How can I find other people with whom to study Dhamma and practice meditation?
, above). Having taken these first steps, you can proceed along the Buddhist path in your own way and at your own pace. Although you can learn a great deal about Dhamma on your own, your understanding will grow by leaps and bounds once you find a good teacher — someone whom you trust and respect, who keeps to the precepts, and who understands the Dhamma and can communicate it clearly.[4] Other aids to progress in understanding the Dhamma are these: deepening your understanding of the precepts; studying the suttas;[5] getting to know monks or nuns (the Sangha) and becoming acquainted with their traditions; developing a keen, discerning ear that can recognize which of today’s popular spiritual teachings actually ring true to what the Buddha taught;[6] and learning meditation. How you proceed is entirely up to you, but the bottom line is this: learn what the Buddha taught and put it into practice in your life as best you can. If you ever decide that the Buddha’s teachings aren’t for you,
