The Importance of Community ~ Taking A Survey

This morning a message came through the e-mail that spoke to me loud and clear.

From Tricycle.com, it featured the words of Thich Nhat Hanh on the importance of "Sangha," a faithful and supportive community of people who practice together. Of course, the practice he is speaking of is meditation—especially through mindfulness.

That passage opened me up to feelings I've been having about the Meditation Challenge and the fact that it is over. It also opened up a Pandora's Box of questions, beginning with:

Should it be over?

Should we continue so we do not lose our momentum? 

I've received many e-mails from people stating how much they miss the Challenge and checking in here everyday to see what others are doing; to get re-inspired to keep on keepin' on; to learn something new about meditation; to meet an expert or tap into a new resource.

I received one mail from a very active participant who asked me to consider hosting the Challenge through the entire year until we've completed 365 days of meditation.

I retrieved mixed Google analytics that said the site activity was up by 64% during the Challenge.

I became aware that many new people came to Awake is Good for daily sustenance.

I also became aware that many "regulars" fell away. Obviously, meditation was not their thing. :-)

I listened to my own inner longings of missing the Challenge too, missing hearing your stories of success and even the "failures," though, of course, we learned that there are no failures, just beginning again.

In fact, this morning the "missing us" was especially strong when I "sat Zazen with Jundo" as I did throughout the Challenge. So, I am pondering what to do about all this ...

If the truth be told, I am not able to post here every day and keep up with the amount of work that is required to create new material Monday to Monday.

Yet, if the truth be told again, I have not been as faithful to my personal meditation practice as I'd like to be. I did enjoy the accountability and the daily interaction with all of you.

So, I find myself in a bit of a quandry and am wondering what your thoughts are on this. You are such creative folks, perhaps if we put our thinking caps on, together we can establish a rhythm and pace whereby those of us who are still meditating can check in with each other. I am open to suggestions!

FYI, I will be offering "Meditation Mondays" again beginning this coming Monday. That could possibly be our check in place, but is that enough? 

What do you think/feel about all of this? Honestly!? Please share ... 

~~~~~

Here's the passage from Thich Nhat Hanh that jumpstarted this post. Enjoy!

The Importance of Sangha

Taking refuge in the sangha means putting your trust in a community of solid members who practice mindfulness together. You do not have to practice intensively—just being in a sangha where people are happy, living deeply the moments of their days, is enough. Each person’s way of sitting, walking, eating, working, and smiling is a source of inspiration; and transformation takes place without effort. If someone who is troubled is placed in a good sangha, just being there is enough to bring about a transformation. I hope communities of practice in the West will organize themselves as families. In Asian sanghas, we address each other as Dharma Brother, Dharma Sister, Dharma Aunt, or Dharma Uncle, and we call our teacher Dharma Father or Dharma Mother. A practice community needs that kind of familial brotherhood to nourish practice.

~Thich Nhat Hanh from "The Fertile Soil of Sangha" (Summer 2008)

(Image courtesy of planyourlife.files.wordpress.com)