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**advabHixavoip** · 04-18-2011, 05:00 PM

I dont feel confident to ask questions when i'm at teachings because there are so many people who seem to know so much and I feel like a dummy in comparison.

Hi peace!

I have had that same feeling. As I am a Soto Zen practitioner and I attend teishos, dashins and seshins; at the beginning I was not confident to ask questions because... how were you asking if you have a roshi? but latter on I discovered that at the dojo there are no discussion like in here because we all are into the tradition and discussions are just about things that belong to it.

Here I discovered that discussions are because there are people with different views about practice, different backgrounds and also different tempers toward the practice and I get hooked into them and I started to learn a lot more and to use that learning privately to improve my own understanding.

There was a time when some members encouraged people (here) to go to the source of the teachings, to read and understood the Pali Canon and I take the challenge and surprisingly I discovered a refreshing view about Buddhism. From then and until today I still study the Pali teachings that have given me a better frame to my practice.

As you, I still conceive myself as a beginner and I know it because I am still learning from all members in the discussion at the threads. I like to discuss because I do not know off line many people that is interested in Buddhism like here. My sangha is really little and ceremonial and the study of the Pali teachings is just around the Four Noble Truths but they do not go really further because we have Dogen's teachings as important as those of the historical Buddha. I fit well in Zen, but I have found really great to be into the Pali and here into discussions. This has been a very important source of learning and inspiration and to be humble, even when it seems not, about what I have given as a fact.

04-18-2011, 05:00 PM	#21
advabHixavoip Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 362 Senior Member	I dont feel confident to ask questions when i'm at teachings because there are so many people who seem to know so much and I feel like a dummy in comparison. Hi peace! I have had that same feeling. As I am a Soto Zen practitioner and I attend teishos, dashins and seshins; at the beginning I was not confident to ask questions because... how were you asking if you have a roshi? but latter on I discovered that at the dojo there are no discussion like in here because we all are into the tradition and discussions are just about things that belong to it. Here I discovered that discussions are because there are people with different views about practice, different backgrounds and also different tempers toward the practice and I get hooked into them and I started to learn a lot more and to use that learning privately to improve my own understanding. There was a time when some members encouraged people (here) to go to the source of the teachings, to read and understood the Pali Canon and I take the challenge and surprisingly I discovered a refreshing view about Buddhism. From then and until today I still study the Pali teachings that have given me a better frame to my practice. As you, I still conceive myself as a beginner and I know it because I am still learning from all members in the discussion at the threads. I like to discuss because I do not know off line many people that is interested in Buddhism like here. My sangha is really little and ceremonial and the study of the Pali teachings is just around the Four Noble Truths but they do not go really further because we have Dogen's teachings as important as those of the historical Buddha. I fit well in Zen, but I have found really great to be into the Pali and here into discussions. This has been a very important source of learning and inspiration and to be humble, even when it seems not, about what I have given as a fact.
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