Spiritual Teachers

Learn why Dr. Berzin began berzinarchives.com, the original version of studybuddhism.com, in 2001.

As Buddhism takes root in the West, more Westerners are becoming spiritual teachers. Time-tested Dharma methods have provided solutions to culturally based problems that can arise.

The type of relationship between a spiritual student and teacher depends on the level of qualification of each, and is not the same as the relation between a client and a therapist.

Choosing our spiritual teacher or a root guru, someone whose inspiration serves as a root to anchor and nourish our spiritual growth, requires us to have examined them well and to feel a sense of instinctive connection.

Even though attachment is a disturbing emotion, developing attachment to our teachers does have a certain benefit, since it leads to trust. What we need to watch out for is exaggerating their good qualities.

There are many misunderstandings about ngondro practices, such as that they are a miracle cure for all our problems.

Alan Turner, Serkong Rinpoche’s “Westerner Yogi’s,” recollections of his relation with his teacher.

Khandro Rinpoche explores her nostalgia for the past, the status of women in Buddhism, and why contemplating impermanence can be so enriching.

Ajahn Sulak Sivaraksa discusses the importance of socially engaged Buddhism, why we shouldn’t spend all of our time meditating, and how to fight oppression.

His Eminence Dagyab Rinpoche discusses the importance of lifelong learning, why a clear understanding of emptiness is crucial, and how to stop ourselves from impulse buying.