Hi Ynot,
I thought of the privacy issue, then felt its no big deal. I am retired now and have plenty of free time, and if I don’t like a message I can delete it and learn to practice metta. By the way I have several email accounts, worst case scenario, I can close the account.
This email I have is just for dhamma related topics. <[email protected]>
(but I don’t check my mail everyday, and take a few days to reply, especially if I happen to be travelling or in the Indian subcontinent).
I also want to be able to communicate with serious vipassana students because I have lost all contact with them because I have not been able to go there since Sept 2019 due to covid restrictions. I had planned to live there as a longterm server after retirement, but covid changed everything. But it is a blessing in disguise because I would have not got the full benefit and guidance of the puredhamma site, because over there you get very limited internet access.
I would have not understood anicca is not the same as anitya and there is no such pali word! and anatta has nothing to do with nonself! That in itself outweighs all other considerations.
I have realized that being too loyal to any one organization and not getting exposed to other views can have adverse effect to ones progress. Believe it or not I was very closely connected to another organization for 33 years and by providence got in touch with Buddhism and we were preached to stay away from the Buddha’s teachings!
The minute someone says don’t listen to other views, should raise a red flag!
It is like being restricted to one diet, one season or being restricted to one small county or zipcode (as was the case last year due to covid). I feel that I have been very fortunate to be guided by benevolent spiritual guiding force all through my life. In hindsight even all my failures were a blessing in disguise!
Metta