thanks for those links severijn. i'm in sweden at the moment (maybe why i'm in such bad shape-- the dark winter). as far as hinduism vs. buddhism, to me non-dualism is most important, so say, advaita would work fine for me. i know there is a big advaita satsang culture in the us, but something more complete would be preferable for me. in the us, there are sooo many different kinds of buddhist temples and traditions, but none of them really take a person out of the rat race. they are often more like "church" for people. in the u.s. so few people are at the temples year round, unless they pay or are priests or something. so i suppose the inclusive and immersive nature of the american branches of the hindu temples are very appealing to americans who want to completely change their lifestyle, and not leave. and everyone knows the krishnas serve delicious food. why did you choose not to leave the western world? btw that castle looks unreal! like a storybook place.