Teachers in Dharmasala

[Malcolm]

U.S. will boost 'Do Not Travel' advisories to 80% of world
The U.S. State Department said on Monday it will boost its \"Do Not Travel\" guidance to about 80% of countries worldwide, citing \"unprecedented risk to travelers\" from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read in Reuters: https://apple.news/AdMJtIavVQAmbL0xzkjKu4A

[amanitamusc]

U.S. will boost 'Do Not Travel' advisories to 80% of world
The U.S. State Department said on Monday it will boost its \"Do Not Travel\" guidance to about 80% of countries worldwide, citing \"unprecedented risk to travelers\" from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read in Reuters: https://apple.news/AdMJtIavVQAmbL0xzkjKu4A

[avatamsaka3]

I've heard a lot of people say over the years things like "enlightenment is right here" as a reaction to people's aspirations to go find a spiritual teacher. It was usually coming from the "you are your own guru" types.

The Buddha is my guru. I'm not my own. As far as teachers and places, I'm just trying to emphasize the need to be realistic and not get caught in naivete traps. Unless there's reason to think otherwise, people are just products of samsara, and places are just parts of samsara. So if you go into things expecting no suffering, no messiness, no delusion, no problems, that will end up producing a lot of problems in itself.

If we can't find a living enlightened being, we can turn to the Buddha's teaching and the example of noble people. I think our own suffering can also teach us a lot, but isn't a replacement for a good teacher.

I can share one little experience I had a while ago: I was at a "place of worship". My goal was to learn about other traditions. I was planning on learning something about theology, or something along those lines. So I was sitting in this fancy place with a bunch of fancy looking glittering stuff on the altar and steps in front of us. The program began. It was a formal sort of thing. So in comes this guy who was... a bit different. He almost certainly suffered from mental illness, probably some kind of trauma too. But he started shouting a really heartfelt prayer as the ceremony was going on. He talked about all the lows and blows he suffered, how he ended up in bad places, etc. He didn't look like much. No one gave him a program, said hello, or helped him. And it occurred to me: This guy right here, the one who doesn't look perfect and has suffered a lot, is not only a great practitioner of his faith. He's also the example that we shouldn't forget and replace with ceremony. These ceremonies are trying to get us to see his example, in one way or another.

So, to make a long story short: The people we often ignore can be our teachers too, in some sense. I could also get into the story about the garbage man who was a theologian... And please don't get caught up on my use of the word "theology". I'm Buddhist through and through, but I was a seeker first and have had a lot of learning experiences.

[yagmort]

Anyone travelling to India right now needs their head examining, shortly after they've done a PCR test for the various strains of COVID circulating there.

yeah, be afraid,stay at home, obey authority

[PeterC]

Anyone travelling to India right now needs their head examining, shortly after they've done a PCR test for the various strains of COVID circulating there.

yeah, be afraid,stay at home, obey authority

Or perhaps: stay alive, avoid serious chronic health issues.

When 'authority' means 'an authority on a subject', then yes, you should listen to them. Or maybe you think this is all some librul conspiracy?

[treehuggingoctopus]

Anyone travelling to India right now needs their head examining, shortly after they've done a PCR test for the various strains of COVID circulating there.

yeah, be afraid,stay at home, obey authority

How about: be responsible, and act in such a way as to cause the least harm, and be of most benefit?

[Giovanni]

Anyone travelling to India right now needs their head examining, shortly after they've done a PCR test for the various strains of COVID circulating there.

yeah, be afraid,stay at home, obey authority

Yes. Good idea. Not fear exactly but great caution. There are many example of The Buddha recommending obeying authority as a skillful means.
Issue by issue. Not compliant without thought. Not rejection of authority as knee-jerk position.

[Hazel]

Another thing is, it sounds to me like the OP is Indian, perhaps a native of India. In India, Dharamsala has a very big reputation of being a great center of Tibetan Buddhism. After all, the Dalai Lama is there. Maybe people in India hear about Dharamsala because it makes the news, but don't hear about other places where one can learn Tibetan Dharma.

This is a really good point. A lot of advice here assumes a western audience.

[Kjigme]

Karma Lhundup

https://www.karmalhundup.org/index.html

Find him on Facebook.

He is a genuine humble teacher. I am not one of his students, but I believe he is the real deal. And he was or is a translator. His English is quite good!

Good luck!

[Lingpupa]

Karma Lhundup

He is a genuine humble teacher. I am not one of his students, but I believe he is the real deal. And he was or is a translator. His English is quite good!

I am one of his students, and I believe he is the real deal.

[Kjigme]

I am one of his students, and I believe he is the real deal.

Lucky you and blessed you are!
I follow his Facebook. He seems really nice and approachable!
To be honest I am very critical even when one is suppose to see all gurus as Buddha, but when I see someone or something genuine my heart tells me.