Hello,
I have been trying to learn about Buddhism for about 9 months and studying with a local teacher for 6 months, so I am a relative beginner but still know a little bit. I was raised in a liberal denomination of Christianity, felt disillusioned with it as a teenager and became an atheist hostile to religion, and more recently I have been trying to practice Buddhism (which has actually made me more sympathetic to Christianity even though it's not for me).
I am diagnosed with autism and often have an easier time communicating with non-real time writing than by speaking, which is why I decided to sign up for this old school style forum. Compared to "other" places online- I know I'm not really supposed criticism them- it seems like there is a lot of good information here and people generally make an effort to be respectful to each other.
My teacher is zen teacher who runs a small zendo, but I'm mainly attending there because it's what available locally and not because I felt drawn to zen. I sometimes wish more ritual was taught and that there was more of a sense community like I remember my church having growing up. North American zen seems to feel very solitary even if we meditate in the same room. It's still been a very good environment for me to learn though and the smaller number of people makes it easier for me to deal with without feeling overwhelmed.
