​Attending Dharma Assemblies: Prepare Well, Avoid Hasty Effort

Does attending Dharma assemblies alone qualify as engaged practice? If we don't practice regularly before attending a Dharma assembly, we may find sutra chanting boring because we don't understand its content or meaning. In addition, we may feel nervous or drowsy because we can't catch up with the speed of chanting. Therefore, it is essential to engage in preparatory practice to settle and calm the mind in preparation for group practice. 
 
If you have a busy day job, you can engage in preparatory practice to the best of your ability by fitting it into your own schedule. For example, before going to a Great Compassion Repentance Ceremony, you can recite the Great Compassion Dharani seven times a day; before going to a Ksitigarbha Dharma Assembly, you can chant one chapter of the Sutra on Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Fundamental Vows daily; before going to a Medicine Buddha Assembly, you can recite the Medicine Buddha Dharani 108 times a day, etc. You may also read books or writings related to repentance practice and sutras, as well as familiarize yourself with the agenda of the Dharma assembly.
 
Developing the habit of practicing regularly not only brings us calm and joy in our daily lives, but can also help us better concentrate during the Dharma assembly group practice. 
 
 
Resource: Issue 375 of Life Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation

Extended Reading:
​Into the Venue of a Dharma Assembly

What Should We Bring to a Dharma Assembly?

Dharma Assembly Attendee Etiquette

A Brief Introduction to the Development of the Dharma Assembly
 

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