SOLO PRACTICE, GROUP PRACTICE, AND PRACTICE WITH A MASTER

QUESTION:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of practicing on one's own, with a group and with a master?

SHIH-FU:

Practice can occur in various settings: individual practice, group practice, short-term practice, long-term practice, daily practice, and intensive, periodic practice. Individual practice can be relaxed, periodically intensive, short-term or long-term; the same is true for group practice. One can also look at these forms of practice from the point of view of lay persons vs. home-leavers. I will try to address all of these situations.