• ASK! Whenever you have problems with any of the issues discussed - ask! And if you get an answer that is for any reason unsatisfying for you: ask again. Ask until you have an answer that satisfies you. Feel free to ask the same question to different persons. This can only help your understanding of the Dharma. Remember: There are no stupid questions - only improper answers!

• Just once in a while assume that indeed something is wrong with the teachings of the FWBO. This will help you to come up with even better questions. Just try it. In doing so, there are only two logical alternatives: either everything within the FWBO is alright - then your question, again, will only lead to a deeper understanding of both the Dharma and the FWBO. (And surely no one can be against that.) Or there is indeed something wrong and you can look forward to some really interesting times...

• Be very careful when it comes to what the FWBO calls the "spiritual hierarchy"! None of the other Buddhist groups I ever contacted seems to know this. It seems to be purely an issue with the FWBO. I can only guess what purpose it was invented for - but like any other design it surely has a purpose.

• THINK FOR YOURSELF! And if your conclusions differ from those within the FWBO - start an open discussion about it.

• One tip for the real die-hards: Get some rhetorical training both verbal and non-verbal. Remember, you are dealing with people who in many cases give public talks on a regular basis and speak to literally hundreds of people every year. It is safe to assume that most order members and many mitras have been trained in this way - either systematically and / or by experience. And wouldn't it be good to have at least equal opportunities when it comes to a debate?

• I agree with Jerry Destremps (see his letter) that the FWBO's policy of no 'shopping-around' is at least questionable. I have always found it highly stimulating to have contact with people in general and religious people of all faiths in particular. On the other hand, there have been more than one FWBO-talk where I was about to leave prematurely because they were painfully dull.

So you've decided to learn about the Dharma? That's a good decision, indeed. And you've decided to do so with the help of the "Friends of the Western Buddhist Order"? Well, it's your decision. But always remember those immortal words of Obi-Wan Kenobi:

" Who's the more foolish - the fool or the fool who follows him? "