First: read my Frequently Asked Questions page, as I tend to get essentially the same few basic categories of emails. While the amount of email traffic I receive is quite small, it seems that often the other things on this website do not quite properly convey the sort of email contact and questions that I appreciate the most. So, if you are thinking of emailing me, please consider the following points: Seriously consider asking your question on The Dharma Overground , as not only do I pay a lot of attention to what happens there and post fairly often in response to threads there, but you will draw on the greater wisdom and diverse perspectives of a healthy community of practitioners, many of whom have a serious clue. Chances are someone has either already raised the issue you are interested in or that there will be many people who will benefit from the exchange that follows your post, given that people tend to run into the same issues again and again. If that doesn't get you what you want, then consider the following: My whole interest in Buddhism (and any other spiritual tradition) has to do with how it can be applied in a practical sense today so that people can understand reality in a way that makes a real positive difference. Put another way, I have no interest at all in debating non-practical points of dogma, terminology, philosophy, mythology, history, or religion, but I greatly appreciate thoughtful and applicable