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<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m curious, I said, \u201cabout how this technology might be used to support home practice and I\u2019m willing to give it a try. I may find that it doesn\u2019t work, that our physical presence is so important that this mode of communication creates more confusion and misunderstanding than clarity and openness.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span> So here\u2019s a brief update: so far, so good. This mode seems especially well suited for people who practicing far from a teacher and are feeling that distance.<\/span><\/span><\/span> For me, it\u2019s been a lot of fun, including meeting with practitioners in Ireland, England and Sweden \u2013 a tour of my biological homeland.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Especially when the video is working well, I am often surprised at the sense of presence from sitting with people this way.<\/span><\/span><\/span> Let me be clear. I don\u2019t see Virtual Meetings as a replacement for an old-fashioned teacher-student relationship. There are many dimensions of practicing together that are not accessible in Virtual Meetings.<\/span><\/span><\/span> However, it beats no teacher-student relationship at all and for people who are sincere about practice but who can\u2019t get to a teacher it might save wandering along fruitlessly in ways that simple guidance could correct.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> Here\u2019s a couple things that I\u2019ve learned that seem to help make Virtual Meetings \u201cpractice\u201d meetings.<\/span><\/span><\/span> First a little background. The style of Zen is to pay careful attention to details and to carefully create an environment in which something can bloom.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span> In dokusan, for example, the teacher usually sits in front of an altar with a flower, a candle, and incense and then rings a bell for the next student in line to enter the room. The student enters in a prescribed manner, bowing, and sitting down. Often a set phrase is used to being the interview.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span> The context can be very powerful in creating a container for Zen practice.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>
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