Meeting with a Teacher

Meeting with a teacher is optional, like all of our practices, but some people find it useful. You might want to read Domyo’s article, “Do You Need a Zen or Buddhist Teacher?” by clicking here (you can also listen to it as podcast).

When you meet with a teacher, the focus should be on your life and practice. It is not a time for general social back-and-forth between teacher and student, as might occur in other settings.

Meetings with the teacher are opportunities for the student to ask questions, present their understanding or experience, have a witness to their spiritual journey, and meet the challenge posed by communicating about deep spiritual and personal matters with another human being. Anything in our life can be part of our practice, so you don’t have to limit yourself to “spiritual” or “profound” topics.

At the same time, time with a teacher is best spent exploring the practice dimension of your life as opposed to simply reporting what’s happening in the way you might catch up with a friend. How do you bring the practice dimension to the meeting? Here’s a few tips:

• When preparing for a meeting, it’s helpful to reflect, “What’s the edge of my practice?” In other words, where are the limits of your understanding or manifestation? Where are your growth points? Where are you on your life journey? 
• Bring questions – but these don’t have to be questions you are asking the teacher to answer (although you can). They should be the questions you are exploring for yourself.
• “Practice” means living deliberately. In any given situation, what choices can you make in terms of your own thought, speech, and action that relieve suffering and increase wisdom and compassion regardless of whether anything objectively changes in your external situation?

Practice Discussion with Domyo

Domyo is available for practice discussion (informal sanzen) by Zoom videoconference (you will receive a Zoom link once you make an appointment). If you have never met Domyo in practice discussion before, please email her about doing so before making an appointment (click here). Please participate with Bright Way Zen at least a few times before seeking an appointment. Domyo does not serve as a personal spiritual guide independent of regular practice with the Bright Way Zen Sangha.

If you have had a practice discussion/meeting with Domyo before or have corresponded with her about it, feel free to request an appointment via her online booking calendar, click below. 

You might meet with Domyo once, or only occasionally. 

If you find meeting with Domyo useful, you can schedule as often as once a month, but please become a supporting member of Bright Way Zen if you do.