Is there a kind of consulting service in Buddhism?Should a person never lie?Is there a kind of “pop...

Why is c4 a better move in this position?

Do commercial flights continue with an engine out?

How do we edit a novel that's written by several people?

Emit zero-width bash prompt sequence from external binary

Is my plan for fixing my water heater leak bad?

How to add multiple differently colored borders around a node?

c++ How can I make an algorithm for finding variations of a set without repetition (i.e. n elements, choose k)?

Am I using the wrong word all along?

What can I substitute for soda pop in a sweet pork recipe?

What happens if a wizard reaches level 20 but has no 3rd-level spells that they can use with the Signature Spells feature?

If all harmonics are generated by plucking, how does a guitar string produce a pure frequency sound?

Obtaining a matrix of complex values from associations giving the real and imaginary parts of each element?

How to prepare vegetables for a sandwich that can last for several days in a fridge?

How can I mix up weapons for large groups of similar monsters/characters?

Why zero tolerance on nudity in space?

Has the Isbell–Freyd criterion ever been used to check that a category is concretisable?

Metadata API deployments are failing in Spring '19

Do authors have to be politically correct in article-writing?

How should I state my MS degree in my CV when it was in practice a joint-program?

4 Spheres all touching each other??

I am on the US no-fly list. What can I do in order to be allowed on flights which go through US airspace?

Why is working on the same position for more than 15 years not a red flag?

Where is this triangular-shaped space station from?

What did I do wrong that caused me to lose bitcoin?



Is there a kind of consulting service in Buddhism?


Should a person never lie?Is there a kind of “pop Buddhism”?Buddhism type by countryWhat kind of mistakes can a new meditator in his/her early 20's avoid?Does teaching Buddhism work?Is there a difference between sunatta and anattaAre practical solutions to everyday suffering that contradict Buddhism Upaya or avidya?What does Buddhism teach about anger?Is there an end to the suffering in general?Is there any kind of stress and suffering the Buddhas medicine would not help?Can I practice Buddhism on my own?Which (semi)secret societies influence Buddhism?Is there a kind of “pop Buddhism”?













2















Similarly to psychotherapy counselling/consulting service, is there an equivalent form in Buddhism, in that the counselor is trained in Buddhism instead of clinical psychology? I haven't heard of such a professional service, but I guess this doesn't go against Buddhist teachings? There are short meditation courses, which can be seen as equivalent forms of short training courses in therapy I think. Or does Buddhism not advocate for this, because in its nature it doesn't advocate conceptualization?



I think if it exists, then the customers will have the mindset of psychotherapy service anyway, so it's just psychotherapy in Buddhism form. This is not a mean to be disrespectful – there are psychologists who have very solid knowledge in Buddhism, such as Jung. But I'm talking about those who once or still practice Buddhism as "professional" monks.






Related: Is there a kind of "pop Buddhism"?










share|improve this question





























    2















    Similarly to psychotherapy counselling/consulting service, is there an equivalent form in Buddhism, in that the counselor is trained in Buddhism instead of clinical psychology? I haven't heard of such a professional service, but I guess this doesn't go against Buddhist teachings? There are short meditation courses, which can be seen as equivalent forms of short training courses in therapy I think. Or does Buddhism not advocate for this, because in its nature it doesn't advocate conceptualization?



    I think if it exists, then the customers will have the mindset of psychotherapy service anyway, so it's just psychotherapy in Buddhism form. This is not a mean to be disrespectful – there are psychologists who have very solid knowledge in Buddhism, such as Jung. But I'm talking about those who once or still practice Buddhism as "professional" monks.






    Related: Is there a kind of "pop Buddhism"?










    share|improve this question



























      2












      2








      2








      Similarly to psychotherapy counselling/consulting service, is there an equivalent form in Buddhism, in that the counselor is trained in Buddhism instead of clinical psychology? I haven't heard of such a professional service, but I guess this doesn't go against Buddhist teachings? There are short meditation courses, which can be seen as equivalent forms of short training courses in therapy I think. Or does Buddhism not advocate for this, because in its nature it doesn't advocate conceptualization?



      I think if it exists, then the customers will have the mindset of psychotherapy service anyway, so it's just psychotherapy in Buddhism form. This is not a mean to be disrespectful – there are psychologists who have very solid knowledge in Buddhism, such as Jung. But I'm talking about those who once or still practice Buddhism as "professional" monks.






      Related: Is there a kind of "pop Buddhism"?










      share|improve this question
















      Similarly to psychotherapy counselling/consulting service, is there an equivalent form in Buddhism, in that the counselor is trained in Buddhism instead of clinical psychology? I haven't heard of such a professional service, but I guess this doesn't go against Buddhist teachings? There are short meditation courses, which can be seen as equivalent forms of short training courses in therapy I think. Or does Buddhism not advocate for this, because in its nature it doesn't advocate conceptualization?



      I think if it exists, then the customers will have the mindset of psychotherapy service anyway, so it's just psychotherapy in Buddhism form. This is not a mean to be disrespectful – there are psychologists who have very solid knowledge in Buddhism, such as Jung. But I'm talking about those who once or still practice Buddhism as "professional" monks.






      Related: Is there a kind of "pop Buddhism"?







      teaching suffering dukkha sangha papanca






      share|improve this question















      share|improve this question













      share|improve this question




      share|improve this question








      edited 14 hours ago







      Ooker

















      asked 19 hours ago









      OokerOoker

      22810




      22810






















          4 Answers
          4






          active

          oldest

          votes


















          2














          First a bit of background or context -- just in case you didn't know.



          So apparently, as well as the suttas, there's something called the vinaya i.e. the code of Monastic discipline. These are (or include) many of dozens of rules which the Buddha established for monks -- and "following the vinaya" is one of the things that a monk is supposed to do (and affects or defines whether someone is considered to be a monk).



          The (codified) vinaya defines the letter-of-the-law of what monks must or mustn't do. I only know some details and vague outlines but I think it amounts to something including this (and more) ...




          • No handling money

          • No secular "job"

          • Maybe a limited acceptance of secular authorities (e.g. perhaps no secular "boss")

          • No selling the Dhamma (no secular "clients")

          • Limited interaction with lay-folk


          ... so "psychotherapy service" doesn't quite sound like what a monk should do -- e.g. I wouldn't expect to look up "psychotherapy" in the Yellow Pages and find a Buddhist monk advertising there.



          People also have an ideal (perhaps idiosyncratic or judgemental) of what a monk should do, I think it's something like ...




          • If you're interested in Buddhism you go to a monastery for training

          • Monks teach Buddhism to novices (i.e. monk-candidates), to lay people who are taking "retreats", and the occasional Dhamma-talk (like an academic "lecture" on a subject) to a group of people when invited

          • Monks take their bowl e.g. to the local village or onto the public street once a day, where people may put food in the bowl, but that's a silent transaction (or not transactional)


          ... so limited opportunity for any one-on-one -- and, "providing a service" to lay-people isn't entirely what being a monk is about. To the contrary, it's lay people who should provide some service to the sangha, doing or providing things which monks may need but aren't allowed to do themselves (including storing food, buying any goods and services, and so on).



          Incidentally some people observe that the present actuality isn't as ideal as the outline above, in many Buddhist countries -- e.g. that some monasteries (or temples) do collect money, that monks live luxuriously, that there are "superstitions" or "folk religions" mixed in, that monks seem to make a living by showing up at lay funerals, and so on.



          But anyway the content of the Vinaya -- the letter of the law if not the spirit -- varies quite little I think, over the centuries and over continents. Monks are expected to memorise it and recite it regularly.



          Still there are deviations, in particular I think it's difficult to practice ...




          • When there's no support or cooperation from lay society (e.g. where the lay society isn't Buddhist and isn't prepared to support a monastic society)

          • When there's hostility from the secular powers (e.g. when the emperor thinks that Buddhist monks have become a drain on the empire's or the provinces' ability to raise taxes and/or armies)


          For these reasons the existence of the sangha is a bit precarious, and without the sangha i.e. without monks being able to live, Buddhism might not be viable. Other traditions develop e.g. monks work in the fields to help support themselves, etc.



          There also "competition" from other religions -- Hinduism, Islam, Daoism, Folk religions (e.g. animism), not to mention Christianity (and, perhaps most recently, western Rationalism and/or Science) -- but that's not on-topic here.



          Anyway I think that Japan -- Japanese Buddhism -- might be one of the more extreme examples of the Vinaya being modified by secular edict. So, for example, I think that Japanese senior abbots might even marry and so on. I can't comment on countries where Buddhism itself has become a secular power.



          As a gross approximation I'd guess that the "ideal" I outlined above (e.g. keeping separate from lay society) is a "Theravada" (the "Way of the Elder monks") ideal, whereas mixing more with lay society might be more "Mahayana" (the "Great vehicle") -- though Andrei points out that in practice this is a great oversimplification (and perhaps or arguably not a genuine distinction at all).





          Anyway, to get round to your question -- yes, I think there are: in some places.



          You asked about "in Buddhism" -- and I'm not sure what that means ... e.g. "in traditional Buddhism", or "in modern Buddhism", "in what we know of original or early Buddhism".



          But for example, there's Welcome to Kusala.org ...




          Kusala Bhikshu - is a volunteer Buddhist chaplain for -- The UCLA Medical Center Spiritual Care Committee, the University Religious Conference at UCLA, and the Garden Grove Police Department. Rev. Kusala is active in the interreligious communities of both Los Angeles and Orange County. He lives/works at the IBMC teaching Buddhism and meditation.




          Perhaps what you're looking for is a Buddhist "chaplain"?



          If you're dying in hospital then the staff might ask you if you want a visit from a chaplain, and some people might want a Buddhist chaplain.



          Another possibility is that what you're asking about is a "teacher" -- i.e. a teacher might talk with you one-on-one and so on.



          Another possibility is that you are asking for a (e.g. clinical) psychotherapist, but a Buddhist one.





          It's this which ties the first bit of this answer to the second, by the way:




          Kusala Bhikshu



          Ven. Kusala Bhikshu (Thich Tam-Thien) is an American born Bhikshu (monk) ordained in the Zen Tradition of Vietnam.




          Another (more famous) example of Vietnamese Zen in the west is Plum Village and Thich Nhat Hanh (I don't know whether that has anything to do with psychotherapeutic consulting though).



          I don't know much more -- this suggests that the Vietnamese Zen tradition might be inclusive rather than exclusive, maybe not very dogmatic.



          Also I hope the first bit of this answer might help to explain, amplify or give some context to the answers from Samana Johann and user12901.





          This, I don't know, might be another example, it's a publisher's blurb about an author:




          Bhikkhu Basnagoda Rahula



          Bhikkhu Basnagoda Rahula, PhD, was born in Sri Lanka and became a Buddhist monk in childhood. He holds a Master's Degree in literature, and a doctorate in English. He serves the congregation at the Houston Buddhist Vihara, and teaches English at the University of Houston. He lives in Texas.




          I don't know what "serving the congregation" there might mean exactly, but that might include something of what you're asking about (see also that book).





          I think I've also seen it argued or imp[lied, though, that a monk who serves the community which supports them is therefore not a true monk.





          My personal opinion is that, broadly, lay people will want you to function well or to improve your functioning within samsara -- conversely Buddhism might be about stopping samsara altogether -- consequently there may be some disconnect between the aims of lay society and "Buddhism".



          I also think that anyone who wants to "stop" might be seen as dysfunctional, by "puthujjanas" and so on (people who aren't disinterested in what you do for them).



          Wanting to stop might therefore be stigmatised as some symptom of mental illness -- ironic that stopping, if it's meant as a cure or therapy, should be mistaken for the disease.



          I can only hope that any psychotherapist worth their salt, Buddhist or not, might have some patience for their client's best interest, advocate for their client/patient rather than only for society.



          People tend to be pushed, not just by their society but by their family, to perform. I happened to read an extreme example of that recently, here:




          In my country if I will become a homeless guy who don't want any money even à cents who looking for illumination I will send to psychiatrict hospital.



          Asking for food when you made de choice to live without money is ok in bouddhisme and Indian for yogi. Not in my country.



          And the weather...




          That's actually a bit contrary to my limited experience (or at least, "in my country") of homelessness and psychiatric hospitals, it might help[ to illustrate a dichotomy though (possibly a false dichotomy).






          share|improve this answer































            2














            Some monks provide such a service of spiritual guidance to lay people, even if they are not required to do so. But expect the teacher to teach on his terms and not your's. He is not a commercial service-provider, and you are not his customer. If a monk provides such a service, it should be only out of compassion.



            Of course, not all monks are equal, so some would be better than others, in terms of character, knowledge, insight, compassion and attainment.



            From the life of Ajaan Fuang as written by his student Thanissaro Bhikkhu in "Awareness Itself":




            § One of Ajaan Fuang's students complained to him about all the
            problems she was facing at work. She wanted to quit and live quietly
            by herself, but circumstances wouldn't allow it, because she had to
            provide for her mother. Ajaan Fuang told her, "If you have to live
            with these things, then find out how to live in a way that rises above
            them. That's the only way you'll be able to survive."



            § Advice for a student who was letting the pressure at work get her
            down: "When you do a job, don't let the job do you."



            § Another one of Ajaan Fuang's students was having serious problems,
            both at home and in her work, so he appealed to her fighting spirit:
            "Anyone who's a real, live person will have to meet up with real, live
            problems in life."



            § If any of his students were bearing a grudge about something, he
            would tell them: "You can't even sacrifice something as minor as this?
            Think of it as making a gift. Remember how many valuable things the
            Buddha sacrificed during his life as Prince Vessantara, and then ask
            yourself, 'This anger of mine has no value at all. Why can't I
            sacrifice it, too?'"



            § One of Ajaan Fuang's students complained to him, "I look at other
            people, and they seem to have such an easy life. Why is life so hard
            on me?" His answer: "Your 'hard life' is ten, twenty times 'the good
            life' for a lot of people. Why don't you look at the people who have a
            harder time than you do?"



            § There seem to be more excuses for breaking the fifth precept than
            for any other. One evening another student was conversing with Ajaan
            Fuang at the same time that a group of people were sitting around them
            in meditation. "I can't observe the fifth precept," he said, "because
            I'm under a lot of group pressure. When we have social occasions at
            work, and everyone else in the group is drinking, I have to drink
            along with them."



            Ajaan Fuang pointed to the people sitting around them and asked, "This
            group isn't asking you to drink. Why don't you give in to their group
            pressure instead?"



            § The seamstress saw her friends observing the eight precepts at Wat
            Dhammasathit, and so decided to try it herself. But in the middle of
            the afternoon, as she was walking through the monastery, she passed a
            guava tree. The guavas looked inviting, so she picked one and took a
            bite.



            Ajaan Fuang happened to be standing not far away, and so he remarked,
            "Hey. I thought you were going to observe the eight precepts. What's
            that in your mouth?"



            The seamstress realized in a jolt that she had broken her precepts,
            but Ajaan Fuang consoled her, "It's not all that necessary to observe
            the eight precepts, but make sure you observe the one precept, okay?
            Do you know what the one precept is?"



            "No, Than Phaw. What is it?"



            "Not doing any evil. I want you to hold onto this one for life."



            § A woman came to Wat Dhammasathit to observe the precepts and
            meditate for a week, but by the end of the second day she told Ajaan
            Fuang that she had to return home, because she was afraid her family
            couldn't get along without her. He taught her to cut through her
            worries by saying, "When you come here, tell yourself that you've
            died. One way or another, your family will have to learn to fend for
            themselves."



            § A Bangkok magazine once carried the serialized autobiography of a
            lay meditator who used his powers of concentration to treat diseases.
            One installment mentioned how he had visited Ajaan Fuang, who had
            certified that he (the layman) had attained jhana. This didn't sound
            like Ajaan Fuang's style, but soon after the magazine came out,
            unusual numbers of people came to the wat under the impression that
            Ajaan Fuang, like the author of the autobiography, could treat
            illnesses through meditation. One woman asked him if he treated kidney
            diseases, and he answered, "I treat only one kind of disease: diseases
            of the mind."







            share|improve this answer

































              1














              Well the people who are trained in the dhamma are called the asekhas, meaning the arhats.
              The people in training on the dhamma are called the sekhas and they are not puthujjanas, so the sotapannas and all that.



              The people who are not trained in the dhamma are the puthujjanas and those people know nothing about the dhamma. Seeking advice from those people, about your life, your behavior, what to do and what not to do is always a bad idea. All those people do is create conditions for future dukkha (and they do not even know it, those people think that what they do is righteous and smart). When a puthujjana follows the advises from a puthujjana, the puthujjana seeking advise will only stay a puthujjana.



              The sekhas have more important tasks to realize than advising puthujjanas. At best they can reply to a few questions from the puthujjanas.



              The asekhas can talk about the dhamma, to anybody, but they are not here to tell puthujjanas what to do, especially about the worldly affairs of the puthujjanas. At best their generic answers for lay puthujjanas will be about respecting the 5 precepts and being mindful. Asekhas are here to tell the sekhas what to do and what not to do, that works well especially since the sekhas know the asekhas are better than them, and to the puthujjana bikkhus who may like or dislike what the asekhas say or do not say...



              So for a puthujjana who seeks advises about worldly affairs, when there are no non-puthujjanas, especially no asekhas, it is going to be hard.






              share|improve this answer































                0














                The Sangha is not meant as a social service. Althought 95% act as such and this corrupt way of livelihood is actually the only kind most of you will ever come in touch.



                If one looks for such, there are institutions one can pay or be paying ones tax.



                What one seeks for one get's. So nothing to worry aside of seeking the right.



                Even most will not see any benefit to leave the state of being just a away-consumer of some merits in the past, not willing to give, here some words to understand the liberating economy of Dhamma: Better to Give than to Consume



                Now one can start to think how much one has actually given since birth and how much simply consumed away for nothing but increasing of desires till today. And here one actually has already the answer why modern people suffer hardly in all ways of mind illness.



                Take the most needed with you, close the door from outside and come here not much thinking on going out to simply return back where you came from. Only that resolve and act will heal much already.



                A good answer by the way.






                share|improve this answer










                New contributor




                Samana Johann is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                Check out our Code of Conduct.




















                  Your Answer








                  StackExchange.ready(function() {
                  var channelOptions = {
                  tags: "".split(" "),
                  id: "565"
                  };
                  initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

                  StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
                  // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
                  if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
                  StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
                  createEditor();
                  });
                  }
                  else {
                  createEditor();
                  }
                  });

                  function createEditor() {
                  StackExchange.prepareEditor({
                  heartbeatType: 'answer',
                  autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
                  convertImagesToLinks: false,
                  noModals: true,
                  showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
                  reputationToPostImages: null,
                  bindNavPrevention: true,
                  postfix: "",
                  imageUploader: {
                  brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
                  contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
                  allowUrls: true
                  },
                  noCode: true, onDemand: true,
                  discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
                  ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
                  });


                  }
                  });














                  draft saved

                  draft discarded


















                  StackExchange.ready(
                  function () {
                  StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fbuddhism.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f31353%2fis-there-a-kind-of-consulting-service-in-buddhism%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                  }
                  );

                  Post as a guest















                  Required, but never shown

























                  4 Answers
                  4






                  active

                  oldest

                  votes








                  4 Answers
                  4






                  active

                  oldest

                  votes









                  active

                  oldest

                  votes






                  active

                  oldest

                  votes









                  2














                  First a bit of background or context -- just in case you didn't know.



                  So apparently, as well as the suttas, there's something called the vinaya i.e. the code of Monastic discipline. These are (or include) many of dozens of rules which the Buddha established for monks -- and "following the vinaya" is one of the things that a monk is supposed to do (and affects or defines whether someone is considered to be a monk).



                  The (codified) vinaya defines the letter-of-the-law of what monks must or mustn't do. I only know some details and vague outlines but I think it amounts to something including this (and more) ...




                  • No handling money

                  • No secular "job"

                  • Maybe a limited acceptance of secular authorities (e.g. perhaps no secular "boss")

                  • No selling the Dhamma (no secular "clients")

                  • Limited interaction with lay-folk


                  ... so "psychotherapy service" doesn't quite sound like what a monk should do -- e.g. I wouldn't expect to look up "psychotherapy" in the Yellow Pages and find a Buddhist monk advertising there.



                  People also have an ideal (perhaps idiosyncratic or judgemental) of what a monk should do, I think it's something like ...




                  • If you're interested in Buddhism you go to a monastery for training

                  • Monks teach Buddhism to novices (i.e. monk-candidates), to lay people who are taking "retreats", and the occasional Dhamma-talk (like an academic "lecture" on a subject) to a group of people when invited

                  • Monks take their bowl e.g. to the local village or onto the public street once a day, where people may put food in the bowl, but that's a silent transaction (or not transactional)


                  ... so limited opportunity for any one-on-one -- and, "providing a service" to lay-people isn't entirely what being a monk is about. To the contrary, it's lay people who should provide some service to the sangha, doing or providing things which monks may need but aren't allowed to do themselves (including storing food, buying any goods and services, and so on).



                  Incidentally some people observe that the present actuality isn't as ideal as the outline above, in many Buddhist countries -- e.g. that some monasteries (or temples) do collect money, that monks live luxuriously, that there are "superstitions" or "folk religions" mixed in, that monks seem to make a living by showing up at lay funerals, and so on.



                  But anyway the content of the Vinaya -- the letter of the law if not the spirit -- varies quite little I think, over the centuries and over continents. Monks are expected to memorise it and recite it regularly.



                  Still there are deviations, in particular I think it's difficult to practice ...




                  • When there's no support or cooperation from lay society (e.g. where the lay society isn't Buddhist and isn't prepared to support a monastic society)

                  • When there's hostility from the secular powers (e.g. when the emperor thinks that Buddhist monks have become a drain on the empire's or the provinces' ability to raise taxes and/or armies)


                  For these reasons the existence of the sangha is a bit precarious, and without the sangha i.e. without monks being able to live, Buddhism might not be viable. Other traditions develop e.g. monks work in the fields to help support themselves, etc.



                  There also "competition" from other religions -- Hinduism, Islam, Daoism, Folk religions (e.g. animism), not to mention Christianity (and, perhaps most recently, western Rationalism and/or Science) -- but that's not on-topic here.



                  Anyway I think that Japan -- Japanese Buddhism -- might be one of the more extreme examples of the Vinaya being modified by secular edict. So, for example, I think that Japanese senior abbots might even marry and so on. I can't comment on countries where Buddhism itself has become a secular power.



                  As a gross approximation I'd guess that the "ideal" I outlined above (e.g. keeping separate from lay society) is a "Theravada" (the "Way of the Elder monks") ideal, whereas mixing more with lay society might be more "Mahayana" (the "Great vehicle") -- though Andrei points out that in practice this is a great oversimplification (and perhaps or arguably not a genuine distinction at all).





                  Anyway, to get round to your question -- yes, I think there are: in some places.



                  You asked about "in Buddhism" -- and I'm not sure what that means ... e.g. "in traditional Buddhism", or "in modern Buddhism", "in what we know of original or early Buddhism".



                  But for example, there's Welcome to Kusala.org ...




                  Kusala Bhikshu - is a volunteer Buddhist chaplain for -- The UCLA Medical Center Spiritual Care Committee, the University Religious Conference at UCLA, and the Garden Grove Police Department. Rev. Kusala is active in the interreligious communities of both Los Angeles and Orange County. He lives/works at the IBMC teaching Buddhism and meditation.




                  Perhaps what you're looking for is a Buddhist "chaplain"?



                  If you're dying in hospital then the staff might ask you if you want a visit from a chaplain, and some people might want a Buddhist chaplain.



                  Another possibility is that what you're asking about is a "teacher" -- i.e. a teacher might talk with you one-on-one and so on.



                  Another possibility is that you are asking for a (e.g. clinical) psychotherapist, but a Buddhist one.





                  It's this which ties the first bit of this answer to the second, by the way:




                  Kusala Bhikshu



                  Ven. Kusala Bhikshu (Thich Tam-Thien) is an American born Bhikshu (monk) ordained in the Zen Tradition of Vietnam.




                  Another (more famous) example of Vietnamese Zen in the west is Plum Village and Thich Nhat Hanh (I don't know whether that has anything to do with psychotherapeutic consulting though).



                  I don't know much more -- this suggests that the Vietnamese Zen tradition might be inclusive rather than exclusive, maybe not very dogmatic.



                  Also I hope the first bit of this answer might help to explain, amplify or give some context to the answers from Samana Johann and user12901.





                  This, I don't know, might be another example, it's a publisher's blurb about an author:




                  Bhikkhu Basnagoda Rahula



                  Bhikkhu Basnagoda Rahula, PhD, was born in Sri Lanka and became a Buddhist monk in childhood. He holds a Master's Degree in literature, and a doctorate in English. He serves the congregation at the Houston Buddhist Vihara, and teaches English at the University of Houston. He lives in Texas.




                  I don't know what "serving the congregation" there might mean exactly, but that might include something of what you're asking about (see also that book).





                  I think I've also seen it argued or imp[lied, though, that a monk who serves the community which supports them is therefore not a true monk.





                  My personal opinion is that, broadly, lay people will want you to function well or to improve your functioning within samsara -- conversely Buddhism might be about stopping samsara altogether -- consequently there may be some disconnect between the aims of lay society and "Buddhism".



                  I also think that anyone who wants to "stop" might be seen as dysfunctional, by "puthujjanas" and so on (people who aren't disinterested in what you do for them).



                  Wanting to stop might therefore be stigmatised as some symptom of mental illness -- ironic that stopping, if it's meant as a cure or therapy, should be mistaken for the disease.



                  I can only hope that any psychotherapist worth their salt, Buddhist or not, might have some patience for their client's best interest, advocate for their client/patient rather than only for society.



                  People tend to be pushed, not just by their society but by their family, to perform. I happened to read an extreme example of that recently, here:




                  In my country if I will become a homeless guy who don't want any money even à cents who looking for illumination I will send to psychiatrict hospital.



                  Asking for food when you made de choice to live without money is ok in bouddhisme and Indian for yogi. Not in my country.



                  And the weather...




                  That's actually a bit contrary to my limited experience (or at least, "in my country") of homelessness and psychiatric hospitals, it might help[ to illustrate a dichotomy though (possibly a false dichotomy).






                  share|improve this answer




























                    2














                    First a bit of background or context -- just in case you didn't know.



                    So apparently, as well as the suttas, there's something called the vinaya i.e. the code of Monastic discipline. These are (or include) many of dozens of rules which the Buddha established for monks -- and "following the vinaya" is one of the things that a monk is supposed to do (and affects or defines whether someone is considered to be a monk).



                    The (codified) vinaya defines the letter-of-the-law of what monks must or mustn't do. I only know some details and vague outlines but I think it amounts to something including this (and more) ...




                    • No handling money

                    • No secular "job"

                    • Maybe a limited acceptance of secular authorities (e.g. perhaps no secular "boss")

                    • No selling the Dhamma (no secular "clients")

                    • Limited interaction with lay-folk


                    ... so "psychotherapy service" doesn't quite sound like what a monk should do -- e.g. I wouldn't expect to look up "psychotherapy" in the Yellow Pages and find a Buddhist monk advertising there.



                    People also have an ideal (perhaps idiosyncratic or judgemental) of what a monk should do, I think it's something like ...




                    • If you're interested in Buddhism you go to a monastery for training

                    • Monks teach Buddhism to novices (i.e. monk-candidates), to lay people who are taking "retreats", and the occasional Dhamma-talk (like an academic "lecture" on a subject) to a group of people when invited

                    • Monks take their bowl e.g. to the local village or onto the public street once a day, where people may put food in the bowl, but that's a silent transaction (or not transactional)


                    ... so limited opportunity for any one-on-one -- and, "providing a service" to lay-people isn't entirely what being a monk is about. To the contrary, it's lay people who should provide some service to the sangha, doing or providing things which monks may need but aren't allowed to do themselves (including storing food, buying any goods and services, and so on).



                    Incidentally some people observe that the present actuality isn't as ideal as the outline above, in many Buddhist countries -- e.g. that some monasteries (or temples) do collect money, that monks live luxuriously, that there are "superstitions" or "folk religions" mixed in, that monks seem to make a living by showing up at lay funerals, and so on.



                    But anyway the content of the Vinaya -- the letter of the law if not the spirit -- varies quite little I think, over the centuries and over continents. Monks are expected to memorise it and recite it regularly.



                    Still there are deviations, in particular I think it's difficult to practice ...




                    • When there's no support or cooperation from lay society (e.g. where the lay society isn't Buddhist and isn't prepared to support a monastic society)

                    • When there's hostility from the secular powers (e.g. when the emperor thinks that Buddhist monks have become a drain on the empire's or the provinces' ability to raise taxes and/or armies)


                    For these reasons the existence of the sangha is a bit precarious, and without the sangha i.e. without monks being able to live, Buddhism might not be viable. Other traditions develop e.g. monks work in the fields to help support themselves, etc.



                    There also "competition" from other religions -- Hinduism, Islam, Daoism, Folk religions (e.g. animism), not to mention Christianity (and, perhaps most recently, western Rationalism and/or Science) -- but that's not on-topic here.



                    Anyway I think that Japan -- Japanese Buddhism -- might be one of the more extreme examples of the Vinaya being modified by secular edict. So, for example, I think that Japanese senior abbots might even marry and so on. I can't comment on countries where Buddhism itself has become a secular power.



                    As a gross approximation I'd guess that the "ideal" I outlined above (e.g. keeping separate from lay society) is a "Theravada" (the "Way of the Elder monks") ideal, whereas mixing more with lay society might be more "Mahayana" (the "Great vehicle") -- though Andrei points out that in practice this is a great oversimplification (and perhaps or arguably not a genuine distinction at all).





                    Anyway, to get round to your question -- yes, I think there are: in some places.



                    You asked about "in Buddhism" -- and I'm not sure what that means ... e.g. "in traditional Buddhism", or "in modern Buddhism", "in what we know of original or early Buddhism".



                    But for example, there's Welcome to Kusala.org ...




                    Kusala Bhikshu - is a volunteer Buddhist chaplain for -- The UCLA Medical Center Spiritual Care Committee, the University Religious Conference at UCLA, and the Garden Grove Police Department. Rev. Kusala is active in the interreligious communities of both Los Angeles and Orange County. He lives/works at the IBMC teaching Buddhism and meditation.




                    Perhaps what you're looking for is a Buddhist "chaplain"?



                    If you're dying in hospital then the staff might ask you if you want a visit from a chaplain, and some people might want a Buddhist chaplain.



                    Another possibility is that what you're asking about is a "teacher" -- i.e. a teacher might talk with you one-on-one and so on.



                    Another possibility is that you are asking for a (e.g. clinical) psychotherapist, but a Buddhist one.





                    It's this which ties the first bit of this answer to the second, by the way:




                    Kusala Bhikshu



                    Ven. Kusala Bhikshu (Thich Tam-Thien) is an American born Bhikshu (monk) ordained in the Zen Tradition of Vietnam.




                    Another (more famous) example of Vietnamese Zen in the west is Plum Village and Thich Nhat Hanh (I don't know whether that has anything to do with psychotherapeutic consulting though).



                    I don't know much more -- this suggests that the Vietnamese Zen tradition might be inclusive rather than exclusive, maybe not very dogmatic.



                    Also I hope the first bit of this answer might help to explain, amplify or give some context to the answers from Samana Johann and user12901.





                    This, I don't know, might be another example, it's a publisher's blurb about an author:




                    Bhikkhu Basnagoda Rahula



                    Bhikkhu Basnagoda Rahula, PhD, was born in Sri Lanka and became a Buddhist monk in childhood. He holds a Master's Degree in literature, and a doctorate in English. He serves the congregation at the Houston Buddhist Vihara, and teaches English at the University of Houston. He lives in Texas.




                    I don't know what "serving the congregation" there might mean exactly, but that might include something of what you're asking about (see also that book).





                    I think I've also seen it argued or imp[lied, though, that a monk who serves the community which supports them is therefore not a true monk.





                    My personal opinion is that, broadly, lay people will want you to function well or to improve your functioning within samsara -- conversely Buddhism might be about stopping samsara altogether -- consequently there may be some disconnect between the aims of lay society and "Buddhism".



                    I also think that anyone who wants to "stop" might be seen as dysfunctional, by "puthujjanas" and so on (people who aren't disinterested in what you do for them).



                    Wanting to stop might therefore be stigmatised as some symptom of mental illness -- ironic that stopping, if it's meant as a cure or therapy, should be mistaken for the disease.



                    I can only hope that any psychotherapist worth their salt, Buddhist or not, might have some patience for their client's best interest, advocate for their client/patient rather than only for society.



                    People tend to be pushed, not just by their society but by their family, to perform. I happened to read an extreme example of that recently, here:




                    In my country if I will become a homeless guy who don't want any money even à cents who looking for illumination I will send to psychiatrict hospital.



                    Asking for food when you made de choice to live without money is ok in bouddhisme and Indian for yogi. Not in my country.



                    And the weather...




                    That's actually a bit contrary to my limited experience (or at least, "in my country") of homelessness and psychiatric hospitals, it might help[ to illustrate a dichotomy though (possibly a false dichotomy).






                    share|improve this answer


























                      2












                      2








                      2







                      First a bit of background or context -- just in case you didn't know.



                      So apparently, as well as the suttas, there's something called the vinaya i.e. the code of Monastic discipline. These are (or include) many of dozens of rules which the Buddha established for monks -- and "following the vinaya" is one of the things that a monk is supposed to do (and affects or defines whether someone is considered to be a monk).



                      The (codified) vinaya defines the letter-of-the-law of what monks must or mustn't do. I only know some details and vague outlines but I think it amounts to something including this (and more) ...




                      • No handling money

                      • No secular "job"

                      • Maybe a limited acceptance of secular authorities (e.g. perhaps no secular "boss")

                      • No selling the Dhamma (no secular "clients")

                      • Limited interaction with lay-folk


                      ... so "psychotherapy service" doesn't quite sound like what a monk should do -- e.g. I wouldn't expect to look up "psychotherapy" in the Yellow Pages and find a Buddhist monk advertising there.



                      People also have an ideal (perhaps idiosyncratic or judgemental) of what a monk should do, I think it's something like ...




                      • If you're interested in Buddhism you go to a monastery for training

                      • Monks teach Buddhism to novices (i.e. monk-candidates), to lay people who are taking "retreats", and the occasional Dhamma-talk (like an academic "lecture" on a subject) to a group of people when invited

                      • Monks take their bowl e.g. to the local village or onto the public street once a day, where people may put food in the bowl, but that's a silent transaction (or not transactional)


                      ... so limited opportunity for any one-on-one -- and, "providing a service" to lay-people isn't entirely what being a monk is about. To the contrary, it's lay people who should provide some service to the sangha, doing or providing things which monks may need but aren't allowed to do themselves (including storing food, buying any goods and services, and so on).



                      Incidentally some people observe that the present actuality isn't as ideal as the outline above, in many Buddhist countries -- e.g. that some monasteries (or temples) do collect money, that monks live luxuriously, that there are "superstitions" or "folk religions" mixed in, that monks seem to make a living by showing up at lay funerals, and so on.



                      But anyway the content of the Vinaya -- the letter of the law if not the spirit -- varies quite little I think, over the centuries and over continents. Monks are expected to memorise it and recite it regularly.



                      Still there are deviations, in particular I think it's difficult to practice ...




                      • When there's no support or cooperation from lay society (e.g. where the lay society isn't Buddhist and isn't prepared to support a monastic society)

                      • When there's hostility from the secular powers (e.g. when the emperor thinks that Buddhist monks have become a drain on the empire's or the provinces' ability to raise taxes and/or armies)


                      For these reasons the existence of the sangha is a bit precarious, and without the sangha i.e. without monks being able to live, Buddhism might not be viable. Other traditions develop e.g. monks work in the fields to help support themselves, etc.



                      There also "competition" from other religions -- Hinduism, Islam, Daoism, Folk religions (e.g. animism), not to mention Christianity (and, perhaps most recently, western Rationalism and/or Science) -- but that's not on-topic here.



                      Anyway I think that Japan -- Japanese Buddhism -- might be one of the more extreme examples of the Vinaya being modified by secular edict. So, for example, I think that Japanese senior abbots might even marry and so on. I can't comment on countries where Buddhism itself has become a secular power.



                      As a gross approximation I'd guess that the "ideal" I outlined above (e.g. keeping separate from lay society) is a "Theravada" (the "Way of the Elder monks") ideal, whereas mixing more with lay society might be more "Mahayana" (the "Great vehicle") -- though Andrei points out that in practice this is a great oversimplification (and perhaps or arguably not a genuine distinction at all).





                      Anyway, to get round to your question -- yes, I think there are: in some places.



                      You asked about "in Buddhism" -- and I'm not sure what that means ... e.g. "in traditional Buddhism", or "in modern Buddhism", "in what we know of original or early Buddhism".



                      But for example, there's Welcome to Kusala.org ...




                      Kusala Bhikshu - is a volunteer Buddhist chaplain for -- The UCLA Medical Center Spiritual Care Committee, the University Religious Conference at UCLA, and the Garden Grove Police Department. Rev. Kusala is active in the interreligious communities of both Los Angeles and Orange County. He lives/works at the IBMC teaching Buddhism and meditation.




                      Perhaps what you're looking for is a Buddhist "chaplain"?



                      If you're dying in hospital then the staff might ask you if you want a visit from a chaplain, and some people might want a Buddhist chaplain.



                      Another possibility is that what you're asking about is a "teacher" -- i.e. a teacher might talk with you one-on-one and so on.



                      Another possibility is that you are asking for a (e.g. clinical) psychotherapist, but a Buddhist one.





                      It's this which ties the first bit of this answer to the second, by the way:




                      Kusala Bhikshu



                      Ven. Kusala Bhikshu (Thich Tam-Thien) is an American born Bhikshu (monk) ordained in the Zen Tradition of Vietnam.




                      Another (more famous) example of Vietnamese Zen in the west is Plum Village and Thich Nhat Hanh (I don't know whether that has anything to do with psychotherapeutic consulting though).



                      I don't know much more -- this suggests that the Vietnamese Zen tradition might be inclusive rather than exclusive, maybe not very dogmatic.



                      Also I hope the first bit of this answer might help to explain, amplify or give some context to the answers from Samana Johann and user12901.





                      This, I don't know, might be another example, it's a publisher's blurb about an author:




                      Bhikkhu Basnagoda Rahula



                      Bhikkhu Basnagoda Rahula, PhD, was born in Sri Lanka and became a Buddhist monk in childhood. He holds a Master's Degree in literature, and a doctorate in English. He serves the congregation at the Houston Buddhist Vihara, and teaches English at the University of Houston. He lives in Texas.




                      I don't know what "serving the congregation" there might mean exactly, but that might include something of what you're asking about (see also that book).





                      I think I've also seen it argued or imp[lied, though, that a monk who serves the community which supports them is therefore not a true monk.





                      My personal opinion is that, broadly, lay people will want you to function well or to improve your functioning within samsara -- conversely Buddhism might be about stopping samsara altogether -- consequently there may be some disconnect between the aims of lay society and "Buddhism".



                      I also think that anyone who wants to "stop" might be seen as dysfunctional, by "puthujjanas" and so on (people who aren't disinterested in what you do for them).



                      Wanting to stop might therefore be stigmatised as some symptom of mental illness -- ironic that stopping, if it's meant as a cure or therapy, should be mistaken for the disease.



                      I can only hope that any psychotherapist worth their salt, Buddhist or not, might have some patience for their client's best interest, advocate for their client/patient rather than only for society.



                      People tend to be pushed, not just by their society but by their family, to perform. I happened to read an extreme example of that recently, here:




                      In my country if I will become a homeless guy who don't want any money even à cents who looking for illumination I will send to psychiatrict hospital.



                      Asking for food when you made de choice to live without money is ok in bouddhisme and Indian for yogi. Not in my country.



                      And the weather...




                      That's actually a bit contrary to my limited experience (or at least, "in my country") of homelessness and psychiatric hospitals, it might help[ to illustrate a dichotomy though (possibly a false dichotomy).






                      share|improve this answer













                      First a bit of background or context -- just in case you didn't know.



                      So apparently, as well as the suttas, there's something called the vinaya i.e. the code of Monastic discipline. These are (or include) many of dozens of rules which the Buddha established for monks -- and "following the vinaya" is one of the things that a monk is supposed to do (and affects or defines whether someone is considered to be a monk).



                      The (codified) vinaya defines the letter-of-the-law of what monks must or mustn't do. I only know some details and vague outlines but I think it amounts to something including this (and more) ...




                      • No handling money

                      • No secular "job"

                      • Maybe a limited acceptance of secular authorities (e.g. perhaps no secular "boss")

                      • No selling the Dhamma (no secular "clients")

                      • Limited interaction with lay-folk


                      ... so "psychotherapy service" doesn't quite sound like what a monk should do -- e.g. I wouldn't expect to look up "psychotherapy" in the Yellow Pages and find a Buddhist monk advertising there.



                      People also have an ideal (perhaps idiosyncratic or judgemental) of what a monk should do, I think it's something like ...




                      • If you're interested in Buddhism you go to a monastery for training

                      • Monks teach Buddhism to novices (i.e. monk-candidates), to lay people who are taking "retreats", and the occasional Dhamma-talk (like an academic "lecture" on a subject) to a group of people when invited

                      • Monks take their bowl e.g. to the local village or onto the public street once a day, where people may put food in the bowl, but that's a silent transaction (or not transactional)


                      ... so limited opportunity for any one-on-one -- and, "providing a service" to lay-people isn't entirely what being a monk is about. To the contrary, it's lay people who should provide some service to the sangha, doing or providing things which monks may need but aren't allowed to do themselves (including storing food, buying any goods and services, and so on).



                      Incidentally some people observe that the present actuality isn't as ideal as the outline above, in many Buddhist countries -- e.g. that some monasteries (or temples) do collect money, that monks live luxuriously, that there are "superstitions" or "folk religions" mixed in, that monks seem to make a living by showing up at lay funerals, and so on.



                      But anyway the content of the Vinaya -- the letter of the law if not the spirit -- varies quite little I think, over the centuries and over continents. Monks are expected to memorise it and recite it regularly.



                      Still there are deviations, in particular I think it's difficult to practice ...




                      • When there's no support or cooperation from lay society (e.g. where the lay society isn't Buddhist and isn't prepared to support a monastic society)

                      • When there's hostility from the secular powers (e.g. when the emperor thinks that Buddhist monks have become a drain on the empire's or the provinces' ability to raise taxes and/or armies)


                      For these reasons the existence of the sangha is a bit precarious, and without the sangha i.e. without monks being able to live, Buddhism might not be viable. Other traditions develop e.g. monks work in the fields to help support themselves, etc.



                      There also "competition" from other religions -- Hinduism, Islam, Daoism, Folk religions (e.g. animism), not to mention Christianity (and, perhaps most recently, western Rationalism and/or Science) -- but that's not on-topic here.



                      Anyway I think that Japan -- Japanese Buddhism -- might be one of the more extreme examples of the Vinaya being modified by secular edict. So, for example, I think that Japanese senior abbots might even marry and so on. I can't comment on countries where Buddhism itself has become a secular power.



                      As a gross approximation I'd guess that the "ideal" I outlined above (e.g. keeping separate from lay society) is a "Theravada" (the "Way of the Elder monks") ideal, whereas mixing more with lay society might be more "Mahayana" (the "Great vehicle") -- though Andrei points out that in practice this is a great oversimplification (and perhaps or arguably not a genuine distinction at all).





                      Anyway, to get round to your question -- yes, I think there are: in some places.



                      You asked about "in Buddhism" -- and I'm not sure what that means ... e.g. "in traditional Buddhism", or "in modern Buddhism", "in what we know of original or early Buddhism".



                      But for example, there's Welcome to Kusala.org ...




                      Kusala Bhikshu - is a volunteer Buddhist chaplain for -- The UCLA Medical Center Spiritual Care Committee, the University Religious Conference at UCLA, and the Garden Grove Police Department. Rev. Kusala is active in the interreligious communities of both Los Angeles and Orange County. He lives/works at the IBMC teaching Buddhism and meditation.




                      Perhaps what you're looking for is a Buddhist "chaplain"?



                      If you're dying in hospital then the staff might ask you if you want a visit from a chaplain, and some people might want a Buddhist chaplain.



                      Another possibility is that what you're asking about is a "teacher" -- i.e. a teacher might talk with you one-on-one and so on.



                      Another possibility is that you are asking for a (e.g. clinical) psychotherapist, but a Buddhist one.





                      It's this which ties the first bit of this answer to the second, by the way:




                      Kusala Bhikshu



                      Ven. Kusala Bhikshu (Thich Tam-Thien) is an American born Bhikshu (monk) ordained in the Zen Tradition of Vietnam.




                      Another (more famous) example of Vietnamese Zen in the west is Plum Village and Thich Nhat Hanh (I don't know whether that has anything to do with psychotherapeutic consulting though).



                      I don't know much more -- this suggests that the Vietnamese Zen tradition might be inclusive rather than exclusive, maybe not very dogmatic.



                      Also I hope the first bit of this answer might help to explain, amplify or give some context to the answers from Samana Johann and user12901.





                      This, I don't know, might be another example, it's a publisher's blurb about an author:




                      Bhikkhu Basnagoda Rahula



                      Bhikkhu Basnagoda Rahula, PhD, was born in Sri Lanka and became a Buddhist monk in childhood. He holds a Master's Degree in literature, and a doctorate in English. He serves the congregation at the Houston Buddhist Vihara, and teaches English at the University of Houston. He lives in Texas.




                      I don't know what "serving the congregation" there might mean exactly, but that might include something of what you're asking about (see also that book).





                      I think I've also seen it argued or imp[lied, though, that a monk who serves the community which supports them is therefore not a true monk.





                      My personal opinion is that, broadly, lay people will want you to function well or to improve your functioning within samsara -- conversely Buddhism might be about stopping samsara altogether -- consequently there may be some disconnect between the aims of lay society and "Buddhism".



                      I also think that anyone who wants to "stop" might be seen as dysfunctional, by "puthujjanas" and so on (people who aren't disinterested in what you do for them).



                      Wanting to stop might therefore be stigmatised as some symptom of mental illness -- ironic that stopping, if it's meant as a cure or therapy, should be mistaken for the disease.



                      I can only hope that any psychotherapist worth their salt, Buddhist or not, might have some patience for their client's best interest, advocate for their client/patient rather than only for society.



                      People tend to be pushed, not just by their society but by their family, to perform. I happened to read an extreme example of that recently, here:




                      In my country if I will become a homeless guy who don't want any money even à cents who looking for illumination I will send to psychiatrict hospital.



                      Asking for food when you made de choice to live without money is ok in bouddhisme and Indian for yogi. Not in my country.



                      And the weather...




                      That's actually a bit contrary to my limited experience (or at least, "in my country") of homelessness and psychiatric hospitals, it might help[ to illustrate a dichotomy though (possibly a false dichotomy).







                      share|improve this answer












                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer










                      answered 14 hours ago









                      ChrisWChrisW

                      30k42485




                      30k42485























                          2














                          Some monks provide such a service of spiritual guidance to lay people, even if they are not required to do so. But expect the teacher to teach on his terms and not your's. He is not a commercial service-provider, and you are not his customer. If a monk provides such a service, it should be only out of compassion.



                          Of course, not all monks are equal, so some would be better than others, in terms of character, knowledge, insight, compassion and attainment.



                          From the life of Ajaan Fuang as written by his student Thanissaro Bhikkhu in "Awareness Itself":




                          § One of Ajaan Fuang's students complained to him about all the
                          problems she was facing at work. She wanted to quit and live quietly
                          by herself, but circumstances wouldn't allow it, because she had to
                          provide for her mother. Ajaan Fuang told her, "If you have to live
                          with these things, then find out how to live in a way that rises above
                          them. That's the only way you'll be able to survive."



                          § Advice for a student who was letting the pressure at work get her
                          down: "When you do a job, don't let the job do you."



                          § Another one of Ajaan Fuang's students was having serious problems,
                          both at home and in her work, so he appealed to her fighting spirit:
                          "Anyone who's a real, live person will have to meet up with real, live
                          problems in life."



                          § If any of his students were bearing a grudge about something, he
                          would tell them: "You can't even sacrifice something as minor as this?
                          Think of it as making a gift. Remember how many valuable things the
                          Buddha sacrificed during his life as Prince Vessantara, and then ask
                          yourself, 'This anger of mine has no value at all. Why can't I
                          sacrifice it, too?'"



                          § One of Ajaan Fuang's students complained to him, "I look at other
                          people, and they seem to have such an easy life. Why is life so hard
                          on me?" His answer: "Your 'hard life' is ten, twenty times 'the good
                          life' for a lot of people. Why don't you look at the people who have a
                          harder time than you do?"



                          § There seem to be more excuses for breaking the fifth precept than
                          for any other. One evening another student was conversing with Ajaan
                          Fuang at the same time that a group of people were sitting around them
                          in meditation. "I can't observe the fifth precept," he said, "because
                          I'm under a lot of group pressure. When we have social occasions at
                          work, and everyone else in the group is drinking, I have to drink
                          along with them."



                          Ajaan Fuang pointed to the people sitting around them and asked, "This
                          group isn't asking you to drink. Why don't you give in to their group
                          pressure instead?"



                          § The seamstress saw her friends observing the eight precepts at Wat
                          Dhammasathit, and so decided to try it herself. But in the middle of
                          the afternoon, as she was walking through the monastery, she passed a
                          guava tree. The guavas looked inviting, so she picked one and took a
                          bite.



                          Ajaan Fuang happened to be standing not far away, and so he remarked,
                          "Hey. I thought you were going to observe the eight precepts. What's
                          that in your mouth?"



                          The seamstress realized in a jolt that she had broken her precepts,
                          but Ajaan Fuang consoled her, "It's not all that necessary to observe
                          the eight precepts, but make sure you observe the one precept, okay?
                          Do you know what the one precept is?"



                          "No, Than Phaw. What is it?"



                          "Not doing any evil. I want you to hold onto this one for life."



                          § A woman came to Wat Dhammasathit to observe the precepts and
                          meditate for a week, but by the end of the second day she told Ajaan
                          Fuang that she had to return home, because she was afraid her family
                          couldn't get along without her. He taught her to cut through her
                          worries by saying, "When you come here, tell yourself that you've
                          died. One way or another, your family will have to learn to fend for
                          themselves."



                          § A Bangkok magazine once carried the serialized autobiography of a
                          lay meditator who used his powers of concentration to treat diseases.
                          One installment mentioned how he had visited Ajaan Fuang, who had
                          certified that he (the layman) had attained jhana. This didn't sound
                          like Ajaan Fuang's style, but soon after the magazine came out,
                          unusual numbers of people came to the wat under the impression that
                          Ajaan Fuang, like the author of the autobiography, could treat
                          illnesses through meditation. One woman asked him if he treated kidney
                          diseases, and he answered, "I treat only one kind of disease: diseases
                          of the mind."







                          share|improve this answer






























                            2














                            Some monks provide such a service of spiritual guidance to lay people, even if they are not required to do so. But expect the teacher to teach on his terms and not your's. He is not a commercial service-provider, and you are not his customer. If a monk provides such a service, it should be only out of compassion.



                            Of course, not all monks are equal, so some would be better than others, in terms of character, knowledge, insight, compassion and attainment.



                            From the life of Ajaan Fuang as written by his student Thanissaro Bhikkhu in "Awareness Itself":




                            § One of Ajaan Fuang's students complained to him about all the
                            problems she was facing at work. She wanted to quit and live quietly
                            by herself, but circumstances wouldn't allow it, because she had to
                            provide for her mother. Ajaan Fuang told her, "If you have to live
                            with these things, then find out how to live in a way that rises above
                            them. That's the only way you'll be able to survive."



                            § Advice for a student who was letting the pressure at work get her
                            down: "When you do a job, don't let the job do you."



                            § Another one of Ajaan Fuang's students was having serious problems,
                            both at home and in her work, so he appealed to her fighting spirit:
                            "Anyone who's a real, live person will have to meet up with real, live
                            problems in life."



                            § If any of his students were bearing a grudge about something, he
                            would tell them: "You can't even sacrifice something as minor as this?
                            Think of it as making a gift. Remember how many valuable things the
                            Buddha sacrificed during his life as Prince Vessantara, and then ask
                            yourself, 'This anger of mine has no value at all. Why can't I
                            sacrifice it, too?'"



                            § One of Ajaan Fuang's students complained to him, "I look at other
                            people, and they seem to have such an easy life. Why is life so hard
                            on me?" His answer: "Your 'hard life' is ten, twenty times 'the good
                            life' for a lot of people. Why don't you look at the people who have a
                            harder time than you do?"



                            § There seem to be more excuses for breaking the fifth precept than
                            for any other. One evening another student was conversing with Ajaan
                            Fuang at the same time that a group of people were sitting around them
                            in meditation. "I can't observe the fifth precept," he said, "because
                            I'm under a lot of group pressure. When we have social occasions at
                            work, and everyone else in the group is drinking, I have to drink
                            along with them."



                            Ajaan Fuang pointed to the people sitting around them and asked, "This
                            group isn't asking you to drink. Why don't you give in to their group
                            pressure instead?"



                            § The seamstress saw her friends observing the eight precepts at Wat
                            Dhammasathit, and so decided to try it herself. But in the middle of
                            the afternoon, as she was walking through the monastery, she passed a
                            guava tree. The guavas looked inviting, so she picked one and took a
                            bite.



                            Ajaan Fuang happened to be standing not far away, and so he remarked,
                            "Hey. I thought you were going to observe the eight precepts. What's
                            that in your mouth?"



                            The seamstress realized in a jolt that she had broken her precepts,
                            but Ajaan Fuang consoled her, "It's not all that necessary to observe
                            the eight precepts, but make sure you observe the one precept, okay?
                            Do you know what the one precept is?"



                            "No, Than Phaw. What is it?"



                            "Not doing any evil. I want you to hold onto this one for life."



                            § A woman came to Wat Dhammasathit to observe the precepts and
                            meditate for a week, but by the end of the second day she told Ajaan
                            Fuang that she had to return home, because she was afraid her family
                            couldn't get along without her. He taught her to cut through her
                            worries by saying, "When you come here, tell yourself that you've
                            died. One way or another, your family will have to learn to fend for
                            themselves."



                            § A Bangkok magazine once carried the serialized autobiography of a
                            lay meditator who used his powers of concentration to treat diseases.
                            One installment mentioned how he had visited Ajaan Fuang, who had
                            certified that he (the layman) had attained jhana. This didn't sound
                            like Ajaan Fuang's style, but soon after the magazine came out,
                            unusual numbers of people came to the wat under the impression that
                            Ajaan Fuang, like the author of the autobiography, could treat
                            illnesses through meditation. One woman asked him if he treated kidney
                            diseases, and he answered, "I treat only one kind of disease: diseases
                            of the mind."







                            share|improve this answer




























                              2












                              2








                              2







                              Some monks provide such a service of spiritual guidance to lay people, even if they are not required to do so. But expect the teacher to teach on his terms and not your's. He is not a commercial service-provider, and you are not his customer. If a monk provides such a service, it should be only out of compassion.



                              Of course, not all monks are equal, so some would be better than others, in terms of character, knowledge, insight, compassion and attainment.



                              From the life of Ajaan Fuang as written by his student Thanissaro Bhikkhu in "Awareness Itself":




                              § One of Ajaan Fuang's students complained to him about all the
                              problems she was facing at work. She wanted to quit and live quietly
                              by herself, but circumstances wouldn't allow it, because she had to
                              provide for her mother. Ajaan Fuang told her, "If you have to live
                              with these things, then find out how to live in a way that rises above
                              them. That's the only way you'll be able to survive."



                              § Advice for a student who was letting the pressure at work get her
                              down: "When you do a job, don't let the job do you."



                              § Another one of Ajaan Fuang's students was having serious problems,
                              both at home and in her work, so he appealed to her fighting spirit:
                              "Anyone who's a real, live person will have to meet up with real, live
                              problems in life."



                              § If any of his students were bearing a grudge about something, he
                              would tell them: "You can't even sacrifice something as minor as this?
                              Think of it as making a gift. Remember how many valuable things the
                              Buddha sacrificed during his life as Prince Vessantara, and then ask
                              yourself, 'This anger of mine has no value at all. Why can't I
                              sacrifice it, too?'"



                              § One of Ajaan Fuang's students complained to him, "I look at other
                              people, and they seem to have such an easy life. Why is life so hard
                              on me?" His answer: "Your 'hard life' is ten, twenty times 'the good
                              life' for a lot of people. Why don't you look at the people who have a
                              harder time than you do?"



                              § There seem to be more excuses for breaking the fifth precept than
                              for any other. One evening another student was conversing with Ajaan
                              Fuang at the same time that a group of people were sitting around them
                              in meditation. "I can't observe the fifth precept," he said, "because
                              I'm under a lot of group pressure. When we have social occasions at
                              work, and everyone else in the group is drinking, I have to drink
                              along with them."



                              Ajaan Fuang pointed to the people sitting around them and asked, "This
                              group isn't asking you to drink. Why don't you give in to their group
                              pressure instead?"



                              § The seamstress saw her friends observing the eight precepts at Wat
                              Dhammasathit, and so decided to try it herself. But in the middle of
                              the afternoon, as she was walking through the monastery, she passed a
                              guava tree. The guavas looked inviting, so she picked one and took a
                              bite.



                              Ajaan Fuang happened to be standing not far away, and so he remarked,
                              "Hey. I thought you were going to observe the eight precepts. What's
                              that in your mouth?"



                              The seamstress realized in a jolt that she had broken her precepts,
                              but Ajaan Fuang consoled her, "It's not all that necessary to observe
                              the eight precepts, but make sure you observe the one precept, okay?
                              Do you know what the one precept is?"



                              "No, Than Phaw. What is it?"



                              "Not doing any evil. I want you to hold onto this one for life."



                              § A woman came to Wat Dhammasathit to observe the precepts and
                              meditate for a week, but by the end of the second day she told Ajaan
                              Fuang that she had to return home, because she was afraid her family
                              couldn't get along without her. He taught her to cut through her
                              worries by saying, "When you come here, tell yourself that you've
                              died. One way or another, your family will have to learn to fend for
                              themselves."



                              § A Bangkok magazine once carried the serialized autobiography of a
                              lay meditator who used his powers of concentration to treat diseases.
                              One installment mentioned how he had visited Ajaan Fuang, who had
                              certified that he (the layman) had attained jhana. This didn't sound
                              like Ajaan Fuang's style, but soon after the magazine came out,
                              unusual numbers of people came to the wat under the impression that
                              Ajaan Fuang, like the author of the autobiography, could treat
                              illnesses through meditation. One woman asked him if he treated kidney
                              diseases, and he answered, "I treat only one kind of disease: diseases
                              of the mind."







                              share|improve this answer















                              Some monks provide such a service of spiritual guidance to lay people, even if they are not required to do so. But expect the teacher to teach on his terms and not your's. He is not a commercial service-provider, and you are not his customer. If a monk provides such a service, it should be only out of compassion.



                              Of course, not all monks are equal, so some would be better than others, in terms of character, knowledge, insight, compassion and attainment.



                              From the life of Ajaan Fuang as written by his student Thanissaro Bhikkhu in "Awareness Itself":




                              § One of Ajaan Fuang's students complained to him about all the
                              problems she was facing at work. She wanted to quit and live quietly
                              by herself, but circumstances wouldn't allow it, because she had to
                              provide for her mother. Ajaan Fuang told her, "If you have to live
                              with these things, then find out how to live in a way that rises above
                              them. That's the only way you'll be able to survive."



                              § Advice for a student who was letting the pressure at work get her
                              down: "When you do a job, don't let the job do you."



                              § Another one of Ajaan Fuang's students was having serious problems,
                              both at home and in her work, so he appealed to her fighting spirit:
                              "Anyone who's a real, live person will have to meet up with real, live
                              problems in life."



                              § If any of his students were bearing a grudge about something, he
                              would tell them: "You can't even sacrifice something as minor as this?
                              Think of it as making a gift. Remember how many valuable things the
                              Buddha sacrificed during his life as Prince Vessantara, and then ask
                              yourself, 'This anger of mine has no value at all. Why can't I
                              sacrifice it, too?'"



                              § One of Ajaan Fuang's students complained to him, "I look at other
                              people, and they seem to have such an easy life. Why is life so hard
                              on me?" His answer: "Your 'hard life' is ten, twenty times 'the good
                              life' for a lot of people. Why don't you look at the people who have a
                              harder time than you do?"



                              § There seem to be more excuses for breaking the fifth precept than
                              for any other. One evening another student was conversing with Ajaan
                              Fuang at the same time that a group of people were sitting around them
                              in meditation. "I can't observe the fifth precept," he said, "because
                              I'm under a lot of group pressure. When we have social occasions at
                              work, and everyone else in the group is drinking, I have to drink
                              along with them."



                              Ajaan Fuang pointed to the people sitting around them and asked, "This
                              group isn't asking you to drink. Why don't you give in to their group
                              pressure instead?"



                              § The seamstress saw her friends observing the eight precepts at Wat
                              Dhammasathit, and so decided to try it herself. But in the middle of
                              the afternoon, as she was walking through the monastery, she passed a
                              guava tree. The guavas looked inviting, so she picked one and took a
                              bite.



                              Ajaan Fuang happened to be standing not far away, and so he remarked,
                              "Hey. I thought you were going to observe the eight precepts. What's
                              that in your mouth?"



                              The seamstress realized in a jolt that she had broken her precepts,
                              but Ajaan Fuang consoled her, "It's not all that necessary to observe
                              the eight precepts, but make sure you observe the one precept, okay?
                              Do you know what the one precept is?"



                              "No, Than Phaw. What is it?"



                              "Not doing any evil. I want you to hold onto this one for life."



                              § A woman came to Wat Dhammasathit to observe the precepts and
                              meditate for a week, but by the end of the second day she told Ajaan
                              Fuang that she had to return home, because she was afraid her family
                              couldn't get along without her. He taught her to cut through her
                              worries by saying, "When you come here, tell yourself that you've
                              died. One way or another, your family will have to learn to fend for
                              themselves."



                              § A Bangkok magazine once carried the serialized autobiography of a
                              lay meditator who used his powers of concentration to treat diseases.
                              One installment mentioned how he had visited Ajaan Fuang, who had
                              certified that he (the layman) had attained jhana. This didn't sound
                              like Ajaan Fuang's style, but soon after the magazine came out,
                              unusual numbers of people came to the wat under the impression that
                              Ajaan Fuang, like the author of the autobiography, could treat
                              illnesses through meditation. One woman asked him if he treated kidney
                              diseases, and he answered, "I treat only one kind of disease: diseases
                              of the mind."








                              share|improve this answer














                              share|improve this answer



                              share|improve this answer








                              edited 17 hours ago

























                              answered 17 hours ago









                              ruben2020ruben2020

                              15.2k31243




                              15.2k31243























                                  1














                                  Well the people who are trained in the dhamma are called the asekhas, meaning the arhats.
                                  The people in training on the dhamma are called the sekhas and they are not puthujjanas, so the sotapannas and all that.



                                  The people who are not trained in the dhamma are the puthujjanas and those people know nothing about the dhamma. Seeking advice from those people, about your life, your behavior, what to do and what not to do is always a bad idea. All those people do is create conditions for future dukkha (and they do not even know it, those people think that what they do is righteous and smart). When a puthujjana follows the advises from a puthujjana, the puthujjana seeking advise will only stay a puthujjana.



                                  The sekhas have more important tasks to realize than advising puthujjanas. At best they can reply to a few questions from the puthujjanas.



                                  The asekhas can talk about the dhamma, to anybody, but they are not here to tell puthujjanas what to do, especially about the worldly affairs of the puthujjanas. At best their generic answers for lay puthujjanas will be about respecting the 5 precepts and being mindful. Asekhas are here to tell the sekhas what to do and what not to do, that works well especially since the sekhas know the asekhas are better than them, and to the puthujjana bikkhus who may like or dislike what the asekhas say or do not say...



                                  So for a puthujjana who seeks advises about worldly affairs, when there are no non-puthujjanas, especially no asekhas, it is going to be hard.






                                  share|improve this answer




























                                    1














                                    Well the people who are trained in the dhamma are called the asekhas, meaning the arhats.
                                    The people in training on the dhamma are called the sekhas and they are not puthujjanas, so the sotapannas and all that.



                                    The people who are not trained in the dhamma are the puthujjanas and those people know nothing about the dhamma. Seeking advice from those people, about your life, your behavior, what to do and what not to do is always a bad idea. All those people do is create conditions for future dukkha (and they do not even know it, those people think that what they do is righteous and smart). When a puthujjana follows the advises from a puthujjana, the puthujjana seeking advise will only stay a puthujjana.



                                    The sekhas have more important tasks to realize than advising puthujjanas. At best they can reply to a few questions from the puthujjanas.



                                    The asekhas can talk about the dhamma, to anybody, but they are not here to tell puthujjanas what to do, especially about the worldly affairs of the puthujjanas. At best their generic answers for lay puthujjanas will be about respecting the 5 precepts and being mindful. Asekhas are here to tell the sekhas what to do and what not to do, that works well especially since the sekhas know the asekhas are better than them, and to the puthujjana bikkhus who may like or dislike what the asekhas say or do not say...



                                    So for a puthujjana who seeks advises about worldly affairs, when there are no non-puthujjanas, especially no asekhas, it is going to be hard.






                                    share|improve this answer


























                                      1












                                      1








                                      1







                                      Well the people who are trained in the dhamma are called the asekhas, meaning the arhats.
                                      The people in training on the dhamma are called the sekhas and they are not puthujjanas, so the sotapannas and all that.



                                      The people who are not trained in the dhamma are the puthujjanas and those people know nothing about the dhamma. Seeking advice from those people, about your life, your behavior, what to do and what not to do is always a bad idea. All those people do is create conditions for future dukkha (and they do not even know it, those people think that what they do is righteous and smart). When a puthujjana follows the advises from a puthujjana, the puthujjana seeking advise will only stay a puthujjana.



                                      The sekhas have more important tasks to realize than advising puthujjanas. At best they can reply to a few questions from the puthujjanas.



                                      The asekhas can talk about the dhamma, to anybody, but they are not here to tell puthujjanas what to do, especially about the worldly affairs of the puthujjanas. At best their generic answers for lay puthujjanas will be about respecting the 5 precepts and being mindful. Asekhas are here to tell the sekhas what to do and what not to do, that works well especially since the sekhas know the asekhas are better than them, and to the puthujjana bikkhus who may like or dislike what the asekhas say or do not say...



                                      So for a puthujjana who seeks advises about worldly affairs, when there are no non-puthujjanas, especially no asekhas, it is going to be hard.






                                      share|improve this answer













                                      Well the people who are trained in the dhamma are called the asekhas, meaning the arhats.
                                      The people in training on the dhamma are called the sekhas and they are not puthujjanas, so the sotapannas and all that.



                                      The people who are not trained in the dhamma are the puthujjanas and those people know nothing about the dhamma. Seeking advice from those people, about your life, your behavior, what to do and what not to do is always a bad idea. All those people do is create conditions for future dukkha (and they do not even know it, those people think that what they do is righteous and smart). When a puthujjana follows the advises from a puthujjana, the puthujjana seeking advise will only stay a puthujjana.



                                      The sekhas have more important tasks to realize than advising puthujjanas. At best they can reply to a few questions from the puthujjanas.



                                      The asekhas can talk about the dhamma, to anybody, but they are not here to tell puthujjanas what to do, especially about the worldly affairs of the puthujjanas. At best their generic answers for lay puthujjanas will be about respecting the 5 precepts and being mindful. Asekhas are here to tell the sekhas what to do and what not to do, that works well especially since the sekhas know the asekhas are better than them, and to the puthujjana bikkhus who may like or dislike what the asekhas say or do not say...



                                      So for a puthujjana who seeks advises about worldly affairs, when there are no non-puthujjanas, especially no asekhas, it is going to be hard.







                                      share|improve this answer












                                      share|improve this answer



                                      share|improve this answer










                                      answered 18 hours ago









                                      user12901user12901

                                      2431




                                      2431























                                          0














                                          The Sangha is not meant as a social service. Althought 95% act as such and this corrupt way of livelihood is actually the only kind most of you will ever come in touch.



                                          If one looks for such, there are institutions one can pay or be paying ones tax.



                                          What one seeks for one get's. So nothing to worry aside of seeking the right.



                                          Even most will not see any benefit to leave the state of being just a away-consumer of some merits in the past, not willing to give, here some words to understand the liberating economy of Dhamma: Better to Give than to Consume



                                          Now one can start to think how much one has actually given since birth and how much simply consumed away for nothing but increasing of desires till today. And here one actually has already the answer why modern people suffer hardly in all ways of mind illness.



                                          Take the most needed with you, close the door from outside and come here not much thinking on going out to simply return back where you came from. Only that resolve and act will heal much already.



                                          A good answer by the way.






                                          share|improve this answer










                                          New contributor




                                          Samana Johann is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                          Check out our Code of Conduct.

























                                            0














                                            The Sangha is not meant as a social service. Althought 95% act as such and this corrupt way of livelihood is actually the only kind most of you will ever come in touch.



                                            If one looks for such, there are institutions one can pay or be paying ones tax.



                                            What one seeks for one get's. So nothing to worry aside of seeking the right.



                                            Even most will not see any benefit to leave the state of being just a away-consumer of some merits in the past, not willing to give, here some words to understand the liberating economy of Dhamma: Better to Give than to Consume



                                            Now one can start to think how much one has actually given since birth and how much simply consumed away for nothing but increasing of desires till today. And here one actually has already the answer why modern people suffer hardly in all ways of mind illness.



                                            Take the most needed with you, close the door from outside and come here not much thinking on going out to simply return back where you came from. Only that resolve and act will heal much already.



                                            A good answer by the way.






                                            share|improve this answer










                                            New contributor




                                            Samana Johann is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                            Check out our Code of Conduct.























                                              0












                                              0








                                              0







                                              The Sangha is not meant as a social service. Althought 95% act as such and this corrupt way of livelihood is actually the only kind most of you will ever come in touch.



                                              If one looks for such, there are institutions one can pay or be paying ones tax.



                                              What one seeks for one get's. So nothing to worry aside of seeking the right.



                                              Even most will not see any benefit to leave the state of being just a away-consumer of some merits in the past, not willing to give, here some words to understand the liberating economy of Dhamma: Better to Give than to Consume



                                              Now one can start to think how much one has actually given since birth and how much simply consumed away for nothing but increasing of desires till today. And here one actually has already the answer why modern people suffer hardly in all ways of mind illness.



                                              Take the most needed with you, close the door from outside and come here not much thinking on going out to simply return back where you came from. Only that resolve and act will heal much already.



                                              A good answer by the way.






                                              share|improve this answer










                                              New contributor




                                              Samana Johann is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.










                                              The Sangha is not meant as a social service. Althought 95% act as such and this corrupt way of livelihood is actually the only kind most of you will ever come in touch.



                                              If one looks for such, there are institutions one can pay or be paying ones tax.



                                              What one seeks for one get's. So nothing to worry aside of seeking the right.



                                              Even most will not see any benefit to leave the state of being just a away-consumer of some merits in the past, not willing to give, here some words to understand the liberating economy of Dhamma: Better to Give than to Consume



                                              Now one can start to think how much one has actually given since birth and how much simply consumed away for nothing but increasing of desires till today. And here one actually has already the answer why modern people suffer hardly in all ways of mind illness.



                                              Take the most needed with you, close the door from outside and come here not much thinking on going out to simply return back where you came from. Only that resolve and act will heal much already.



                                              A good answer by the way.







                                              share|improve this answer










                                              New contributor




                                              Samana Johann is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                              share|improve this answer



                                              share|improve this answer








                                              edited 17 hours ago





















                                              New contributor




                                              Samana Johann is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.









                                              answered 17 hours ago









                                              Samana JohannSamana Johann

                                              11




                                              11




                                              New contributor




                                              Samana Johann is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.





                                              New contributor





                                              Samana Johann is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.






                                              Samana Johann is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
                                              Check out our Code of Conduct.






























                                                  draft saved

                                                  draft discarded




















































                                                  Thanks for contributing an answer to Buddhism Stack Exchange!


                                                  • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                                                  But avoid



                                                  • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                                                  • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


                                                  To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                                                  draft saved


                                                  draft discarded














                                                  StackExchange.ready(
                                                  function () {
                                                  StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fbuddhism.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f31353%2fis-there-a-kind-of-consulting-service-in-buddhism%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                                                  }
                                                  );

                                                  Post as a guest















                                                  Required, but never shown





















































                                                  Required, but never shown














                                                  Required, but never shown












                                                  Required, but never shown







                                                  Required, but never shown

































                                                  Required, but never shown














                                                  Required, but never shown












                                                  Required, but never shown







                                                  Required, but never shown







                                                  Popular posts from this blog

                                                  El tren de la libertad Índice Antecedentes "Porque yo decido" Desarrollo de la...

                                                  Puerta de Hutt Referencias Enlaces externos Menú de navegación15°58′00″S 5°42′00″O /...

                                                  Castillo d'Acher Características Menú de navegación