachers)? I need the extra help, I think.

Thanks,

James Mattson

Hi James,
Sorry, I can't help you as far as specific teachers in Vancouver. I suspect they are there. It might help to mention what your current practice is like(the type of practice) and if you have done any retreats (tradition? teacher? how long?).

I have some general thoughts on finding a good teacher: You can't really tell much about a teacher from how they present themselves publicly. The best way to find a good teacher is to become a good student and that means being serious about your practice. If you haven't done at least a 10-day retreat then I would do that for starters and try to get the most out of it (Daniel has some suggestions at: http://www.interactivebuddha.com/retreats.shtml). Then keep up a good solid daily practice. Once you have done that you can approach teachers privately and seek their advice regarding your practice. Most teachers will be thrilled to find a serious student and you might find them very different from how they appeared in a public environment.

Hi James,
In Vancouver Satipatthana society (http://www.satipatthana.ca) runs a Dharma Lab on Wednesdays where Sayar Miat used to teach and now Sean Pritchard (U Vansa) teaches. They teach in Mahasi tradition: very practical and gives good results.
Hope it help,
Radim