To be honest I am not sure what to put here just yet. Should I tell you about me, or should I give the Dhamma.uk mission statement? I guess a bit of both would be the ideal. So with that in mind…

Just Who Is Andy Cook?

I am a lay Buddhist of minimal experience and practice. I have no teacher, no guru, and no monastery or temple to attend. Pretty much all of my Buddhist experience comes from books, the internet and rather uneventful attempts at meditation. In fact I am probably the last person on the planet who should try to build a beginners Buddhist website, but then if I don’t I will not be following my calling.

I live in East London, UK, with my partner, Sharon, and our three cats. Trying to find 30 minutes to practice Metta or Vippassana can be incredibly difficult when our furry four pawed friends demand attention, but I have found that bedtime is now the best time for some peace and quiet. I have a small shrine in our front room which even the cats seem to respect .

I have spent the last five or six years slowly investigating Buddhism, originally starting with Tibetan and the Dalai Lama’s teachings but I believe I have finally found my path with Theravada Buddhism. There is something about it that suits my personality more than Mahayana and other strands of the tradition.

Anyway, that is enough about me, so… On to more important issues. Just what is the idea behind this site? What is *Dhamma all about?

*Dhamma and it’s Vision

The idea behind this site is quite simple… it is to provide a site that at least provides a starting point for those who may be curious about Buddhism but do not know where to start. I have been interested in Buddhism for five or six years now and have realised that there really aren’t that many sites out there that cater for the beginner. There are mountains of sites available for those that know what they are after but precious few that cater for those that haven’t got a clue. With this in mind, the initial sections that I will create will hopefully give the newcomer a guide to what is involved at the very basic level. The 4 Noble Truths, The Noble 8 Fold Path, basic meditation, that sort of thing.

Comments will be open and discussion encouraged. Should enough visitors get involved then I may use a WordPress plugin called Buddy Press to encourage a sort of community to build up, but that is very much for the future.

Any errors are mine, and any merit earned is dedicated to all sentient beings. May they all find their way to Nibbana.

May all beings live without fear.