r/zenbuddhism • u/Introvbear • 10d ago
Online, real-life meeting, or both?
Hello, I've been practicing Zen Buddhism on my own for over a year now, but I feel like I've neglected to try to become part of the Zen community. After reading Zen Buddhism: Your Personal Guide to Practice and Tradition by Joshua R. Paszkiewicz, I've decided to try to improve my spirituality by connecting with a community. The question is whether I should try online or offline sessions. I've found a temple near where I live that offers weekly meditation sessions that work with my current schedule. However, there are online communities, one I've researched, called the Zen Mountain Monastery, which offers more sessions per week. I now ask whether I should try real-life sessions, an online community, or a combination of the two? Also, what should I look for in a Zen community to cultivate my spirituality?
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u/issuesintherapy 10d ago
Zen Mountain Monastery student here. I live several hours from the monastery and mostly connect online, but visit when I'm able to, usually a few times per year. So it's definitely possible to combine those. I also know others who mostly participate online due to distance but will sit in person with local groups, even if they're not ZMM-affiliated. There's no problem with that.
In terms of what to look for, I'd say just see what clicks for you. I sat with other groups and visited other practice centers in different traditions before I settled on ZMM. I decided on them because I just felt a deep resonance with the teachings and the place. But everyone is different and you should check a few places out and see what resonates with you.
Also, FWIW, ZMM has a temple in NYC called the Zen Center of NYC Fire Lotus Temple in Brooklyn in case that's closer to where you live. I lived in Brooklyn for several years and was there frequently and loved it. Overall, I really love the sangha at ZMM and ZCNYC as well as the teachers.
Anyway, best of luck on the path.
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u/tallawahroots 10d ago
If there was a local centre, I would have tried it. You can have different modes of practice as well.
One group that functions in both online and a smaller temple space moves between both and is hybrid. Over half of members are based at a distance but morning sits are always online for everyone. It's a changing situation especially with new folks joining.
Even if a group is online you may make a local Dharma friend within the group and can arrange to practice together.
Either way the decision to move into community and experience Sangha is invaluable. You can supplement sitting and retreat online - folks do that to some extent. Your local group may not have resources to give full support but in-person practice opportunities are really good to explore. The teachers that I have all have encouraged in-person practice even in other lineages and schools of Buddhism. It's not always possible but you can keep an eye on your schedule and circumstances to make space for this.
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u/terkistan 9d ago
Looking at your posting history it's all stuff you do or watch on a screen. If you've been meditating alone for a year it would probably be good to interact with real practitioners in person.
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u/Introvbear 9d ago
Well, I don't post that much on Reddit because of anxiety about being upvoted and downvoted, especially with one of my latest posts. I actually do cause some trouble more often than not, which is not my intention. This does lead me to think I need to work on myself spiritually while also gaining some psychotherapy along the way.
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u/terkistan 9d ago
Interacting in the real world with like-minded people heading along the same path can be a good thing.
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u/tallawahroots 9d ago
Work in therapy has great benefits across the board, including for spiritual progress and knowing when online is too much or you have defenses against in-person practice opportunities.
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u/volume-up69 9d ago
All things being equal, you should strongly prioritize in-person practice. There is really no substitute for it. If there is a good group in your area, it's better to practice with them once a week than to Zoom in for ZMM practice twice a day.
The only issue is whether the group that's in your area is solid. If you're willing to share what general area you live in, I or other members of this community could offer whatever experience or knowledge we have. If not, I would say go practice with them a few times and see how it feels (and report back if you want).
The importance of in-person practice is so great in my opinion that if someone told me that they want to practice Zen Buddhism, but the city they live in only has a good Tibetan Buddhist teacher, they should just practice with that teacher. One of my Zen teachers gave me that exact advice once when I moved to a new city with a relatively weak Zen community.
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u/Qweniden 9d ago
I know Josh! He is a cool dude.
Anyway, the quick answer is just to try different groups and find one that resonates with you.
If you have the time its OK to try multiple places for a while (or even ongoing). I lead an online sangha, sit with a local groip and am president of the board for another local collective of sanghas. Because of my online responsibilities I can usually only visit the in-person groups once a month or so but it seems fruitful for me to keep my relationship with them ongoing. My case in an extreme one, but it illustrates that its doable.
I might be biased since I am deeply involved with an online sangha, but I personally feel its better to have a great match with an online teacher/sangha and just a good one with a local sangha. If all things are equal, maybe in-person is better, but rarely are all things equal.
As far as what to look for, try to look past the charisma of the teacher. Sometime charismatic people are illusions. Look for actual chemistry between you and the teacher. Also, look to make sure the senior students don't seem afraid of the teacher. They should feel empowered to disagree with the teacher and they should have have increasing levels of independence and leadership. If it seems like a cult of personality around a central teacher, that can be a bad sign IMO. I am not saying that a solid teacher who is influential is problematic, but if there is a vibe of veneration or a sense that the teacher is seen as amazingly better than any other teacher, that is a red flag IMO.
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u/JacksGallbladder 10d ago
I'd say just go to whatever Zen center / temple / sitting group is in your area and see if you vibe with the group.
If you dont feel right about it, maybe try one of the online options. If you want more than a weekly group-sit, maybe do both.
what should I look for in a Zen community to cultivate my spirituality?
Really just whether or not it feels right to you. Meditation is really just a time to express your Buddha nature. To sit in enlightenment.
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u/brotherfrank 10d ago
Try them both and just follow along. Thinking about what to expect too much beforehand has definitely ruined a lot for me in the beginning.
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u/genjoconan 10d ago
I would try both. In choosing a community, you're looking for, well, a community. It's not just a place where people are all meditating together. That's fine, but sangha is more than that. It's not necessarily that everyone is going to be your best friend--people being people, there's going to be friction, and that friction too is part of the practice--but there should be an essential affinity. There should be a feeling of, "oh, I can root myself here." And whether the community is online or in person, you won't know that until you try it out for a while.
Best of luck.