INTRODUCTION: purpose & aim

Realizing from my investigations into local Sangha that the pathways I related to best to were not practiced nearby, I began to understand that restricting oneself to specific pathways within Buddhism is not easy, unless you live in a country where Buddhism is the main religion and the form you wish to pursue is in operation. Australia may accept Buddhism - indeed, it currently stands as the second major religion - and we may have two fine temples within our local area, but neither practices the specific form of Buddhism that I seek. There are plenty of options to be a Buddhist in general, but not to pick a certain path.

Most western forms of Buddhism tend to focus on how to live Buddhist principles within an everyday modern life, but I have never been at home with the lifestyles of today and therefore relate better to the Tibetan and Thai formats. However, one value of modern Western Buddhism is the internet. Online, you can connect to every form of Buddhism possible. It can still be difficult for people in the Western world who have no Buddhist family support, or a nearby temple to which they can connect. Many modern Buddhists choose to adapt the basic Buddhist principles to fit their own life. I see this as OK, but not really for me. I have a special drawing towards Thai Dhutanga and Tibetan Vajrayana. Realizing that I am just one being amongst many million, I remain accepting of every form, whilst practicing my own preferences within my own home and life.

The newer forms of Buddhism, which are often practiced in the US, seem to bring about a completely new form of Buddhism. They combine aspects and ideas from the different historical schools of the Eastern world, adapting them to modern Western life. Whereas I find this hard to follow and can learn more from the Eastern sources, I realize that I too, am a part of this 'new' Buddhism. I do not have a specific Lama or Guru, but combine the teachings of the Tibetan Vajrayana and Thai Dhutanga with those of the Dalai Lama and various other modern Buddhists.
A Buddhist is a Buddhist. There are many areas of Buddhism to think about and practice, whichever methods of obtaining the target you use. Recognizing this, I decided to use the following titles in my posts, to enable readers to follow specific ideas or locate certain information:

INTRODUCTION - Explaining what I will be covering & how I personally discovered Buddhism
BUDDHIST THEORY - exploring the basic concepts, texts, ideas & philosophies
BUDDHIST PRACTICE - problems, experiences, news, and helpful hints for practicing Buddhism in the Western world
BOOK REVIEW - reviews of various Buddhist writings, old and new, Eastern and Western
EVENTS & ESTABLISHMENTS - major worldwide events, local events and Temples that I visit