<p>Yes, it seems he did. For example in DN 2:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>10. And when King Ajatasattu came near the mango-grove he felt fear and terror, and his hair stood on end. And feeling [50] this fear and the rising of the hairs, the King said to Jīvaka: ‘Friend Jivaka, you are not deceiving me? You are not tricking me? You are not delivering me up to an enemy? How is it that from this great number of twelve hundred and fifty monks not a sneeze, a cough or a shout is to be heard?’</p>
<p>‘Have no fear, Your Majesty, I would not deceive you or trick you or deliver you up to an enemy. Approach, Sire, approach. There are the lights burning in the round pavilion.’</p>
<p>11. So King Ajatasattu, having ridden on his elephant as far as the ground would permit, alighted and continued on foot to the door of the round pavilion. Then he said: ‘Jivaka, where is the Lord?’ ‘That is the Lord, Sire. That is the Lord sitting against the middle column with his order of monks in front of him.’</p>
<p>12. Then King Ajātasattu went up to the Lord and stood to one side, and standing there to one side the King observed how the order of monks continued in silence like a clear lake, and he exclaimed: ‘If only Prince Udāyabhadda were possessed of such calm as this order of monks!’</p>
<p>(Walshe, trans)</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-18T23:22:46.060Z
Thanks, didn't realize that they might be meditating when I read this earlier.
fxam
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-17T14:31:42.433Z
2015-03-17T14:31:42.433Z
2020-06-17T09:56:10.877Z
yuttadhammo
<p>Yes, it seems he did. For example in <a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/ud.3.03.than.html" rel="nofollow">Yasoja Sutta</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Now, at that time the Blessed One was sitting in imperturbable
  concentration [either in the fourth jhāna, the dimension of the
  infinitude of space, or the dimension of the infinitude of
  consciousness]. The thought occurred to the monks, "Now, in which
  mental dwelling is the Blessed One now residing?" Then they realized,
  "He is residing in the imperturbable dwelling." So they all sat in
  imperturbable concentration.</p>
  
  <p>Then Ven. Ānanda — when the night was far advanced, at the end of the
  first watch — got up from his seat, arranged his robe over one
  shoulder, stood facing the Blessed One, paying homage with his hands
  placed palm-to-palm over his heart, and said to him, "The night, lord,
  is far advanced. The first watch has ended. The visiting monks have
  been sitting here a long time. May the Blessed One greet them." When
  this was said, the Blessed One remained silent.</p>
  
  <p>Then a second time ... (Ananda did the same thing later)</p>
  
  <p>Then a third time ... (Ananda did the same thing later)</p>
  
  <p>Then the Blessed One, emerging from his imperturbable concentration,
  said to Ven. Ānanda, "Ānanda, if you had known, not even that much
  would have occurred to you (to say). I, along with all 500 of these
  monks, have been sitting in imperturbable concentration."</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-18T13:38:20.850Z
Wow, was that 6pm to 6am of the next morning? Wonder what Ananda was doing while the others were in imperturbable concentration for such a long period.
fxam
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-03-17T16:13:26.000Z
2015-03-17T16:13:26.000Z
ruben2020
<p>In today's meditation center, practitioners meditate with others in group sitting. After an hour or so of meditation, the practitioners may proceed to seek advices from the teacher on their progress.</p>

<p>Did Buddha practice group meditation with bhikkhus, bhikkhunis and laymen, and then they may seek advice from Buddha? Is there any such event described in the Sutta?</p>

<reference-request><meditation-practicalities><meditation-teachers>
Did Buddha practice group meditation with bhikkhus, bhikkhunis and laymen, just like in today's meditation center?
# Did Buddha practice group meditation with bhikkhus, bhikkhunis and laymen, just like in today's meditation center?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-03-16)

In today's meditation center, practitioners meditate with others in group sitting. After an hour or so of meditation, the practitioners may proceed to seek advices from the teacher on their progress.

Did Buddha practice group meditation with bhikkhus, bhikkhunis and laymen, and then they may seek advice from Buddha? Is there any such event described in the Sutta?

**Tags:** reference-request, meditation-practicalities, meditation-teachers


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2015-03-17. Score: 4

Yes, it seems he did. For example in DN 2:

> 10. And when King Ajatasattu came near the mango-grove he felt fear and terror, and his hair stood on end. And feeling [50] this fear and the rising of the hairs, the King said to Jīvaka: ‘Friend Jivaka, you are not deceiving me? You are not tricking me? You are not delivering me up to an enemy? How is it that from this great number of twelve hundred and fifty monks not a sneeze, a cough or a shout is to be heard?’
>
> ‘Have no fear, Your Majesty, I would not deceive you or trick you or deliver you up to an enemy. Approach, Sire, approach. There are the lights burning in the round pavilion.’
>
> 11. So King Ajatasattu, having ridden on his elephant as far as the ground would permit, alighted and continued on foot to the door of the round pavilion. Then he said: ‘Jivaka, where is the Lord?’ ‘That is the Lord, Sire. That is the Lord sitting against the middle column with his order of monks in front of him.’
>
> 12. Then King Ajātasattu went up to the Lord and stood to one side, and standing there to one side the King observed how the order of monks continued in silence like a clear lake, and he exclaimed: ‘If only Prince Udāyabhadda were possessed of such calm as this order of monks!’
>
> (Walshe, trans)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks, didn't realize that they might be meditating when I read this earlier.  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2015-03-17. Score: 3

Yes, it seems he did. For example in [Yasoja Sutta](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/ud.3.03.than.html):

> Now, at that time the Blessed One was sitting in imperturbable
> concentration [either in the fourth jhāna, the dimension of the
> infinitude of space, or the dimension of the infinitude of
> consciousness]. The thought occurred to the monks, "Now, in which
> mental dwelling is the Blessed One now residing?" Then they realized,
> "He is residing in the imperturbable dwelling." So they all sat in
> imperturbable concentration.
>
> Then Ven. Ānanda — when the night was far advanced, at the end of the
> first watch — got up from his seat, arranged his robe over one
> shoulder, stood facing the Blessed One, paying homage with his hands
> placed palm-to-palm over his heart, and said to him, "The night, lord,
> is far advanced. The first watch has ended. The visiting monks have
> been sitting here a long time. May the Blessed One greet them." When
> this was said, the Blessed One remained silent.
>
> Then a second time ... (Ananda did the same thing later)
>
> Then a third time ... (Ananda did the same thing later)
>
> Then the Blessed One, emerging from his imperturbable concentration,
> said to Ven. Ānanda, "Ānanda, if you had known, not even that much
> would have occurred to you (to say). I, along with all 500 of these
> monks, have been sitting in imperturbable concentration."

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Wow, was that 6pm to 6am of the next morning? Wonder what Ananda was doing while the others were in imperturbable concentration for such a long period.  

---

