The Essential Guide To Spiritual Communities
By Axel Gjertsen

Let’s take a close look at the benefits and challenges associated with staying long term in a spiritual community.

It’s useful to know that there are many types of spiritual communities. Some follow old traditions such as Buddhist monasteries while others are new-age centers, where the community members often follow their own spiritual paths.

Most seekers find it really inspiring to stay in a community. There may be a number of experienced meditators living at the center and the group energy is most conducive to spiritual practice.

The size of the community can make a lot of difference. At a large community with 50-100 residents it may take awhile to get to know all the members while the smaller centers are more personal.

Some communities practice a lot of meditation while others don’t. For example, there are Buddhist monasteries in Thailand where they only meditate for 20 minutes per day.

Of course, if you have the discipline you can always practice on your own. It’s much easier to motivate yourself though if the community has at least 2-5 hours of meditation practice on the schedule.

If you get the chance, join a meditation retreat while staying in the community, even if it’s only a 2-5 day retreat. The mind calms down so much by just living in a spiritual community, that you get more out of short retreats than anyone leading a stressful life outside the community.

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The Essential Guide To Spiritual Communities