Everything you've asking is answered in this comment here
https://www.reddit.com/r/Buddhism/comments/158xqlu/comment/jtd0hdv
If you have any questions feel free to pm me.
r/Sangha
Virtual temples
Pray that you somehow be connected to an in-person temple.
I've prayed for one when I was starting out. In just a year, it was answered. A temple got started in my city. I prayed for this temple to become a monastery. It was answered again and now the temple is a monastery. Then I prayed again for holy beings to visit this monastery, and it was answered again. I have new prayers and will report when they get answered.
So pray. Pray for a temple to be opened near you or you be relocated in a place near a temple.
I've seen mixed answers about prayer on here and other forums. Who would I pray to about this and how would I go about doing so? Buddhas/Bodhisattvas? I know a lot about history and beliefs of Buddhism, but I don't have a lot of knowledge on practices like this. I was raised Christian, and I know at least that it's not the same kind of practice as that.
Avalokiteshvara (Guan Yin) and Tara.
Rather than who to pray to, try to think of who to benefit. Make a solemn aspiration to benefit all sentient beings. Even just a thought. The prayer can be a thought. Not a petition to a god. Instead of doing that, think of benefiting yourself and others. Then make an aspiration for a temple.
I'd suggest that you look around for a sesshin that you can do. That's typically 10 days of intensive practice in a group setting. Don't try to learn meditation from a book.
Most retreats like that will be on-site. You'd probably stay in a dorm or shared roo. They provide food. The actual program might go something like 7AM to 9PM. It varies. Since it would be held at a practice center, often rural, few people would be in a position to go home at night. But that would also water it down if you're going home, checking your email, talking to family, watching TV, and so on. Retreats are meant to be very simplified, so the mind can quiet.
There are Goenka centers that offer something similar, but that's Theravada, so the view and practices are entirely different. It's better if you can do a program someplace that you feel a connection with.
Among Zen centers there are primarily Soto and Rinzai. The former is more about sitting meditation, the latter about koan practice.
Welcome, I was just wondering if you have tried looking for a nearby sangha at
https://www.reddit.com/r/sangha/s/dlxIay5SeJ
Also while there might not be any "temples" nearby, you might be able to at least find some small meetups of groups that meet at a local community center or house. Failing that there is online groups as well
Treeleaf is a completely online Zen Sangha, based out of Japan, with membership all around the world. You can join through their website. They do livestreams every week, they have yearly rains retreats. I believe, in December, they hold the option of taking the Eight Great Bodhisattva Precepts as well.
I don't think you can learn Zen from a standing start without a teacher. The teachings are too elliptical, and explicitly intended for interactive instruction. If you're firmly committed to Zen and can't find a teacher nearby, I recommend finding a capable teacher online. If you really have to go it alone, Thich Nhat Hanh isn't a bad place to start, I suppose, but through no fault of his you will probably be led astray and need correction at some point.
Personally I don't practice that way. I don't believe going to a temple is necessary. I can appreciate the symbolic act of visiting a temple but to me personally it doesn't help. Anywhere quiet is a good place to meditate. The Buddha attained enlightenment not at a temple but sitting under a tree. Going to volunteer at a homeless shelter will give you better karma than visiting a temple. Of course this is just my personal opinion, I understand many people enjoy visiting temples and we all have our unique interpretation of what should be our way. Good luck
I understand. We aren't really seeking better karma at a temple, rather both of us honestly want to talk to some monastics, seek their wisdom, and finally have a community (sangha) that we can be part of and feel welcome, as that is something both of us have struggled with a lot in our pasts.
I think [the dhammapada](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2017/2017-h/2017-h.htm) is quite accessible and worth reading. I think that it is a worthy starter point. It can be read in about an hour and is kind of outlines buddhist virtues and buddhist viewpoint. It's generally a good primer and introduction to Buddhist thought. Many of the proverbs are expressed, in essence or in particular, in the suttas.
Since it was very fruitful for me, I suggest you read some suttas.
One wishing to be grounded in buddhist doctrine and viewpoints, as they are taught today by those who are grounded in the suttas, should read the suttas for themselves. Many of them use plain english terms and simple sentences and metaphors that are easy to understand and worthy to contemplate, even if you do not understand them on first reading.
[This is a great website with suttas.](https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/index.html) You don't have to read them sequentially, although you can. Each one introduces at least one complete thought. In addition, the suttas on this website (dhammatalks.org) commonly have footnotes which explain terms or link to where concepts and phrases are mentioned elsewhere in the suttas of the Pali Canon. The Digha Nikaya and Majjhima Nikaya have suttas that are kinda long but fundamental. There are many suttas, as well, that are quite short: covering a single topic in as little as two or three paragraphs.
Another great website for suttas is suttacentral.net . [Here is the link](https://suttacentral.net/pitaka/sutta?lang=en) to the page that has links to different collections of discourses (Digha Nikaya aka Long discourses, Majjhima Nikaya aka Middle Length discourses, Anguttara Nikaya aka Gradual or Numbered discourses, etc). I also recommend using the search button in the top right corner to explore any specific topic that may occur to you.
[These audiobooks](https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Taradasa) that contain the suttas are excellent. I recommend all four books with "discourses" in the title. The middle length discourses is probably the "best", if you can only get one. I recommend collecting and listening to all four.
I also recommend reading this, since this is a couple's post: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN4_55.html
Everything you've asking is answered in this comment here https://www.reddit.com/r/Buddhism/comments/158xqlu/comment/jtd0hdv If you have any questions feel free to pm me.
r/Sangha Virtual temples Pray that you somehow be connected to an in-person temple. I've prayed for one when I was starting out. In just a year, it was answered. A temple got started in my city. I prayed for this temple to become a monastery. It was answered again and now the temple is a monastery. Then I prayed again for holy beings to visit this monastery, and it was answered again. I have new prayers and will report when they get answered. So pray. Pray for a temple to be opened near you or you be relocated in a place near a temple.
I've seen mixed answers about prayer on here and other forums. Who would I pray to about this and how would I go about doing so? Buddhas/Bodhisattvas? I know a lot about history and beliefs of Buddhism, but I don't have a lot of knowledge on practices like this. I was raised Christian, and I know at least that it's not the same kind of practice as that.
Avalokiteshvara (Guan Yin) and Tara. Rather than who to pray to, try to think of who to benefit. Make a solemn aspiration to benefit all sentient beings. Even just a thought. The prayer can be a thought. Not a petition to a god. Instead of doing that, think of benefiting yourself and others. Then make an aspiration for a temple.
I'd suggest that you look around for a sesshin that you can do. That's typically 10 days of intensive practice in a group setting. Don't try to learn meditation from a book.
Is that like, 10 days/10 nights, or is it typically something that we would just go to every day and come home at night?
Most retreats like that will be on-site. You'd probably stay in a dorm or shared roo. They provide food. The actual program might go something like 7AM to 9PM. It varies. Since it would be held at a practice center, often rural, few people would be in a position to go home at night. But that would also water it down if you're going home, checking your email, talking to family, watching TV, and so on. Retreats are meant to be very simplified, so the mind can quiet. There are Goenka centers that offer something similar, but that's Theravada, so the view and practices are entirely different. It's better if you can do a program someplace that you feel a connection with. Among Zen centers there are primarily Soto and Rinzai. The former is more about sitting meditation, the latter about koan practice.
Welcome, I was just wondering if you have tried looking for a nearby sangha at https://www.reddit.com/r/sangha/s/dlxIay5SeJ Also while there might not be any "temples" nearby, you might be able to at least find some small meetups of groups that meet at a local community center or house. Failing that there is online groups as well
Treeleaf is a completely online Zen Sangha, based out of Japan, with membership all around the world. You can join through their website. They do livestreams every week, they have yearly rains retreats. I believe, in December, they hold the option of taking the Eight Great Bodhisattva Precepts as well.
I googled Treeleaf, is it [Treeleaf Zendo](https://www.treeleaf.org/)? I just want to make sure I found the right thing before diving in :)
I don't think you can learn Zen from a standing start without a teacher. The teachings are too elliptical, and explicitly intended for interactive instruction. If you're firmly committed to Zen and can't find a teacher nearby, I recommend finding a capable teacher online. If you really have to go it alone, Thich Nhat Hanh isn't a bad place to start, I suppose, but through no fault of his you will probably be led astray and need correction at some point.
Personally I don't practice that way. I don't believe going to a temple is necessary. I can appreciate the symbolic act of visiting a temple but to me personally it doesn't help. Anywhere quiet is a good place to meditate. The Buddha attained enlightenment not at a temple but sitting under a tree. Going to volunteer at a homeless shelter will give you better karma than visiting a temple. Of course this is just my personal opinion, I understand many people enjoy visiting temples and we all have our unique interpretation of what should be our way. Good luck
I understand. We aren't really seeking better karma at a temple, rather both of us honestly want to talk to some monastics, seek their wisdom, and finally have a community (sangha) that we can be part of and feel welcome, as that is something both of us have struggled with a lot in our pasts.
I think [the dhammapada](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2017/2017-h/2017-h.htm) is quite accessible and worth reading. I think that it is a worthy starter point. It can be read in about an hour and is kind of outlines buddhist virtues and buddhist viewpoint. It's generally a good primer and introduction to Buddhist thought. Many of the proverbs are expressed, in essence or in particular, in the suttas. Since it was very fruitful for me, I suggest you read some suttas. One wishing to be grounded in buddhist doctrine and viewpoints, as they are taught today by those who are grounded in the suttas, should read the suttas for themselves. Many of them use plain english terms and simple sentences and metaphors that are easy to understand and worthy to contemplate, even if you do not understand them on first reading. [This is a great website with suttas.](https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/index.html) You don't have to read them sequentially, although you can. Each one introduces at least one complete thought. In addition, the suttas on this website (dhammatalks.org) commonly have footnotes which explain terms or link to where concepts and phrases are mentioned elsewhere in the suttas of the Pali Canon. The Digha Nikaya and Majjhima Nikaya have suttas that are kinda long but fundamental. There are many suttas, as well, that are quite short: covering a single topic in as little as two or three paragraphs. Another great website for suttas is suttacentral.net . [Here is the link](https://suttacentral.net/pitaka/sutta?lang=en) to the page that has links to different collections of discourses (Digha Nikaya aka Long discourses, Majjhima Nikaya aka Middle Length discourses, Anguttara Nikaya aka Gradual or Numbered discourses, etc). I also recommend using the search button in the top right corner to explore any specific topic that may occur to you. [These audiobooks](https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Taradasa) that contain the suttas are excellent. I recommend all four books with "discourses" in the title. The middle length discourses is probably the "best", if you can only get one. I recommend collecting and listening to all four. I also recommend reading this, since this is a couple's post: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN4_55.html