Individual Guidance
Individual guidance can be an integral element of the spiritual path.
Note: This page is in flux and is not currently an official page on the Uncontrived site.
It is best to work with a teacher whom you can see in person for teachings and/or guidance. This may mean that you travel to attend teachings. Making this effort has been an effective way to receive spiritual guidance for millennia. In the current world, technology allows connection to a teacher virtually, which can sometimes be effective when done sincerely.
Practice discussion is a meeting with a teacher within a Dharma context. Each case is treated uniquely, but in all cases, both parties must agree to such an engagement.
For clarity: practice discussion is not psychotherapy and should not be interpreted as medical or legal advice. In some cases, making use of other modalities is preferable before undertaking spiritual guidance; the teacher may require this.
Mutuality
The teacher-student relationship is one of shared aim: Both parties want your liberation. Each brings respect for the other and appropriate resources to support this aim. The teacher offers guidance from lengthy practice and training. The student offers sincere effort and honesty. And financial support is part of it too. Individual guidance is dāna-based in the sense that there is no fixed fee and no one is turned away for lack of financial resources. However, in working with a teacher, please bear this mutuality in mind.