No.0198
Buddhists hope to change your mind

By Colleen Creamer, Nashville City Paper

Nashville, TN (USA) -- As the world’s pace seems to quicken, it may be that human beings are not capable of evolving fast enough to handle the overload. For many, a meditative practice lightens that load and creates a state of mind that not only soothes the soul, but also can engage a person more fully in his or her life.Saturday, on the rear grounds of the First Church Unity on Franklin Road, the growing Nashville Buddhist community will host The Nashville Buddhist Festival, pooling their diverse traditions to enlighten those interested in understanding three Buddhist meditative practices: Zen, Tibetan and Vipassana. The event will occur from 12:30 – 5:30 p.m."You don’t have to be Buddhist to meditate," said Lisa Ernst of the Nasvhille Zen Center and event organizer. "I really think that is an important point. There are many Christians, who do, for example, Zen meditation. You can choose whether you want to strictly follow a Buddhist path or just learn to meditate to be more awake in your life."Panel speakers hope to dispel the myth that to some, particularly in the South, Buddhism is a dark ancient faith bathed in occultism. But if it is one of the most misunderstood of the world religions, it is also one of the fastest growing in the country. Still, its dualistic and intellectual nature does not lend itself for easy party chit chat around the pigs in a blanket (unlikely) unless you’re willing to grapple with a koan. A koan is a Zen "riddle" in the form of a question meant to challenge one’s thinking.Buddhists consider philosophy outside and higher than the realm of dogma (or rigid thinking of any kind) because Buddhism presupposes that rigid thinking is what got you in the emotional hell of attachment in the first place. So, there is no proselytizing. You have to find dharma, state of mind and the positive consequences that comes from a solid meditative practice, on your own.Buddhist lawyer Jean Harrison, thinks, as many do, of Buddhism as a guide."It’s more of a way of living than a religion. It is a guidepost by which you try to better yourself in the process of bettering everything around you," Harrison said.Meditation, in ways that are just too complex to go into here, lessens attachment to things, to human beings or even to ideas — attachment being the seat of all suffering. But the root core of the philosophy is also to cultivate "loving kindness" for all living things.The Festival will include a panel discussion, with a question and answer period, on the varying traditions and lessons on how to meditate. There will also be an introduction to Tai Chi and yoga for the meditator. Regionally known teacher of both Zen and Vipassana traditions, Trudy Goodman will present the Zen tradition. A Burmese monk will talk about the Vipassana tradition and three local "senior" teachers will introduce the Tibetan tradition, Ernst said.In Zen meditation, the practitioner strives to keep the mind empty for as long as possible. In Vipassina meditation the practitioner witnesses what is going on the mind and the body to help the student become more "in the moment" in daily life. The more colorful Tibetan tradition employs chanting and visual techniques.

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