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My first visit to a real-life sangha

vixthenomadvixthenomad
edited September 2011 in Sanghas
Yesterday I attended a meeting of the Pebbles Sangha in Brighton (England).

It's a Zen group, which suits me well as so far I feel most drawn towards the Zen way. There were no ordained monks or nuns but several practitioners of many years' standing. We did a guided meditation, a walking meditation, took turns reading from a text and then shared some ideas that had arisen from the readings. Then it was just free meditation and we all shared a veggie lunch afterwards.

I also borrowed some books from them, and ended up going home with a bag full of windfall plums and apples off someone's tree. Not bad considering that my contribution was a box of herbal tea bags! The other members came cross as very normal, not new-agey like I've found some Buddhists to be, but with a certain peace about them - just ordinary people trying, in a very quiet and unpretentious way, to live a good life.

All in all, a lovely, friendly and informal group that I will almost certainly frequent again.

Comments

  • DazzleDazzle
    Sounds good Vix ! I hope you have many more fruitful get-togethers with the
    group. :)
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    That's great Vix! Happy to hear it.

    Ah, Brighton :)
  • CinorjerCinorjer Veteran
    I'm glad the experience was a positive one.
  • ToshTosh Veteran
    It was nice to read about your first experience; it's interesting isn't it!

    At my first experience, I never took my shoes off, and I had two Tibetan monks (who frightened me 'cos I'm ex army and they look like Gurkhas) shout 'Shoes off!! Then they giggled and one said, "There, first lesson!"

    Made me smile.
  • MahuidouMahuidou New
    I am starting to get to know my local zen shrine and I also had nothing but positive experiences. A little bit of an anxious or weird feeling going on the first day. But, the first plunge has been taken and I am genuinely happen to have such a group so near.
  • BloodyCactusBloodyCactus New
    zen + jam! thats a nice outcome.. fresh plum jam. unless you ate them all on the way home :D
  • vixthenomadvixthenomad
    Ah, Brighton :)
    You've visited, then? :)

  • BloodyCactusBloodyCactus New
    when I lived in London for 5 years all I remember of Brighton is when the west pier burned down in 2003.
  • genkakugenkaku Northampton, Mass. U.S.A. Veteran
    Good for you @vixthenomad! There's nothing like a little empirical investigation to put meat on the Buddhist bone.

    Go once, go twice, go three times ... just keep on going and keep on practicing. Will you find things to like? Count on it. Will you find things to dislike? Count on it. Will you be elevated or despair? Count on it. Just keep up your determined and constant practice.
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    zen + jam!
    Didn't they put out several albums in the 1980s and '90s? :)
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    There's nothing like a little empirical investigation to put meat on the Buddhist bone.
    Spoken like a true vegetarian :)
  • BloodyCactusBloodyCactus New
    zen + jam!
    Didn't they put out several albums in the 1980s and '90s? :)
    I think they toured roanoke with the wiggles

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