Expert: Justin Choo - 8/21/2007

Question
hi justin,

i really apprectiate your responses to many questions and i have a couple you might help me with

would it be against the eightfold path if i refrained speaking to someone. what i mean i always see this person and they always seem to anger me for one reason or another, so would it be wrong to just not talk to them or should i try and better control my emotions.

also i've read alot from you and the others about finding the right teacher
could you give me any more detailed advice on finding a good teacher
i havent decided on which school of buddhism i want to focus myself on.
also are most budsdhist temples run independently or part of groups
does it matter
do you know any good temples near los angeles
sorry about all the question
thank you so much

Answer
Hi Artin,

Thank you for visiting here.

To answer your first question, the eightfold path is more than "not talking to people".  Use your own discretion.  If you feel that it is better not to speak to them, then there is nothing wrong to follow your feeling.  Of course it would be better to be friendly to all, but it is easier said than done.

About finding good teachers, we are now very lucky to have the internet.  I practise the Theravada tradition, and I can recommend the following sites where you can "meet the good teachers, (dead and alive):

http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/whatbelieve.pdf
"What Buddhist Believe"  by Ven. K Sri Dhammananda.  This book explains the Buddhist perspective on life's general questions.
Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda was my revered teacher. His writings have benefitted countless people throughout the world.  He had recently passed away (18 Mar 1919 -- 31 Aug 2006)

http://www.ksridhammananda.com
Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda is my revered teacher.  

http://www.geocities.com/wave_books
You can obtain excellent publications from them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism
http://www.nibbana.com
http://www.triplegem.net
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv
 
http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism/
This is a very active and highly authoritative forum.

http://www.abhayagiri.org/
Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery, the first monastery in the United States to be established by followers of Ajahn Chah, was founded in 1996 in the mountainous forests north of Ukiah, California.

http://www.bswa.org
This site is in Western Australia where Ajahn Brahmawamso resides. He is an English monk, a disciple of Ajahn Chah and is a very popular speaker. You can listen to his talk through this site.

http://www.watnongpahpong.org/indexe.php


http://www.foresthermitage.org.uk/
http://www.amaravati.org/abmnew/index.php/about_us/getting_here/
Ajahn Sumedho is the most senior Western monk, trained under the Thai forest monk tradition, under Ajahn Chah. He is an American and is resident in England.
(Both Ajahn Sumedho and Ajahn Brahmawamso are disciples of Ajahn Chah.)

www.dhammasukha.org

To locate the nearest temples and to know more about the various traditions, please log on here:
http://www.buddhanet.net  (The “mother” of all Buddhist web sites)

Some temples are branches or affiliates, while others are independent.  

Hope this helps.

Smile from justinchoo :-)