How beneficial is it to Meditate in a group?

TheEccentric

There are two NKT meditation centres in my local area and I would like to try them but they finish kind of late for a school night, would it be any better than just meditating on my own?

BhikkhuJayasara

most would say there is benefit to both, personally I have yet to really see much benefit to doing it in a group, some talk about an energy you get with the group, etc, I 've never really felt that.

I feel energy when I sit under a tree in the forest alone.

this from the Maha Satipatana sutta -

[1] "There is the case where a monk — having gone to the wilderness, to the shade of a tree, or to an empty building — sits down folding his legs crosswise, holding his body erect and setting mindfulness to the fore [lit: the front of the chest]. Always mindful, he breathes in; mindful he breathes out.

doesn't say anything about going to a building with 20 other people :P

I'd say try both, what harm can it do? If the group benefits you, then thats great, if being alone benefits you, then thats great. Only you can decide what is beneficial to your practice.

karasti

Everyone is different. I personally find benefits to meditating in a group, it's nice to be with like-minded people, and after meditating we always have discussion. Some people find it distracting, some people enjoy it. If you are easily distracted it could be very hard for you to meditate in a group, but it might be good practice at working past distractions, too. At least in my experience, you always have people who are sniffling, coughing, sneezing, shuffling around, sometimes people forget to shut their phones off, etc. But overall, I find it more than worth it to meditate in a group. You'll never know if it's for you unless you try it.

Awakening

Meditating with a group can encourage you to maintain stillness and respect, and in that way it can be beneficial. Not to mention the benefits of being able to discuss your experience afterwards and get feedback. That said, I think there should be a personal balance between group and individual meditation. The sutras incline towards solitary meditation, however.

Jeffrey

You can do guided meditations in a group. And you get a group energy vibe, just the excitement of being near people. I think I notice that more because I am pretty reclusive.

TheEccentric

Thankyou everybody, it has been decided I'm going to try it out.

shanyin

I used to go to a group yoga class that I really enjoyed and we would do breath meditation with dim lights at the end. Seeing other people meditate made me think.. why don't I do this all the time? (meditate daily)

caz

TheEccentric said:

There are two NKT meditation centres in my local area and I would like to try them but they finish kind of late for a school night, would it be any better than just meditating on my own?

Definitely go along you can pick up some great advise with regards to meditation and practice ! Whats the names of them ?

Meditating on your own is where you get the majority of your practice done, But its always important to try and pick up some of the experience of those who've been at it for years.

TheEccentric

caz said:

TheEccentric said:

There are two NKT meditation centres in my local area and I would like to try them but they finish kind of late for a school night, would it be any better than just meditating on my own?

Definitely go along you can pick up some great advise with regards to meditation and practice ! Whats the names of them ?

Meditating on your own is where you get the majority of your practice done, But its always important to try and pick up some of the experience of those who've been at it for years.

One is called Shantideva Kadampa Budddhist Centre and the other Dorjechang, it looks like I am going to Shantideva

lobster

I have only been to a NK centre once. The monk seemed very impressed that they did their chanting in english and got me to help him with a tea offering to what looked like one of David Ickes lizard people. I wanted to know about coffee offerings or if biscuits (torma) were available. They kindly offered me lunch, which I declined as I could not afford a free lunch.
A friend of mine became a volunteer at the same center without me even knowing he had converted to Buddhism. I only found out after he died.
Please be aware that you are quite young to be attending a group that may include people weirder than me or Mr 'I am not crazy' Icke and think about bringing one of your chickens for protection.

Good luck and remember to ask them any solitary sitting queries you may have.
Bravo. :clap:

chela

One thing I think might be a perk for me, as a newbie, in going to a group meditation is that it helps keep me focused on what I want to be doing. I make myself go to the place, and then I am sort of held captive for that hour and a half (or whatever). So, even though a thought arises now and again, "are we almost done? I think we are almost done..." I have faith that I will override that thought and sit until I hear the bell ring. Sometimes when I try to meditate for longer than 20 minutes at home, it's like my mind is trying soooo hard to get me to get up. I struggle more with longer meditations at home. It seems so much easier at my center.

The other things I like about going to the center is that we chant (take refuge in the Triple Gem and recite Prajna Paramita) every Sunday, and I really like the group chanting. We also have a brief reading in the second part of sitting meditation, which I really like as it provides interest and is thought provoking. We also do monthly potlucks as well as group Dharma discussions. I like meeting people in "real life" that I can share Buddhism with. These things all come together to provide me with a more thought provoking experience as well as help me feel a part of something bigger than myself.