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No Local Sanghas
I've been trying to look for a local group of Buddhist practitioners with whom to study meditation techniques and discuss dharma. I live in Kalamazoo, MI (that's the southwest part of the state) and according to online sangha directories there should be a local group that meets out of a massage therapy clinic nearby, but none of the current contacts is responding by email. I specifically was hoping to meet with this group because it is affiliated with Thich Naht Han's Order of Interbeing.
There is a Zen temple in Ann Arbor, about 2 hours drive from me, but there is no way my vehicle would make it that far.
I'm thinking that it might be karma that finally brings me closer to a group of regular practitioners with whom I may share my faith. Is it common for American Buddhists to be without a local organized Sangha?
At least this site has strong community base.
There is a Zen temple in Ann Arbor, about 2 hours drive from me, but there is no way my vehicle would make it that far.
I'm thinking that it might be karma that finally brings me closer to a group of regular practitioners with whom I may share my faith. Is it common for American Buddhists to be without a local organized Sangha?
At least this site has strong community base.
0
Comments
Sorry about the situation, persevere and don't hesitate to set up a formal sitting place at home.
Best,
Abu
Have you checked out this site: http://sokukoji.org/
It's closer, and hopefully this isn't the place that isn't returning your emails.
This one could be promising. Battle Creek is about half as far as Ann Arbor. Thanks for the link.
Best of luck in your searching.
zencast.org is a good podcast that discusses the dharma and meditation techniques.
Metta,
Tom
A sitting group? What do you mean?
I first tried to start a Vipassana group but quickly found that too limiting as most people do not know what it is. The need to sit with others was so strong that I changed it to just "meditation" and I received a lot of inquires and the group got off to a good start.
The only requirement was that the meditation was silent (no mantras) - so we had quite an mix of people - Christian and Buddhists of different schools and some people from 12 step groups.
It is a beginning, and it worked for me. I should add that after a little over a year the group quit meeting for various reasons but during that year a few of us started a study group that continues meeting weekly to this day - 3 years later.
The point being, there may be others like yourself who are looking for a place and others to meditate with.
Please don't limit your options to whichever school of Buddhism you are more familiar with. All schools will take you to Nirvana, and you can benefit from contact with any of them.
As for a preferred dharma center being too far away to go to regularly, many of these centers occasionally offer a weekend or week-long retreat, and you could go there as your holiday (take Greyhound if your car is unreliable!).
There is not substitute for a live in-the-flesh sangha. There are many more misunderstandings when there is not a live teacher to observe, to ask questions of, to correct our misunderstandings. Do yourself a favor and find a sangha, even if it is just once or twice a year.
As mentioned above, start your own group. It can center around both sitting, reading passages, and discussion. If you're willing to drop some cash upfront, you can start a Meetup.com group for $19.99 (or less if you commit for a longer period). Of course, you should probably first check meetup to see if there isn't already one. I found two groups in my area through meetup.
Another alternative is craigslist, but I don't think that you'd get as many hits as meetup.
Awakened Mind Meditation Center
Address: 3628 N Westnedge, Kalamazoo, MI 49004 MI
Tradition: Non-Sectarian
Phone: (269) 344-1370
E-mail: davidlgreeley@mei.net
Website: http://www.awakenedmindcenter.org
Find on:
Teachers: Huyente, Thai Tue
Contact: David Greeley
Found it at Buddhanet.net: http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/province.php?province_id=43
Also, if you like online teachings, just youtube Ajahn Brahm. He has many teachings on various topics.
I wish you all the best!
Sorry to hear that community shut down. My only choices in Roanoke, Virginia are an NKT center (no thanks) and a Zendo, which is a little intense for me right now. Plus it's all the way on the other side of town.
Maybe we all need to go out and recruit new Buddhists. Evangelical Buddhism - I like it!
And it all started out when two people got together after a general-interest non-credit course about religions, and said to each other "I'd like to learn more about Buddhism".
That was 20 years ago, and this spring, the house is being torn down to make way for a new temple which will be large enough to accommodate everyone who comes for lessons and pujas.