BZC Sangha Weighs in on Reopening

Participants may remember filling out a questionnaire about BZC practice after Covid—asking how you felt about participating online, in-person, or a hybrid of both, once we reopen. We were gratified to hear from 82 sangha members, and your responses are shaping our planning for the coming months. This is a snapshot of what we learned:
A large proportion of the sangha (84%) expect to continue practicing on Zoom “at least some­times.” The reasons vary: ten percent of our sangha live too far away to attend in person; ten percent are still concerned about Covid, regardless of precautions, or are unable to get vaccinated; a whopping 55% indicated that the convenience of being able to practice at home was a significant factor. They listed a variety of reasons: not having to deal with traffic; greater ease in tending family; not having to find parking or to make frequent long commutes. Of those who wish to continue participating on Zoom, most preferred the 7:30 a.m. and 5:40 p.m. weekday times.
As for in-person practice, 45% preferred a 6:00 a.m. time, while 24% preferred our previous 5:40 a.m. time. A surprising number preferred the afternoon 5:40 p.m. time (61%).

We asked what activities you thought should be both on Zoom and in person. In every category, the answer “both” was by far the largest:  Saturday program (93%); way-seeking mind talks (85%); all-sangha meetings (82%); daily service (76%); classes (88%); and sesshins (66%). In contrast, the next largest categories of responses came from those wishing for activities to be in-person only:  daily service (22%) and sesshins (30%).
There were also numerous comments and thoughts, which we have been digesting.  Typical among them were: “I am so grateful that BZC is exploring hybrid approaches”; “Online zendo has made it so much easier for those of us with disabilities and other chronic conditions to participate”; and “Thank you for sending out this poll! I understand that some activities in the list above may be more difficult to live-stream than others, but we very much appreciate the greater geographical reach of BZC during the pandemic and feel that these people should be able to continue to partici­pate, if they so desire.”
Thanks to the work of the committee dealing with these issues: Gerry Oliva, Hozan,  Ron Nestor, Ellen Webb, Laurie Senauke, and Mary Duryee.