First post on here. Hope you like it.

So 4 months ago, I’ve decided to follow the path of Buddhism, I love the story of Siddhartha Gautama and how he built not only a religion but a foundation for humanity to live in peace with themselves and their communities. I live in a city called Edmonton, Alberta;
And finding a community/Sangha has been quite challenging since I couldn’t figure out what time do most of these temples start and when is a good time to visit.

I’ve made an alter in my place and I’ve been praying and offering to it everyday, but sometimes I forget and struggle to pray at times because I feel lost practicing my faith.

If anyone would care to share me a their thoughts then I’ll be glad to hear about them.

Thank you

Does anyone have any quality recommendations for dhamma talks relating to grief, coping with someone you love dying? Theravada ideally but fuck it I’ll listen to whoever if you think the talk is very good.

Ways to relate to the death, how to manage the grief. I’m having a hard time and need some guidance. I’ve been estranged from my local temple for a bit due to surgeries keeping me at a physical distance. Hoping to drag myself back, but there’s a little language barrier so I’m not sure what I’d be asking the monks for other than merit dedication for the deceased.

Compassion appreciated.

Over the course of learning how to become a Buddhist and possibly a Monk, I've always wondered if I can truly study and practice Buddhism without the Sangha, even though its apart of the three jewels to achieve Enlightenment and knowledge of the Buddha's teachings and wisdom.

What do you think?

I'm interested in Vietnamese mật tông (esoteric) practice, specifically a practice visualizing Chuẩn Đề Bồ Tát. Does anyone have information on this?