Mindfulness Practice Center of Durham

Information about this center is no longer updated. This data was last updated on 19 January 2005.

Phone: 919-667-0965
Email: budrl@earthlink.net
Website: http://www.meditation-durham.org

History

The Mindfulness Practice Center of Durham was founded in late 2002. It grew out of the work of Mindfulness Based Stress Relief teacher Bud Reiter-Lavery, evolving to become a fully fledged Buddhist group practicing in the tradition of Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh.

Activities and Schedule

The group holds meetings on Thursday nights at 7:30 p.m. Usually they meet at the Durham Friends Meeting House on the campus of Duke University, but occasionally they hold sessions in the nearby Sarah P. Duke Garden. The group requests a $2 donation (optional) from participants.
The usual format for a gathering is twenty minutes of silent seated meditation, followed by ten minutes of walking meditation, and then twenty more minutes of seated meditation. Meditation is typically followed by a talk or reading led by a member of the group, and then discussion of the points raised in the talk or book excerpt. Members take turns each week leading these discussions, which usually last until 9:00 p.m.
The Mindfulness Practice Center of Durham does not include any liturgy or ritual other than meditation. Religious trappings are minimal--a candle or flower placed in the center of the circle of participants, and a small bell to signal the beginning and ending of activities. A small number of cushions and meditation benches are provided.

Demographics

Membership in the group is currently composed of European-Americans, ranging in age from early 30s upward. Men and women are represented in roughly equal proportions.