WHERE AND WHEN TO FIND A GURU?
This is not an easy to answer in general, as every individual is different. Especially, being unfamiliar with Eastern culture, many Westerners are confused with the issue of a guru or spiritual teacher. Practically spoken, it is best to look for a Buddhist center not too far from where you live: the worldwide directory of Buddhanet is probably the best resource for that. Next, you may need to figure out which tradition appeals most to you: the peacefulness of the Theravada tradition, the strict discipline in Soto Zen, or the philosophy and ritual of Tibetan Buddhism, to name but a few? Often, people experience a feeling of ‘coming home’ with a certain tradition; just follow your intuition a bit, it usually helps a lot. The contact with older students is usually very important, you can informally ask questions, exchange views and hear others how they became interested etc. all this makes visiting a center really valuable. To find your own personal teacher is usually a step that comes mu
