Listener questions: practice

In our first “listener response” episode, we tackle the question of how to practice Shin Buddhism (or any kind of Buddhism) if you don’t live near a community. Our take on the issue begins, appropriately enough, on the Internet and how the Web can be a great source of information. But, of course, the Web isn’t always so great in creating human connections, and often the Web is little more than a place to read stuff. Reading isn’t for everyone, after all, so we suggest practicing the recitation of the nembutsu (namo amida butsu), constructing an altar (or butsudan) and of course seeking out good spiritual friends (or kalyanamitra). If you’ve got a question, feel free to drop us a line either through the site or our Facebook page, and we’ll do our best to answer in a future episode. Mentioned in this episode is the very good web resource, Shin Dharma Net, maintained by Prof. Alfred Bloom at ShinDharmanet.com.