Hey all, I'm just a little excited about this and wanted to share. For the last three years Buddhism (Theravadan and Zen schools) have played a huge part in my life. Last week I found a Zen center that does online training and I sent in a request to be part of this program. About thirty minutes ago I received an email telling me how to begin the steps to formal Zen practice. Hooray! Little Steps, Big Change! Has anyone else participated in training like this before? Anyway, that is all!
I'm still not over sure what to think about online Sangha's. Some people find them to be a big no-no...but hey, not everyone lives with access to a brain to pick or someone to help them sit better. I watch the forums over at Treeleaf and it's interesting. There is certainly a good deal of learning that can come off well online. I don't believe it can do much harm as long as everyone is aware of the typical problems of communicating via posts or cams. And as long as your leaders are tight because there will always be bad places with bad instrustion, IRL or online. Maybe I should peek in at the Ottawa one and see how they do things. I've been reading and sitting mostly on my own but I did get a chance to participate in a zendo in Newmarket(a Korean style) - wow - there is indeed something to be said for direct human teaching. I learned so much that day. So I would say the online community is probably a great tool but it couldn't hurt to maybe get out to the zen folk in London(Soto) who have daily sits and a few courses each month at least once. Someday I'm gonna get up off my arse and go sit with those folks myself.
There is a practical reason for this, many minds concentrating on one thing enforce each other. My sangha is not apart from anyone, no matter where or when, it is uninterrupted. Our power is our power to intend our minds, there are no idle thoughts.
What I'm doing doesn't cost anything BUT I am encouraged to give dana, which is a donation, once a month.
