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My first retreat and beginning with a sangha

JerbearJerbear Veteran
edited December 2005 in Sanghas
I went on my first day retreat on Saturday. Lots of sitting, some walking and working meditation and a few breaks. Silence was maintained for the whole day. Only the guiding teacher, a student teacher and I showed up. And I guess we were the only one's supposed to be there. I have to say it was tough and it was fun to boot! I walked out of there feeling like I was starting to get serious about this journey. I've started doing the things that my temple (Muddy Water Zen for you Detroit/Ann Arbor people) to take the precepts in June.

I had dabbled with Buddhism reading stuff here and there, meditating off and on. Then I had a prety bad accident 1 year ago tomorrow that was life changing. I ended up on life support for a month and lots of therapy to get back to work. Around June or July, I found MWZ and was totally bummed by the month off. But September came and I've been quite active there since. I clicked with the teacher immediately. I may not like everything he says but he is a good teacher.

Hope you all are having as much fun with your practice as I am.

Comments

  • zenmonk_genryuzenmonk_genryu
    edited December 2005
    :cool:
  • buddhafootbuddhafoot Veteran
    edited December 2005
    I've been thinking about visiting a Pure Land Buddhist temple close to me - but I'm having a hard time chanting something to a Buddha asking for them to take care of all of my troubles.

    -bf
  • JerbearJerbear Veteran
    edited December 2005
    buddhafoot wrote:
    I've been thinking about visiting a Pure Land Buddhist temple close to me - but I'm having a hard time chanting something to a Buddha asking for them to take care of all of my troubles.

    -bf

    That doesn't sound right to me. But then to each their own. I bought a book called "The Buddha in Your Mirror" about Nichiren Buddhism where you chant this phrase over and over and you get everything you want. It didn't really sound like what I had read previously about Buddhism.

    And in Pure Land, don't they believe in life after death?
  • buddhafootbuddhafoot Veteran
    edited December 2005
    Jerbear wrote:
    That doesn't sound right to me. But then to each their own. I bought a book called "The Buddha in Your Mirror" about Nichiren Buddhism where you chant this phrase over and over and you get everything you want. It didn't really sound like what I had read previously about Buddhism.

    And in Pure Land, don't they believe in life after death?

    Pure Land teaches things like this:
    If a person recites the name of Amitabha Buddha single-mindedly for a period of from one or two up to seven days without allowing anything to confuse the mind, at the end of that person's life Amitabha Buddha and a multitude of holy ones will appear before him. As the person dies, his mind will not be deluded, and he will attain rebirth in Amitabha Buddha's land of ultimate bliss.

    A little odd for me too.

    -bf
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