In my experience, establishing a daily practice is harder than sitting a 10-day course. A big part of this challenge comes from trying to follow a different path from everyone else. There is a tremendous amount of support that comes from having even one other meditator to sit with regularly. The idea of having an entire community of support is hard to imagine.

One reason I’m excited about the new Urban Center outside of Philadelphia is the possibility of this type of community. Having both a Center as the fulcrum of this community and a city with job opportunities in a multitude of careers creates a unique opportunity. While many adults have established careers and families that make relocating challenging, I’m guessing that many young single adults will be tempted by the opportunity Dhamma Delaware presents.

If I’m right and a strong dhamma community starts to establish itself around Philadelphia, I wonder what impact this will have. Will more non-meditators be exposed to this community and impressed by the results of this practice? Will more companies, schools, and prisons be open to inviting meditation into their environments? Will more old students find success in establishing their daily practice? Could city crime or drop out rates noticeable decrease? Will the old students in Philadelphia find their experience identical to old students in other rural locations? I’m excited to find out. Time to meditate.