Good dharma talk...long bus ride

Of course, is there such a thing as a bad dharma talk, or just a talk that didn't work for a particular person? ;o)

I managed to get to my weekly sangha meeting on Wednesday despite the transportation difficulties arising from last week's hit and run that took out the car. I called Port Authority, the people who run public transportation here in Allegheny County, and it only took two buses and two hours to arrive. Of course, I was supposed to be there early to set up, as we meet in a church and I am learning how to do the altar/cushions setup as part of my training for the refuge vows & lay precepts. I did indeed get there early and did OK, although I still corrected a few minor things before the service started.

And at the end of the service was a great dharma talk. I generally like the talks that the abbot gives when he visits, but this one really answered a lot of questions I have been having, not with some kind of "final answer", but in a way that offers really useful guidance for my practice. I am hoping that my car troubles won't keep me from going to our sangha's yearly intensive, an all day meeting that I have heard is very aptly named. It's so amazing that I've been practicing Buddhism formally with a group and a teacher for nearly 9 months now and I haven't gotten bored or fed up yet. It's definitely challenging, and sometimes takes a lot of effort just to even get there (let alone practice!), but how about that, I still keep going back and asking for more.